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10/19/2021Why Self-Employmentis a Good Option1IntroductionsDaman Wandke, Founder & CEO, WandkeConsulting Entrepreneur MIS/MBA from WWU IT Accessibility Expert National Disability Advocate Member of multiple nonprofits Loves to travel & ride my bike Has Cerebral Palsy Wandke Consulting21

10/19/2021My Early Employment History Difficult to find employment in high school YMCA – said they would hire me and then said they did noto Lots of volunteer/leadership work - YMCA, UCP, ASB “I believe Daman is qualified to be ASB President, but I’m not sure he canbecause of his disability.” Started my disability advocacy careero Started building websites for my friend’s parents’ companies Found a couple of internships to start building my skillso Supported by the DO-IT program at the University of Washingtono Started building a wide network of through leadership opportunities such asthe National Council on Disability and the US Business Leadership Network Received support from VR to get my undergraduate and my MBA degree Wandke Consulting3Employment Biases I faced employment bias/barriers/discrimination in my first couple of jobsbased on my disability.o I was told I cannot come to the office without my PCA, and I cannotask my coworkers for any help.o There are more inaccessible office spaces than most people realize.o I was not allowed to speak on calls with clients due to my speechwithout someone transcribing what I say.o I applied for an internship in college. Later, I became good friends withan employee of that business. They were told I was not hired becauseI could not answer the phone. Wandke Consulting42

10/19/2021Pocket Resume Sometimes, when I am interacting with people, they talk to me using“baby talk”. One time, I was getting my hair cut and the stylist kept talking to me like ababy.o I finally said, “I am not a baby, I am a college student.”o Her response, “Oh! You don’t look that old!” I joke that I need to carry around a pocket copy of my resume to prove topeople that I am not a baby. Then again, they might think that I am soinspirational! These biases carry over to job interviews and workplaces. Wandke Consulting5ADA & Employment The ADA has the term “reasonable accommodations” that are a protectedright. But the term reasonable is relative. The Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws are the minimum; theycannot cover every need. The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed to improve employmentopportunities for the disability community.o The disabled unemployment rate: 1990, 13.7%; 2018, 19.1% (PreCovid); 2019, 17.1%; and 2020, 12.5%.o The ADA did not achieve this. The ADA doesn’t protect people with disabilities from being paid subminimum wage. Wandke Consulting63

10/19/2021Work ExperiencesI worked from home for most of my career. While earning my MBA, I coordinated web accessibility remotely for afederal government agency. I would visit the office every couple of months. When our office hired a new supervisor, she required me to always have mypersonal care assistant (PCA) at the office. I explained to her that I only needed help with small tasks, like staplingpapers. Her response, “Stapling your papers is not in our job description.” Even though this accommodation was free to my employer, it was notconsidered reasonable. Wandke Consulting7Work Experiences (Continued) In one job, my boss would not allow me to speak on client phone callswithout someone typing what I said. They were worried that people may not understand me. This job had a disability-related focus. Shouldn’t a part of thisorganization’s focus be teaching others how to interact with people withdisabilities? It is okay for people to ask me what I just said and there is not always atranscriber in the real world. Wandke Consulting84

10/19/2021Work & In-home CareIn-Home Care Ability to Work Taxes to Government My Medicaid/in-home care services were cut off when I moved to Virginiato advance my career because I made too much money.o In-turn, this lowered my quality of life. I moved back to Washington State after two years of living in WashingtonDC and worked remotely.o I chose to cut my work hours to qualify for in-home care.o Then, I used my story to advocate for getting rid of the income limit forin-home care. There is still an income limit for qualifying for in-home care in moststates. Wandke Consulting9My Self-Employment Journey Eventually, I decided that self-employment would be the best option forme.o My remote job was getting more difficult because I was not in the officewhere I could interact with people.o I realized that self-employment would give me the flexibility I needed tobe both successful and have a good quality of life. I decided to create a startup company to help make travel easier forpeople with disabilities because of my experience traveling. Wandke Consulting105

10/19/2021Journey I launched AbiliTrek as a hotel booking service for travelers with disabilities. We provided a profile that each user could fill out--just once--expressing theiraccessibility needs. We would then book a room to fit the traveler’s needs. Our motto was and still is accessibility is not “one-size-fits-all”. Even with calling ahead, hotels still didn’t know what they offered, and oftenwhat was said to be there was not always what was actually there. We shifted away from this original mission of AbiliTrek for the same reasonthat we started this company; we saw that education would be more valuable. Wandke Consulting11AbiliTrek Transitioned In 2019, AbiliTrek transitioned to a Search and Review platform.o We continued the idea that accessibility is not “one-size-fits-all”.o Even after the transition, the Search and Review platform was not takingoff. We needed users to collect the data. But without data, we could not attract the users. This is when we began consulting more. Wandke Consulting126

10/19/2021Disability:IN Mentor My main goal was to rebrand my company from a startup to a consultingfirm. The Disability:IN’s Supplier Diversity Program matched me with a mentorat a large corporation that could help me meet my goals.o My mentor and her team helped me ensure my website and salecollateral have the right message for my potential clients.o My mentor helped me network with supplier diversity professionals atother corporations. My consulting revenue has now doubled since I have relaunched myconsulting company. Wandke Consulting13Mentoring Having mentors and being a mentor has been a big part of my life.Many mentors from many different places have invested in my journey.I have had the ability to glean off what they do to gain experience myself.Due to seeing my growth when being mentored, I now mentor otherpeople with disabilities. Mentoring is a huge piece to my success as an entrepreneur. Wandke Consulting147

10/19/2021Rebranded to: In July 2020, AbiliTrek rebranded to Wandke Consulting. We moved from workingwith consumers to working with businesses. We launched training sessions to educate organizations on what they can do tomake their organization more inclusive to the disability community. Organizations cannot implement change that they do not understand.o Organizations look to us as their trusted advisor to help them include thedisability community.o We provide the real-life experience of living life with disabilities.o We empower organizations by providing tools and information they need toincorporate accessibility and inclusion into the foundation of their practices. Wandke Consulting15What We OfferWhat we offer at Wandke Consulting: Web Accessibility: Our technical and functional accessibility testing andremediation ensures that your website is accessible and compliant. Disability Inclusion Training: We provide training for organizations looking to bringaccessibility to the forefront of the DEI conversation. We also offer our expertiseas keynote speakers for conferences, webinars, and events. Curriculum Development: Our disability inclusion expertise helps organizationsdevelop curricula that increase disability awareness within your organization orcan be provided as resources for the disability community. Inclusive Marketing: Our unique perspective as people with disabilities allows usto serve as advisors on social media, advertising, PR, and marketing campaigns. Wandke Consulting168

10/19/2021Skills that Prepared Me for Self-Employment Technical skillso Management Information Systems degreeo IT accessibility skills from previous jobs and internships Business/management skillso MBA degreeo Managing personal care assistants Networkingo Volunteer leadership positionso Business conferences and events Wandke Consulting17Benefits of Self-Employment Flexibility based on your disability needs Government benefit flexibility Applying the unique skills and perspective of having a disability Wandke Consulting189

10/19/2021Flexibility There is no other person determining what accommodations arereasonable. Many people with disabilities need additional flexibility to accommodatetheir disability. People with disabilities have always wanted remote work as an option. Self-employment allows me:o To create flexible hours and work environments.o The ability to build a team around me to support me in my work. I have been able to create a flexible work environment for my teammembers with disabilities. Wandke Consulting19Government Benefits VR may be able to help with startup equipment costs. Self-employment income does apply to SSDI and Medicare tax. SSI, SSDI, and Medicaid only count your net income, allowing for moreincome flexibility. There are tax breaks for hiring people with disabilities which provides anincentive to hire other workers with disabilities. Those of us who need in-home care are only granted so many hours.o If I am my own boss, I have more flexibility on when my personal careassistants help me. If I needed my personal care assistant to drive meto work, I may not have hours available for my personal care assistantto drive me to get my leg braces fixed. Wandke Consulting2010

10/19/2021Unique Skills & Perspective People with disabilities are typically good problem solvers because wemust learn how to live in a world not built for us, which is very helpful whenbuilding a business and working through new problems every day. My disability gave me the experience to be an intuitive, flexible problemsolver--like becoming an entrepreneur due to discrimination in theworkplace! Providing accessibility consulting is best from the first-hand perspective ofpeople with disabilities. The discrimination I faced paved the way for me to become anentrepreneur. Wandke Consulting21Teaching Disability Studies Two years ago, I started teaching at Western Washington University. Being an instructor has many of the same benefits of self-employment, butas a university employee.o I get the stability of a set wage and full benefits. Flexibility:o I set my own class schedule and decide when and how I do my workoutside of class.o My teaching assistant assists with tasks that are difficult/timeconsuming for me. I find that this job pairs nicely with my self-employment work. Wandke Consulting2211