Table Of ContentUniversity of St. Tomas, Minnesota
UST Research Online
Education Doctoral Dissertations in Organization
School of Education
Development
2011
Exploring the Lived Experiences of Deaf
Entrepreneurs and Business Owners
W. Scot Atkins
University of St. Tomas, Minnesota
Follow this and additional works at: htps://ir.sthomas.edu/caps_ed_orgdev_docdiss
Part of the Education Commons
Recommended Citation
Atkins, W. Scot, "Exploring the Lived Experiences of Deaf Entrepreneurs and Business Owners" (2011). Education Doctoral
Dissertations in Organization Development. 1.
htps://ir.sthomas.edu/caps_ed_orgdev_docdiss/1
Tis Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Education at UST Research Online. It has been accepted for inclusion in
Education Doctoral Dissertations in Organization Development by an authorized administrator of UST Research Online. For more information, please
contact
EXPLORING THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF DEAF ENTREPRENEURS AND
BUSINESS OWNERS
A DISSERTATION
SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS
By
W. Scot Atkins
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
March 2011
UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS
LIVED EXPERIENCES OF DEAF ENTREPRENEURS, ii
LIVED EXPERIENCES OF DEAF ENTREPRENEURS, iii
© W. Scot Atkins 2011
LIVED EXPERIENCES OF DEAF ENTREPRENEURS, iv
Dedication
First, this dissertation is dedicated to my late father, Arland A. Atkins, who taught me at a
young age, ―To aim for the moon‖. Secondly, this dissertation is dedicated to the late Dr. Sharon
K. Gibson, who advised me through my doctoral coursework at the University of St. Thomas.
This study was done in the phenomenological spirit that Sharon employed in much of her
research. Her experiences in the deaf community, organizational development, human resources
and research proved invaluable as I began my doctoral journey. Sharon passed away just before
I started this dissertation journey, and this dissertation is dedicated to her memory.
LIVED EXPERIENCES OF DEAF ENTREPRENEURS, v
Acknowledgements
I wish to acknowledge the many people who have helped me along my way throughout
this dissertation journey. My journey has been marked with certain individuals who have given
me the guidance I needed to continue. First, I want to thank God for giving me the wisdom, the
guidance and the humility to complete this work.
I would like to acknowledge my family, especially my wife, Sally, who has been a
willing ear to my ideas for the dissertation process and for providing support throughout the
journey. I would like to thank the members of my committee. I would like to thank my
dissertation chairperson, Dr. Eleni Roulis for her guidance and wisdom through the dissertation
process. I would like to also thank Dr. Alla Heorhiadi for her encouragement and for the use of
her eagle eye in reviewing my work. I thank Dr. Susan Foster for sharing her wealth of
knowledge and wisdom in the area of social research within the deaf community. I would like to
thank the faculty and student members of doctoral Cohort IV for their collegiality and support.
Additionally, I would like to recognize Dr. Richard DeMartino, director of the Simone
Center on Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Rochester Institute of Technology for his
encouragement and generous advice throughout the journey. I would like to acknowledge my
many other colleagues at the Rochester Institute of Technology, especially Mary Lou Basile. I
would like to thank my former employer, Michael Rizzolo, CEO of Interpretek, for providing me
the support I needed to complete my course work. I would like to thank those who provided
interpreting services throughout my doctoral experience, including Kathryn Jensen and Andrea
West.
LIVED EXPERIENCES OF DEAF ENTREPRENEURS, vi
Abstract
This phenomenological study focuses on the description of the nature and the meaning of
the experience of being a deaf entrepreneur/business owner. Very little is known of the nature of
deaf entrepreneurs and business owners. Because of the growing numbers of deaf people
becoming entrepreneurs, it is important that we gain a better understanding of the experience of
being a deaf entrepreneur/business owner. To gain further insight into the nature of this
experience, in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 participants. These individuals were
selected in accordance to Crammate‘s definition of ―deaf‖ and having had been an
entrepreneur/business owner for at least 2 years. Through an coded analysis of the transcribed
text from the interviews, six essential themes emerged: (1) pursuing their passion with
experience and skill; (2) running their enterprise through collaboration, networking, strategy and
understanding of the market; (3) reflecting on their identity as a deaf person and how it impacted
their experience; (4) building bridges to the rest of the world using communication strategies; (5)
having a support network; (6) desiring to make an impact on the world. These themes were
present among deaf entrepreneurs/business owners in all types, sizes, and structures of
businesses.
The implications of this study take the form of the establishment of training and
development programs for nascent and experienced deaf entrepreneurs/business owners; the
expansion or the creation of networking opportunities for deaf entrepreneurs; the creation of
formalized mentoring networks specifically for deaf entrepreneurs within existing programs; the
exploration of use of technology to enhance entrepreneurial opportunities for deaf people; and
the need to use deaf entrepreneurs as role models.
Areas for recommendations for future research are to further explore: 1) the concept of
LIVED EXPERIENCES OF DEAF ENTREPRENEURS, vii
ethnic enclaves or a ―deaf economy‖ in the context of the deaf community 2) the role of
networking and mentoring for entrepreneurial and career success among deaf people 3) the role
of access in the search of funding and capital 4) the use of social media for networking for deaf
people 5) the concept of motivating and success factors for deaf entrepreneurs 6) the role of
inhibiting factors for success of deaf people, and 7) the use of technology for access purposes.
As evidence shows, there is the increasing likelihood that entrepreneurship is becoming a
more viable career option for deaf people, especially after they have gained some experience in a
field of study of which they are passionate. Beyond the deaf community, there are possible
concepts that may be transferrable to other marginalized groups.
Keywords: deaf, entrepreneurs, business owners, phenomenology, deaf community, deaf
business development, entrepreneurial education, deaf economy, crab theory, tall poppy
syndrome
LIVED EXPERIENCES OF DEAF ENTREPRENEURS, viii
Table of Contents
Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... iv
Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... v
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... vi
Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................... viii
Chapter 1. Background ................................................................................................................... 1
Statement of the Problem ............................................................................................................ 2
Research Question and Purpose of the Study ............................................................................. 3
Significance of Problem .............................................................................................................. 3
Researcher Interest ...................................................................................................................... 4
Definition of Terms..................................................................................................................... 8
Organization of the Study ........................................................................................................... 9
Summary of Background ............................................................................................................ 9
Chapter 2. Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 10
The Entrepreneur and the Business Owner ............................................................................... 10
Theoretical Basis of Study on the Experience of Entrepreneurship ......................................... 11
Deaf People and Identity ........................................................................................................... 12
The Employment Situation of the Deaf .................................................................................... 14
The Deaf Entrepreneur in Literature ......................................................................................... 17
Summary of Literature Review ................................................................................................. 25
Chapter 3. Methodology/Methods ............................................................................................... 26
History and Philosophical Foundations of Phenomenology ..................................................... 27
Participation Selection .............................................................................................................. 29
Data collection .......................................................................................................................... 30
Data analysis ............................................................................................................................. 33
Validity/reliability ..................................................................................................................... 35
Chapter 4. Findings ....................................................................................................................... 38
Table 1: Profiles of Study Participants ..................................................................................... 40
Figure 1. Six essential themes of being a deaf entrepreneur/business owner. .......................... 42
Theme I: Pursuing their passion with experience and skill ...................................................... 44
a. Sowing their seeds of passion into a business. .................................................................. 44
b. Experience is the best teacher. .......................................................................................... 49
c. The rewards of being an entrepreneur. .............................................................................. 54
d. Learning to overcome adversity and learning to persevere. ............................................. 60
Theme II: Building their Enterprise through Collaboration, Networking and a Deep
Understanding of the Market .................................................................................................... 63
a. Leveraging their networks and creating partnerships. ...................................................... 63
b. Marketing to the deaf community and beyond the deaf community. ............................... 65
c. Growing the enterprise. ..................................................................................................... 68
d. Being deaf as a competitive advantage. ............................................................................ 70
Theme III: Reflecting on one‘s identity as a deaf person and how it has impacted their
experience ................................................................................................................................. 72
a. ―I am Deaf, so what?‖ ....................................................................................................... 73
LIVED EXPERIENCES OF DEAF ENTREPRENEURS, ix
b. Dealing with the attitudes and perspectives in the deaf community. ................................ 76
c. The importance of preserving one‘s legitimacy and reputation as a deaf entrepreneur. ... 81
d. Confidentiality as an important consideration as a deaf person. ................................... 83
Theme IV: Building Bridges to the Rest of the World Using Communication Strategies ...... 84
a. Dealing with communication challenges. ......................................................................... 84
b. Use of employees and contractors to aid communication. ............................................... 86
c. Experiencing changes in access technologies over the years............................................ 88
d. Use of video technology as a communications tool.......................................................... 89
e. Improvisation and creation of alternative communication strategies. .............................. 93
Theme V: Support is an Essential Part of Being a Deaf Entrepreneur ..................................... 95
a. Family as a source of support............................................................................................ 97
b. Enlisting the support of friends and other professionals. .................................................. 98
c. Enlisting support from the entrepreneurial and small business community. .................. 102
d. Use of mentors as support. .............................................................................................. 104
VI. The Desire to Make an Impact in Today‘s World ............................................................ 108
a. The altruistic nature of their business. ............................................................................ 108
b. Giving back to the Deaf community. .............................................................................. 110
Chapter 5. Discussion, Implications, and Recommendations ..................................................... 114
Discussion of Essential Themes .............................................................................................. 114
Figure 1. Six essential themes of being a deaf entrepreneur/business owner. ........................ 116
Discussion ............................................................................................................................... 116
Topic I: The role of education and previous experience in entrepreneurship. ................... 116
Topic II: The role of networks and support systems in entrepreneurship. ......................... 120
Topic III: The role of deaf identity and communication access in entrepreneurship. ....... 126
Limitations of the Study.......................................................................................................... 133
Implications of the Findings ................................................................................................... 134
Table 2: Table of Themes and its General Implications ......................................................... 141
Recommendations for Future Research .................................................................................. 142
Final Reflections ..................................................................................................................... 146
References ................................................................................................................................... 149
Appendices .................................................................................................................................. 155
Appendix A: IRB Approval Letter ......................................................................................... 155
Appendix B: Initial Email Message to Participants: .............................................................. 156
Appendix C: Participant Consent Form .................................................................................. 157
Appendix D: Semi-Structured Interview Guide ..................................................................... 159
