4A: Forming An Opportunity Belief

Opportunity belief

Step 1
I believe that disabled people are perceived in a "incapable" light. Based on my experience  I believe that an opportunity exists with educating people about disabilities, specifically blindness.

Step 2
The unmet need is the lack of resources provided to abled bodied people that will educate them on blindness, and help them to separate myths from facts concerning this disability.
This nonprofit will focus on meeting the needs of two different parties. First, we will be filling the need for advocating for blind individuals. I have noticed that most blind people are great advocates for themselves.  what we need to understand is that although one person can start the idea of a change, to implement this change you need a lot of people who share the same belief. Secondly, we will fill an unnoticed need that exists amongst abled bodied people, which is educating them about the abilities that blind individuals have. This will help with over all inclusion, and it will also help greatly with blind unemployment.
Blindness has always existed, therefor this need has  always existed. We live in a society that promotes equal opportunities for all people. I believe that's when this need really started taking shape.
There are some organizations in the united states that try to fill this need by promoting blind awareness and inclusion, but the majority of these organizations have low expectations of the blind individuals that they represent. Most organizations celebrate a victory after there client gets hired  to do a monotonous job like refilling vending machines. That's not a victory, but it is settling for the very least.
I am 90% sure that this opportunity exists.

Step 3
A prototypical customer would be a blind or visually impaired individual who is very ambitious, and who wants to get a great career in a field that interests them.

Step 4
1. What is the exact nature of the need?

Farah
I would like a more inclusive working environment

Leanne
Awareness and inclusivity. As a mom I want people to be aware of the fact that although I am blind, I can still provide for my children the same way they can.

Natasha
More awareness. I am a very independent traveler, and I want to be able to walk down the street without someone walking up to me and telling me that I am going the wrong way, when they don't even know where I am trying to go.

2. When are they aware of the need, do they experience the need all the time or just sometimes?

Farah
The need is experienced all the time. I find myself having to explain my situation to multiple people daily.

Leanne
All the time

Natasha
I am aware of it when I meet new people. The need exists most of the time

3. How long have they had the need?

Farah
Since I was a young child and I became aware of what my needs are, and I realized that the world was not made for someone like me, thus I needed to adjust as well as help the world adjust to me.

Leanne
For my entire life. I have always found myself trying to explain myself to teachers, employers, random people on the street, etc.

Natasha
I have had the need my entire life, but I noticed it more since I started living an independent life style

4. When did they become first aware of the need?

Farah
Answered above

Leanne
As a child about 10 years old. I saw the way people would treat me, and I new I was way more capable than they were making it seem. I would be seated separately from all the other kids. I was young but I was far from stupid.

Natasha
When I first moved out on my own. It was now up to me to do all of my advocating, where as when I lived with my mom I could rely on her to have my back.  

5. How are they currently addressing the need?

Farah
I address the need on a person by person basis. As I meet people I try to teach them about my situation, but it is exhausting

Leanne
Public speaking, and word of mouth. Honestly, it would be nice to have something in place to help people understand.

Natasha
Word of mouth on a need by need basis. I enjoy teaching people about my situation, but sometimes its hard to teach your employer without making them feel like you will just be a burden.

6. How satisfied are they with this solution?

Farah
I am very satisfied, because this issue needs to be addressed on a macro level if we want to see any change.

Leanne
Great idea! Wish there was something like this when I was a kid.

Natasha
I love it! The organizations that exist right now are helpful, but I think having someone in charge that has experienced the need will help a lot.

Step 5
After interviewing three prototypical customers I found that all three of them had similar answers. I interviewed three visually  impaired or blind women, and each of them are in a different stage of life. Natasha is finishing up her degree, Farah just finished her masters degree and is now looking for employment, and Leanne is a stay at home mom who home schools all of  her children. I noticed that all three women wants there to be more inclusivity in there respective environment. They all are aware of the need all the time. Although, in some cases, it is more apparent when meeting new people. That is good because we will not be trying to educate the people who know us, but instead, the new individuals that we meet on a day to day basis. Of all three interviewees the need has been in their lives for as long as they can remember. In some situation the need is more noticed when they started living more independent lives outside of their parents homes. As of right now this need is filled mostly by word of mouth educating, and it occurs on a case by case basis. All three women have noticed that they find themselves educating people who lived most of there lives in other countries. I believe that this is due to the lack of disability awareness in other countries. Farah also noted that at times constantly educating people can be very exhausting. Each woman I interviewed said that they thought this would be a great idea. I believe that if we attack this issue on a macro level we can reach more people, while also taking some of the burden off of the blind individuals themselves.

Step 7
100% of my original opportunity is still there.
I think that my new opportunity is more accurate because I was able to gain some incite from individuals who experience the same exact needs.
Based on customer feedback entrepreneurs should definitely  adapt there opportunity, but also, entrepreneurs should not just abandon there original opportunity because they got some bad feedback from there first three prototypical customers. Maybe the prototypical customer needs to change, or maybe the opportunity just needs to be tweaked a little.