Entrepreneurs with disabilities to discuss success of SU’s Start-Up NY/Inclusive Entrepreneurship program with Onondaga County Executive

Onondaga County Executive Joannie Mahoney will meet at noon, Wednesday, June 1, with entrepreneurs with disabilities who have launched local businesses through the Start-Up NY/Inclusive Entrepreneurship program. The discussion will be held at Tacolicious, 308 South Warren St. in Syracuse, an eatery owned by a participant of the program.

Start-Up NY/Inclusive Entrepreneurship is an innovative, first-of-its kind program developed by the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University. In partnership with Onondaga County and the Whitman School of Management, the program has assisted more than 200 Central New Yorkers with disabilities in the creation of more than 60 new businesses.

During the meeting, the program’s leaders will discuss the extraordinary success of Start-Up NY/Inclusive Entrepreneurship and how it is being used as a model in other regions. In addition, entrepreneurs with disabilities, including Tacolicious owner Della Brown, will share their experiences in the program, which is housed at the South Side Innovation Center.

BBI managed the design and implementation of Start-Up NY/Inclusive Entrepreneurship on behalf of Onondaga County, which received a three-year, $3 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy to create the program. During a recent meeting at the White House, BBI discussed options for replication of the Start-Up NY/Inclusive Entrepreneurship program and greater involvement of individuals with disabilities in the new Startup America initiative.

To learn more, visit http://bbi.syr.edu/startupny.