Disabled people are 'pushed' to self-employment because they feel 'forced out' of traditional jobs, a grim report for the government has found.
The study by researchers and business schools found the usual challenges of being self-employed are "exacerbated" by disability - especially periods of pain, fatigue or poor health.
And many people who are self-employed are "at the margins" of going bust, despite "operating at the limit of workloads they could cope with."
It came despite the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) saying employment of disabled people has risen by almost a million.
The DWP has published the study, carried out by experts at IFF Research and Brighton and Kingston Business Schools.
It included 40 in-depth interviews with disabled self-employed people, as well as support groups and JobCentre staff.
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It found: "Most individuals and support organisations felt to some degree that individuals were forced out of ‘traditional’ employment because it was inaccessible to their needs.
"Therefore, it was more common for disabled self-employed individuals to have experienced factors ‘pushing’ them into self-employment due to accessibility issues, than factors ‘pulling’ them into self-employment such as passion or interest in a particular field, or a desire to work for themselves."
It added: "Some of the main challenges faced by this group were similar to the challenges faced by self-employed people in general.
"However, most challenges were very much exacerbated by individuals’ experience of disability, and some other challenges were more unique to this group.
"The most serious challenges were a lack of confidence, managing their workload with a fluctuating condition, accessing finance and income, accessing advice and support relevant to their needs, and travel."
Marsha de Cordova, Labour ’s Shadow Minister for Disabled People, said: “This damning research is further evidence that the government is failing to support disabled people into employment.
“It found that many disabled people feel ‘pushed’ into self-employment due to inadequate support in traditional employment. And once in self-employment, disabled people are struggling to make ends meet, with existing support unsuitable to meet their needs."
The Tories' flagship vow to get a million disabled people into work over 10 years was previously criticised by the National Audit Office, which said it "cannot be used to measure success" of policies.
However, Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd is looking at making the target more ambitious after disabled employment rose by 930,000 (31%) in five years.
Unveiling DWP disability benefit changes - 9 things Amber Rudd announced and what they mean she said the DWP must "go further, to listen harder and to reform effectively.”
Ms Rudd drew on the experience of her late father, who was blind for more than 30 years, saying: “I want to believe I felt his anxiety, the struggles his blindness brought. Every stumble. Dignity and frailty
“These weren’t intellectual exercises for me - they were visceral. I never pitied him, I empathised and I supported him."
