Enabled.vip Pty Ltd

To finish the development of the platform, operate the platform during the first twelve months and promote it to:

(i) People who live with a disability (potential members);

(ii) Potential mentors (experienced business operators); and

(iii) Potential customers for our online marketplace (linked to Fiverr.com).

The grant monies would be used to:

1. Finalise the build of the back-end of the platform.
2. Produce 5 support/promotional animated videos.
3. Buying out 4 days per fortnight of my time from Griffith University.
4. Mentor gratuity.
5. Board honoraria.
6. Complete the research and educational connection to Griffith University.
7. Repay personal loans.

Enabled.vip is a not-for-profit virtual incubator for Australians who live with a disability.  It will assist members to:

(i) monetise a hobby/craft;

(ii) establish a gig-based micro-business; or

(iii) establish a small business.

It will assist members with a combination of:

(a) Mentoring;

(b) A peer support discussion board;

(c) A resource library (containing a library of govt and other free resources -  including custom Enabled.vip resources);

(d) Webinars and other online events;

(e) A monthly blog and quarterly newsletter;

(f) A learning space (partnered with GBS); and

(g) A virtual marketplace (linked to Fiverr.com)

See for a message from our patron Dinesh Palipana OAM - 

I live with progressive MS and I am wheelchair mobile.  I am a hoist-transfer.  My symptoms mean that I only spend 5h out of bed.

I am an experienced member of the Disability Leadership Institute. I am an Ambassador for The Hopkins Centre (Griffith University) and MS Queensland.

I previously served as a disabled member on the Health Ethics Committee of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

I am a member of the Queensland Social Enterprise Council.

In 2015, I was the first person in the world to receive the immunotherapy treatment for progressive MS (at that stage there was no safety or efficacy data). I agreed to have 10 LPs for the collection of data about the treatment.

I am a disability advocate and I have spoken with political and corporate leaders about disability, engagement and entrepreneurship.

In 2006, I completed my doctorate.  In 2007, I received an outstanding doctoral thesis award and a Carrick Citation for my contribution to postgraduate learning.

In addition to being CEO of Enabled.vip, I am managing director of Australasian Human Research Ethics Consultancy Services Pty Ltd (www.ahrecs.com), a multinational consultancy company.

See https://www.linkedin.com/compa... and https://www.linkedin.com/compa... for more.

3.96M Australians live with a disability.

2.1M of whom are of working age.

45% of people with a disability live on or near the poverty line.

This is 2.5 times the rate of poverty experienced by the general population.

Disability doesn't need to limit potential, contribution or dignity, but isolation, prejudice and lack of information, support and resources can.

In North America, the UK and Europe, people who live with a disability are more entrepreneurial than their able-bodied peers.

This apparently is in part a reaction to prejudice and bullying that can be experienced at work. It also reflects a desire to tailor the workspace, hours, work activities and equipment to their needs.

The above rate of entrepreneurship is not reflected in Australia.

Australians often point to the lack of mentoring and peer support, social isolation, lack of information as reasons they are not more entrepreneurial.

This is despite government and community efforts to support entrepreneurship.  It should be noted these efforts were not pitched and or directed to people who live with a disability.

Enabled.vip offers a novel and constructive alternative.

Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme makes the platform sustainable.

The typical government and community response to disability employment and engagement and focuses on 'regular' employment and helping people who live with a disability to locate, gain and retain a job.

This approach works for some disabilities, though it runs the risk of undervaluing the skills and experience of some people who live with a disability.

The dominant approach does ignore the awful reality of some disabilities and chronic health conditions, such as MS and MND - People may not know day-to-day or even hour-to-hour if they will be well enough to work.

This is obviously incompatible with 'regular' work - part-time or even casual appointments.

This isn't the fault of employers and isn't the fault of people who live with a disability.

The Enabled.vip platform will assist and support Australians who live with a disability to establish and operate:

(i) A monetised hobby or craft;

(ii) A gig-based micro business; or

(iii) A small business.

This would facilitate a member creating an income stream tailored and geared around their disability.

The Enabled.vip platform provides a supportive ecosystem to assist people to pursue their potential from within a community of practice of their peers.

Since we started work on the platform, we have been enjoying a great connection with the disability and carer community.

We also have been pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm of wider society.

See the discussion on https://www.linkedin.com/compa...

We have already engaged with Fiverr's disability and media team's, have forged a partnership with MS Queensland, we are talking to the NDIS/A about the platform and have started discussions with NDIS plan managers and care coordinators.

Our existing connections to Griffith University are already proving useful as:

1. An HDR candidate is helping us with the writing of our resource material.
2. We will be hosting some Griffith University Business students.
3. We have started the development of the micro-courses for members
4. We have started discussing information about client experience and outcome.

We are currently recruiting 10 members to be our initial pilot testers. Their involvement over the next six months will help us to identify bugs and quirks with the platform's back end and to test our business systems are operating correctly. 

We are currently:

1. Identifying presenters for our monthly webinars.
2. Identifying authors for our monthly blog.
3. Recruiting mentors.
4. Building a contact list of supporters to keep advised of developments with the platform.