Program Overview

The Indiana business enterprise program is the part of the Randolph Sheppard Act which allows the blind people to stand on their feet and become independent by earning themselves. They can utilize their skills and can become successful in entrepreneurial ventures. This act also supports the economic condition of the country. And it encourages blind people to make them useful for society by using the skills that they have. The president Franklin D. Roosevelt signed this Randolph Sheppard Act into law on 20th of June 1936 and over time; many changes have arisen from single vendor-managed concessions and newsstands to large military food service contracts, stores of the convenience, all the facilities of the laundry, snack bars, and restaurants and many of its similar types. Now it is making more improvement by focusing on creating the entrepreneur opportunities rather on employment. 

Presidential Memorandum

Through this Randolph Sheppard Act, the blind people can utilize their skills properly and they don’t only be able to stand on their feet but will also be able to add their part in the development of their country. The blind people get the training of the management and business and properly utilize their abilities and making this American dream comes true and they will be independent, and get the economic opportunity for life which will give self-sufficiency for themselves and their families.  

Eligibility Requirements

The successful BEP entrepreneurs are those people who have the guts to face any difficulty and they are very mature in thinking. They are well organized and they are motivated to grab any opportunity. 

The candidate can only get training In BEP if he has the following factors:

1. He should be legally blind.
2. His age should be not less than 18 years.
3. He must be a United States citizen.
4. His qualification should be at least a high school diploma or equivalent to it. 

The applicant should also have a few more abilities:

• He should have the mobility skills so that he can travel anywhere independently.
• He should communicate with the people in a courteous manner.
• He should have the ability to make a working relationship with the public.
• He should be able to maintain the required records.
• He should have mathematical skills so that he can easily handle any small business. 

Social security administration defines the legal blindness as best-corrected visual acuity of 20/200 or it could be less in the better eye or the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle which should be not greater than 20 degrees in the better eye. If a person has the above factors than he will be considered legally blind. 

How to Apply

The Randolph Sheppard Program is the individual Program for blind people who can’t see anything and they should be the client of vacation rehabilitation services if they want to get employment. All the referrals of the BEP should be completed by the counselor of the vocational rehabilitation but the applicants who want to join the training a lot to directly contact the BEP representative. Through the BEP form, they can contact the BEP representative. The form is available on the site you can download it from there.

Step 1: The applicant should meet the minimum qualification asked by the federal. Which is also described above. 

• It means the candidate must obtain a low vision evaluation or he should get some training to refresh his writing or math skills. 

Step 2: The candidate must make a research about the Randolph Sheppard Act and also about the Indiana business Program. He should research from a national perspective. And should read the frequently asked questions from the website in this way he can make a good research. 

Step 3: The candidate should complete his pre-requisite business basis according to his working speed and he should also complete the online computer courses because this will help him a lot in polishing his skills and his abilities will increase. 

• Hadley institute introduces many free online courses for the people who can’t see and are blind. The courses included business writing, how to use Excel, Business fundamentals, and many more. You can directly sign up through the website and get these skills in any of these courses. 

Step 4: Make conversation with the vocational rehabilitation counselor and the business enterprise program. 

• Encourage yourself and consider yourself an ideal candidate for this training. And call your VR counselor and make discussion with him the whole research that why you are the ideal candidate to join it. 

For Further Information

To get further information about the program contact Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services. To take information you can call at: 800-545-7763