An entrepreneurship program is opening doors for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.
An interior design firm, a farm that uses rescue animals to help children deal with trauma, and an aerial photography business are among the ideas to come from the inaugural HiddenGems entrepreneurship program.
Developed by business consultancy and incubator Gemstar, in collaboration with not-for-profit group Access Plus WA Deaf, HiddenGems provides people who are deaf and hard of hearing with the skills required to run a business.
Eight people completed the pilot program last year, and 14 students started the national program in its new digital format last month.
HiddenGems project manager Adam Kinnest said more than half of the eight participants from last year had emerged with comprehensive business ideas.
“Each participant pitched a business idea and we had people who were already exploring their business idea before they even started the program, so it was about them refining their ‘why’ to understand what is their passion, purpose, motivation,” Mr Kinnest told Business News.
“It’s a really broad range of ideas that comes out and I think that’s a testament to us really trying to allow people to find what they are passionate about and what problems they want to solve.”
One participant has bought a property in Western Australia’s south to start investigating how rescue animals might be used to help children with trauma, while another has developed an aerial photography business that has started securing clients.
Wendy Barrett used the course to discover her passion for interior decorating, leading to the creation of Vibe Interior Design.
Ms Barrett said she had always been interested in furniture and the way people decorated rooms, and wanted to combine this passion with a desire to help people.
Vibe Interior Design will help design rooms for elderly people to ensure they stay in their homes for longer before seeking outside care services.
“Making people happy, making them feel excited and feeling proud, this is what I’ve always wanted,” Ms Barrett told Business News.
Ms Barrett, who has worked at Services Australia for 28 years, said she always wanted to be her own boss.
“I feel happier going out and about and going to people’s homes,” she said.
With her plans delayed by the disruption caused by COVID-19, Ms Barrett said she was hoping to be ready to launch her business early next year, eventually employing one or two staff members.
She said communication was the biggest barrier to starting a business for people who were deaf or hard of hearing.
“They sometimes need extra help, they need more encouragement,” she said.
“The problem is, sometimes their first language is not English, but Auslan.”
Ms Barrett said HiddenGems had given her the skills to budget, explore ideas, and start a business.
Other participants used the skills they had learned in the program to gain employment.
Mr Kinnest said one participant wanted to open a cafe that would also be a meeting place for the deaf and hard of hearing.
“He was offered an opportunity, through the Department of Communities, to do that. However, that space is now under renovation as part of a bigger project at the arts precinct so unfortunately it didn’t take where it needed to take,” he said.
Instead, Mr Kinnest said, the man had taken that idea and what he learned from HiddenGems and secured gainful employment.”
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, one in six Australians is deaf or hard of hearing.
Research from the Hearing Care Industry Association found employment rates for people who were deaf or hard of hearing were 20.5 per cent lower for men and 16.5 per cent lower for women than for non hearing-impaired people.
“Because they are coming from diverse backgrounds, especially in the deaf and hard of hearing community, unemployment is a little bit higher as well, so we see a few employment outcomes from the program,” Mr Kinnest said.
Access Plus WA Deaf acting chief executive Annette Perrin said there was a global trend of deaf and hard of hearing people opening businesses or becoming part of the gig economy.
“However, we haven’t seen this happen to the same level yet in Australia,” Ms Perrin said.
“Deaf and hard of hearing individuals can be socially isolated and economically disadvantaged.
“With the current global pandemic, we are seeing more members of the community becoming further isolated.”
Gemstar founder and chief executive, and creator of the program, Gemma Manning said entrepreneurship still lacked diversity.
“As leaders, we need to change this and open it up to everyone,” she said.
“We firmly believe that entrepreneurship should be accessible to everyone, and we are determined to make this a reality.”
