Iowa's emerging workforce of entrepreneurs with disabilities and the design of Iowa's Entrepreneurs with Disabilities (EWD) program were examined in an exploratory study. The study focused on the following issues: organizational characteristics of the EWD program; the characteristics of EWD applicants and their motivations for choosing self-employment; the impact of disability on potential success as an entrepreneur; the impact of participation in the EWD program; and questions for future study of entrepreneurs with disabilities. Data were collected from the following sources: (1) a literature review; (2) a review of Iowa's EWD program and its policies and procedures; (3) an analysis of more than 500 EWD program applications, and (4) telephone interviews with a stratified subsample of 30 EWD participants. Of the 30 EWD applicants interviewed, 25 (83%) reported having had incomes before the onset of their disability (median pre-disability income, $25,000). The following were among the recurrent themes mentioned by the interviewees: the economic implications of self-employment; independence and commitment to self-employment; health care and insurance needs associated with self-employment; encountering discrimination before and after self-employment; and the challenges of staying self-employed. The summary form of the structured and open-ended interview questions is appended. (Contains 299 footnotes.) (MN)