Local Enterprise Office Meath: Empowering Futures – an inclusive entrepreneurship programme for people with disabilities

Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Meath, part of Meath County Council, has developed and delivered an innovative entrepreneurship programme designed specifically for people with disabilities who are considering self-employment as a career pathway. The Entrepreneurship Programme for People with Disabilities (also known as Empowering Futures) responds to well-established barriers faced by people with disabilities in accessing mainstream enterprise supports.

Developed by Professor Thomas Cooney and the Department of Entrepreneurial Studies at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) and piloted by LEO Meath as the first local authority to deliver the programme, the initiative combines academic research, universal design and lived‑experience‑led delivery. The programme was recognised with the Diversity and Inclusion Award at the 2025 Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards. This case study outlines the rationale, delivery, impact and learning from the project, offering insights for other local authorities seeking to embed inclusion within enterprise policy and practice.

Background

Entrepreneurship can provide a flexible and empowering alternative to traditional employment, particularly for people with disabilities who may face structural barriers in conventional workplaces.

However, research and consultation carried out by the Department of Entrepreneurial Studies at TU Dublin identified that people with disabilities experience additional and distinctive challenges when establishing their own businesses, including inaccessible training formats, limited tailored guidance and low confidence navigating regulatory and financial systems.

Prior to this initiative, there were no locally delivered, tailored enterprise supports available in County Meath for aspiring entrepreneurs with disabilities. Traditional start-your-own-business programmes were not consistently designed with accessibility or lived experience in mind. LEO Meath recognised both the scale of this gap and the opportunity to pilot a targeted response that could be delivered locally and scaled nationally through the Local Enterprise Network.

County Meath is one of Ireland’s most rapidly growing counties, combining urban centres, rural communities and an increasingly diverse population. Supporting inclusive economic participation is therefore a priority, not only to improve individual outcomes but to strengthen the overall resilience and diversity of the local economy.

Action Taken

In late 2024, LEO Meath staff attended a national webinar delivered by Professor Cooney outlining a newly developed entrepreneurship programme for people with disabilities, created by TU Dublin in collaboration with national partners. Recognising its potential, LEO Meath volunteered to pilot the programme at local authority level – the first LEO in Ireland to do so.

A consultative planning process followed, involving TU Dublin, Enterprise Ireland, the Centre of Excellence within the Local Enterprise Network and disability stakeholders. The programme was designed using universal design principles and delivered through a dual model, combining self-guided online learning with facilitated in-person training to maximise accessibility.

Course content covers business planning, customer segmentation, financial projections, legal and regulatory matters, alongside confidence-building and resilience. Crucially, the in-person element is delivered by trainers with lived experience of disability, ensuring training is relevant, empathetic and grounded in real‑world experience.

The programme was officially launched as a national pilot during Local Enterprise Week on 7 March 2025 at The Solstice Theatre, Navan. The launch featured keynote speaker Jack Kavanagh of Move the Needle and a facilitated panel discussion focused on making entrepreneurship more accessible.

Funding was provided through LEO Capacity Building Funds administered by Meath County Council, with support from Enterprise Ireland.

Results and impact

As a recently launched pilot programme, it is too early to report full quantitative outcomes. However, participation and early feedback indicate increased confidence, improved understanding of enterprise processes and stronger peer networks among participants.

The programme is underpinned by national and international research demonstrating that tailored entrepreneurship education for people with disabilities supports both personal empowerment and economic independence.

The initiative has also had an organisational impact, influencing how inclusive design is considered within local enterprise supports more broadly. By embedding accessibility and lived experience into programme development, LEO Meath has demonstrated how local authorities can move beyond compliance to deliver genuinely inclusive economic initiatives.

The programme aligns strongly with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities), supporting the creation of flexible, inclusive pathways to employment and enterprise.

Next steps and learning for local government

The Entrepreneurship Programme for People with Disabilities has been designed to be scalable and transferable across the Local Enterprise Network. LEO Meath will continue to support participants as they progress through training and into self-employment, with ongoing evaluation used to inform future iterations of the programme.

Key learning for other local authorities includes the importance of designing accessibility into programmes from the outset, actively involving people with lived experience in both design and delivery, and collaborating with academic and national partners to ensure evidence-based practice. Flexibility, mentorship and confidence‑building are critical complements to technical enterprise skills.

By creating space for people with disabilities to explore entrepreneurship on their own terms, local authorities can help reduce inequalities, diversify local economies and support sustainable, inclusive growth.

Leadership perspective

Kieran Kehoe, Chief Executive of Meath County Council, commented: “This programme reflects our commitment to creating an inclusive local economy where everyone has the opportunity to achieve their potential.

“By piloting this initiative, Meath County Council and LEO Meath have shown how collaboration, innovation and community engagement can remove barriers and create meaningful pathways into enterprise.”

Another programme is scheduled to take place later this year. Individuals seeking further information or wishing to submit an expression of interest are encouraged to contact Lorna Cooney at [email protected].