KC Disability Collective launches regional study for disabled founders in Kansas City

The KC Disability Collective has started a multi-month feasibility study in Kansas City to map resources, gather input from disabled and chronically ill founders, and test a more coordinated support model. Backed by KCSourceLink and the Kansas Health Foundation, the effort aims to produce recommendations by January 2027.

Why it matters: - The study targets a gap in Kansas City’s entrepreneurship ecosystem for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses. - A more coordinated support network could make it easier for disabled founders to find accessible resources, start businesses and build economic independence. - The region has more than 200 entrepreneurship support organizations, but few are built specifically around disability and chronic illness needs. - An estimated 253,000 working-age people in the Kansas City metro live with a disability, based on U.S. Census Bureau data.

What happened: - The KC Disability Collective, a project of The Empower Network, launched a regional feasibility study in Kansas City, Missouri, on Oct. 7, 2026. - KCSourceLink’s Forging the Future program and the Kansas Health Foundation’s Kansas Innovation Fund are supporting the initiative. - The study is designed to build a more connected and accessible entrepreneurial ecosystem for disabled and chronically ill founders across the Kansas City area.

The details: - The multi-month study will hold accessible community convenings to gather input from disabled founders and the organizations that serve them. - KCDC plans to map existing resources and publish them in an accessible public directory. - The initiative will build foundational infrastructure to improve information-sharing across the community. - KCDC will produce an evidence-based feasibility report and action roadmap. - The roadmap will examine long-term options for KCDC, including a disability chamber of commerce or resource-navigation supports. - Stephanie Swanson, founder and CEO of The Empower Network and team lead for KCDC, said the goal is to understand what exists, identify gaps and build the connections needed for entrepreneurs with disabilities to find support more easily. - Swanson said the process is meant to give disabled founders, service providers and entrepreneur support organizations a role in shaping what the collective becomes. - KCDC says the effort is intended to help organizations, resources and expertise work together more effectively for people facing barriers in traditional employment.

Between the lines: - The study is as much about ecosystem design as it is about service delivery. - KCDC is signaling that it wants a model built from community input rather than a top-down program. - The focus on accessibility suggests the group sees information gaps and navigation barriers as a core problem, not just a lack of services. - If the effort succeeds, KCDC could become a regional coordination hub rather than a single-program initiative.

What's next: - The feasibility study is expected to conclude in January 2027. - Final recommendations will outline KCDC’s structure and next steps. - Those recommendations are intended to support future funding and implementation. - Founders can join a Global Entrepreneurship Week Kansas City workshop on Nov. 19 from 9 to 10 a.m. titled “Building a More Accessible Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: A Community Conversation.” - KCDC will also have a booth at GEWKC in Union Station on Nov. 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. - Community members, entrepreneurs, service providers and organizations can follow KCDC’s webpage to get updates and contribute to the work.

The bottom line: - KCDC is testing whether Kansas City can build a disability-centered entrepreneurship support system that is easier to navigate, more accessible and designed to last beyond one grant cycle.

More information: - The Empower Network: Empower-Network.org - KC Disability Collective on LinkedIn: LinkedIn - KC Disability Collective on Instagram: Instagram - KC Disability Collective on Facebook: Facebook group