At 7:00 a.m. on a weekday on a major thoroughfare in California's Oakland Fruitvale District, Latino men are pushing food carts to a corner, between two retail businesses or next to a parking lot. At these portable carts, one can buy fruit, tamales, tacos, tortas , sweet bread, horchata or coffee. More than appetizing treats, these food carts provide self-employment for Latinos who find themselves without any options. But what does it take to turn a food cart into a self-employment venture? In this article, Mario Suarez, tells his story about the promise and problem of establishing this type of employment.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor (Office of Disability Employment Policy), people with disabilities have a higher rate of self-employment and small business experience than people without disabilities (12.2 percent of people with disabilities versus 7.8 percent of people without disabilities.) Self-employment offers disabled people the freedom to work at their own pace in an environment that accommodates their needs. Owning one's own business provides options for those who require flexible hours, accessible work space and other accommodations.

What's required of a person who wishes to become self-employed? And where do Spanish-speaking Latinos with no experience in owning and operating their own businesses turn? What resources are available to them? If they are legal residents they can receive services from government agencies or other non-profit organizations such as the Centers for Independent Living (CIL). However, if they are undocumented they cannot access many services.

Mobile Food Carts

It is here that Mario Suarez's story describes the challenges disabled workers face in one of Oakland's most visible self-employment industries - mobile food carts. Although unschooled and poor, Mario makes his living selling tamales and from a mobile cart during the warmer months and is planning to sell churros during the colder winter months. How he attained financial independence speaks to his self-reliance, tenacity and ingenuity.

Without the possibility of receiving benefits due to his immigration status, Mario's cultural upbringing prepared him for the difficult days that followed. Mario's tenacity began taking shape in Mexico when at the age of 11 he became severely disabled. He convinced himself that he was going to do everything that his friends could do. His dreams about playing with his buddies were all that Mario grabbed on to as it became impossible to keep up with them.

In a twist of fate, however, Mario's mother was able to find a sponsor for his costly surgeries and treatments at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles. His mother accompanied him on these long and arduous trips to the North. Through the countless tough surgeries that Mario underwent, he remained hopeful in spirit that his condition would improve.

Mario regained very little mobility as he progressed into adulthood. He became more aware of how people perceived his disability. Mario comments, "I detest that others view me with pity in their eyes. That makes me angry." When Mario perceives that others see him as less able because of his disability, he says to himself, "I'll show them. I may be disabled but I'm a hard worker." It is this strong determination that sets in motion Mario's visions.

Learning a Trade, Pursuing Self-Reliance

As a young adult, Mario convinced a friend of his who was a mechanic to help him learn the trade. With some experience under his belt, Mario worked as a mechanic in Mexico. But when he immigrated to California, he could not find employment as a mechanic. "Where ever I applied, people looked at me walking with two forearm crutches and though I was crazy for even considering applying for such work. I couldn't convince them that I was competent and skilled. And they wouldn't even give me a chance to prove myself."

Mario felt lucky to eventually get a job as a store clerk in a friend's corner market. But, when the store was sold, Mario found himself unemployed and back on the streets, knocking on every door, hoping for a job. This plunged him into profound despair. His only wish was to have a job so he could pay his own bills without relying on his brother and friends for help. He wanted to be self-reliant.

Assistance From Center for Independent Living

Mario then became acquainted with the Center for Independent Living (CIL). Although he did not qualify for benefits through the agency, Mario met the director, Leticia Escalera. On her own time, she worked with him and encouraged him to move his dream forward- to obtain work permits for setting up a food cart on the street. But food carts don't come in ready to assemble boxes. They have to be built and they are expensive. None of this deterred Mario, who, upon obtaining his permits, sat down and designed his cart to sell tamales. After borrowing money from his brother-in-law, Mario bought the materials to build his cart and engaged a couple of friends to help him build it. From the kitchen of a local restaurant, Mario cooked the tamales at night. At that point, there was just one more issue to solve - who would help him to pull the cart every morning onto the street and back home in the evening? Mario is quick to add, "The only thing I knew to do was pray. I asked God to help me just as I had done every other day since I was a young boy isolated in a hospital room."

Partnership

Mario ended up partnering with Jerry, a blind man, who also was unemployed at the time. Jerry has the physical strength to pull the cart for Mario. So Mario and Jerry collaborated in a new entrepreneurial endeavor. Mario's new business selling tamales in his food cart became an instant success.

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