ACSA DISABILITY TRADE AND LIFESTYLE EXPO & CONFERENCE 2011

Master Entrepreneur to address Entrepreneurs with Disabilities

Allon Raiz, one of the world’s top entrepreneurs and business mentors, will be the guest speaker for a special Entrepreneurship Breakfast at the ACSA Disability Trade and Lifestyle Expo. The breakfast takes place on 6 October at the Sandton Convention Centre, Gauteng.

Charismatic and inspiring, Raiz has been described as a visionary, pioneer, marketing guru and strategic genius. Raiz will reveal to delegates “What they don’t teach you about being an Entrepreneur.”

A staggering 96% of all entrepreneurs starting their first business fail within 10 years. Raiz will use his personal story and lessons learned on his entrepreneurial journey, unpacking what the successful 4% are doing right.

"There is power in being disabled,” says Raiz, Chief Executive Officer of Raizcorp, the only private, self-funded, profitable business incubator on the African continent. “People with disabilities must not think of themselves as disabled and disadvantaged - they are advantaged. Because they don't get the breaks, they know what it's like to fight hard." Raiz will highlight the characteristics of being a successful entrepreneur. “People who don't get things easily in life are more likely to become entrepreneurs than people who do."

People with disabilities are less likely to secure employment than able bodied people. Another shocking statistic is that, in South Africa, 99.28% of employable people with disabilities are unemployed. This includes 160 000 people with a secondary level qualification and 65 000 people with a tertiary qualification.

“Entrepreneurship, particularly amongst people with disabilities, is vital for this country’s development,” says Bette McNaughton, a Director of Fair Consultants, organisers of the ACSA Disability 2011 expo. “People with disabilities face more challenges in starting their businesses; the lack of physical access to business premises, lack of access to information, and discrimination due to social stigma. With Allon attending our Entrepreneurship Breakfast, we aim to inspire and encourage people with disabilities to excel, and support them in their endeavours to become part of the mainstream economy.”

Allon on a Mission

Allon Raiz is a visionary who is pioneering the concept of business incubation. His mission is to change the failure statistics of small business.

Raiz is a serial entrepreneur, involved in more than fifty businesses. He heads Raizcorp, Africa’s only self-funded, for-profit, business incubator. Allon is also an author, and hosts a radio show and reality TV show focusing on entrepreneurship. He is an accomplished international speaker and is currently completing his doctorate in Entrepreneurial Studies and Innovation.

The free breakfast is open to exhibitors, VIPs and previous VIP visitors to the show on Thursday 6 October at 10h00.

About ACSA Disability 2011

The 2011 ACSA Disability Exhibition and Conference is the only public showcase on the African continent where people with disabilities, their caregivers, families and friends can find the manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and service providers that offer everything necessary to improve the quality of life they so desperately need.

An exciting three-day sports programme features various sports activities for people with disabilities, including wheelchair tennis hosted by Wheelchair Tennis SA, athletics, basketball, football and floor hockey hosted by Special Olympics SA, wheelchair rugby demonstrated by players from Wheelchair Rugby SA, and wheelchair basketball hosted by Wheelchair Basketball SA.

Various mobility aids, prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs, walking sticks, hospital furniture, emergency medical supplies, products and aids for the Deaf and Blind, communication aids, occupational products, training institutions, physiotherapy equipment, adapted vehicles, ADLs (assisted daily living equipment and services), showering devices, building products, sports equipment, hand cycles, patient handling devices like hoists etc., hearing aids, wheelchairs, clothing and easy reaches, cushions and mattresses, nutritional products, and much more will be on show at the exhibition.

Please click This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to RSVP for the breakfast or contact Bette McNaughton on the details below.

The ACSA Disability lifestyle expo is the perfect opprtunity for suppliers of both products and services to make their brand synonymous with empowerment of people with disabilities. Economic empowerment of people with disabilities is vital for our economy to achieve sustained economic growth. To date, people with disabilities have been marginalised and excluded from mainstream society. However, there are opportunities for both the public and private sector to include this grouping in the workplace and in the broader community, which will benefit stakeholders. The ACSA Disability Expo 2011 therefore provides an opportunity for employers and the community at large to learn about what tools and information are available to facilitate access of people with disabilities into the workplace and mainstream society.

For more information on how to become an exhibitor at the expo please contact Bette McNaughton on +27 (0) 11 784-4279 or you can email her: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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