Inc.: A Father's Cause Aids Disabled Entrepreneurs

By Meredith Maines

Peter Schoemann, a practicing lawyer in Orlando, often works late nights, early mornings and weekends, but he's not just hunting down evidentiary support. Because his two sons are diagnosed as high-functioning autistic, Schoemann's been toiling away for the Advocacy Board for Persons with Disabilities. It was on this board that he formulated the idea to launch a chamber of commerce geared toward entrepreneurially-inclined people with disabilities.

"With my background, I thought I could help make a difference, certainly one that could be available to my children [when they're older]," he said.

Now two years in the making, Schoemann's Chamber of Commerce for Persons with Disabilities has provided a place where business owners and their direct caregivers can network. In March, it partnered with the Disney Entrepreneur Center, and relocated its offices to Disney's downtown-Orlando facility. But Schoemann doesn't want to settle for only a regional influence. He plans to take the Chamber to a national level, rolling out other offices by the end of the summer.

"I want the national organization to be the true umbrella for the local chambers so they can [compete] for the national sponsorships and national grants," Schoemann said. (more)