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Jaime Riveiro Fernandez
As one of the proposals of her TFM project, Mireia Cabañes, a student at the URJC doctoral school, promoted the creation of the first Spanish Association of Entrepreneurs and Self-Employed People with Disabilities (AEAD). "Several weeks ago, through a constituent assembly, we announced the AEAD and a few days ago we voted on the statutes and signed the board of directors" of which Cabañes is vice president, as she explains. The TFM, entitled “The entrepreneurship of university students with disabilities in Europe. New perspectives and operational proposals 2020-2024” evaluated with honors, was directed by the professor of Applied Economics, Alberto Romero, and they have also had the help of Antonio Tejada, a student at the doctoral school.
“These last two years have been quite difficult in terms of health and just the fact of being able to have completed the master's degree and have gotten good grades has already been incredible, imagine that a proposal of yours is becoming a reality and that, in addition, you are having such a good reception among businessmen and freelancers with disabilities in Spain. It is an enormous pride and joy!”, says Cabañes. However, it should be noted that the AEAD is only one of the parts of its TFM and not all of its operational proposals have come true, but it trusts that they can be carried out in the future.
Content of the TFM
So, through her Master's Thesis, Mireia wanted to make a brief study of the current situation of entrepreneurs with disabilities in Europe, taking Spain as a reference. “Not only did I do the study at a theoretical level, but I also contacted 20 entrepreneurs with disabilities to whom I conducted a survey and then I had several interviews with expert professionals in the field and who have also dedicated part of their professional career to consultancy. of entrepreneurs with disabilities”, says Cabañes.
Thanks to this information, some conclusions were reached, from which a series of operational proposals were drawn up. In addition, these were already being worked on with the aim of being able to professionalize and empower entrepreneurship. One of these proposals was the creation of an association that would watch over the rights of entrepreneurs and businessmen with disabilities, and thus the AEAD was born.
“The idea arises from the stubbornness and commitment of two people who for more than 6 months have been working in private to give it a totally serious format and according to the needs that were expected from a strictly business association, those two people are Antonio Tejada and I, Mireia Cabañes”, points out Cabañes. Years ago, other societies emerged within the social sphere, but without achieving the expected results. So, when the pandemic began to affect the group, Mireia and Antonio got to work putting the AEAD into practice.
The Spanish Association of Employers and Self-Employed with Disabilities
"Entrepreneurs and businessmen with disabilities have always had a lack of political support, but in recent months, they have seen themselves without support in social policies," says Cabañes. For this and more reasons, the AEAD was born, seeking the representation, management, defense and promotion of business people, self-employed workers or professionals with disabilities. “The association was born from the need to claim and appeal to the competent authorities to achieve business and professional equity for people with disabilities who opt for self-employment and entrepreneurship. It also seeks to reduce the existing employment gap between self-employed and employed workers with disabilities”, says Cabañes.
On the other hand, it also wants to give the visibility that the needs of the group deserve and put an end to the discrimination and exclusions that exist today. In other words, the full and normalized participation in the world of business and the economy of people with disabilities is sought.
Functions of the AEAD
“With this association we seek the difference with respect to the associations that existed previously with the same purpose. The new association is regulated under the business statutes”, says Cabañes. That is to say, the laws of the business sector are governed, and not of the social one, and they want to consider superior organizations such as CEPYME or CEOE. The board of directors has the presence of members with more than 65% disability and always seeking equality between men and women.
The main function of the AEAD is to give a voice to all self-employed workers and entrepreneurs with disabilities, not just associates. Another of its objectives is to make female entrepreneurship visible, which does not have much representation. “The idea is to be present in all the debate forums and in those where we are not invited or where our presence has been forgotten, we will claim and stamp our feet to be present and have a voice, a presence and that they know that our reality exists”, declares Cabañes . Likewise, they also want to commit to scientific production on the subject and to generate knowledge in this regard.
Present and future of Mireia Cabañes
Currently, Cabañes is in poor health due to his disability, but that does not prevent him from studying for a doctorate at the URJC, which would be located within the branch of Social and Legal Sciences in the business area. Her research focuses on the role of entrepreneurs or self-employed women with disabilities, who have a lot of talent and potential, but "policies of trust, support and encouragement are lacking, not to mention the existing misinformation on the subject," Cabañes clarifies. .
Mireia has recently been awarded at the URJC Awards for Young Researchers in Modality B (Master) within the branch of Social and Legal Sciences. "The truth is that I am a person who, due to my disability, lives quite day to day and I don't think about the future, but the truth is that I would like to dedicate myself both to teaching and to fighting and researching social issues," Cabañes explains. . Likewise, being the basis of all social change, it does not rule out the area of politics. "Speaking of politics, I take advantage of these lines to present the latest project by Antonio Tejada and of which I am a part, "Politics and Inclusion", the only consultancy at an international level specialized in Political Marketing", concludes Cabañes.