AAPD Internship Applications
You can find out about AAPD current internship recruitment and apply at AAPD the same time. You can review the application process for the internship program and get detailed information about the department you want to apply for. Catch a chance to make a difference in your career by doing an internship at the AAPD!
Available Internship Positions: Summer Internships.
Apply Online AAPD Intern Program
Summer Internship Program
The AAPD Summer Internship Program Class of 2017 poses for a photograph. There are 17 smiling individuals with various disabilities and two guide dogs present.
The 2017 AAPD Summer Interns
Since 2002, the AAPD Summer Internship Program has developed the next generation of leaders with disabilities and offered host employers access to a talented, diverse workforce. Each summer, AAPD places college students, graduate students, law students, and recent graduates with all types of disabilities in summer internships with Congressional offices, federal agencies, non-profits, and for-profit organizations in the Washington, DC area. Each intern is matched with a mentor who will assist them with their career goals. AAPD provides the interns with a living stipend, transportation to and from Washington, DC, and fully-accessible housing.
At the beginning of the summer, interns participate in a 1-week orientation session to learn about AAPD and the disability rights movement, meet the other interns, and participate in a variety of engaging workshops and events. As part of the AAPD network, interns also receive opportunities to attend events on Capitol Hill, conferences, community events, briefings, and more.
Meet the 2017 AAPD Summer Interns!
Meet AAPD’s 2017 Summer Interns! The AAPD Summer Internship Program develops the next generation of leaders with disabilities and offers host employers access to a talented, diverse workforce. Each summer, AAPD places college students, graduate students, law students, and recent graduates with all types of disabilities in summer internships with Congressional offices, federal agencies, non-profits, and for-profit organizations in the Washington, DC area.
Nermina Aly
Interning with Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
Nermina Aly is a driven communications studies major at DePaul University in Chicago and ranks in the top 1% of her graduating class. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing, singing, and meditating. Having lived in three countries throughout her childhood, she is continuing her traveling by studying abroad in Japan for her spring term at DePaul.
Annika Ariel
Interning with Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Annika Ariel is an incoming junior at Amherst College in western Massachusetts. She is double majoring in English and Political Science. She is a prosecuting attorney on the Amherst College Mock Trial team, and is a project coordinator with Amherst’s chapter of the Roosevelt Institute. She is also a member of the diversity student advisory board, and Annika is also actively involved with the national organization Alexander Hamilton Scholars, and was recently published in the letters section of The New York Times. This past summer, Annika worked with the Town of Amherst to update the Town’s Affirmative Action Plan, develop an economic Community Profile for businesses and investors, and develop summaries and statistics on many aspects of life in the Town. She also developed Amherst’s first-ever comprehensive disability programming for first-year students. Pursuing a diverse array of interests, Annika is both an Education Professions Fellow at Amherst and participated in a finance trek to New York City. She aspires to pursue a career in either law or finance. In her free time, Annika enjoys sitting in coffee shops and writing.
Tina Banerjee
Interning with the Department of Homeland Security
Tina Banerjee is a junior at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York where she is majoring in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology. Her interest in Criminal Justice began during her sophomore year in high school where she had the opportunity to learn about the law, police work, and other agencies within the government. She took interests and is currently active with advocacy work with people with disabilities in the criminal ‘legal’ system, partnership with local police agencies to educate and improve the community relations, fight for the equal communication access in the prison system since her freshmen year in college. Tina aspires to pursue a career in a law-enforcement field and to be involved with investigation unit and advocate for social-justice for people with disabilities. When she is not busy, she loves to volunteer in her community, spending time with her families and friends, go to Barnes & Noble to read books with coffee, and make the best of everyday with exciting adventures!
Lauren Berglund
Interning with The Arc
Lauren Berglund is a junior at Iowa State University majoring in Child, Adult, and Family Services. She was born with a genetic condition causing legal blindness. Raised in rural Iowa, Lauren and her family spent much of their time advocating for blindness-related services. As a result, Lauren has developed a strong desire to advocate for herself and others with disabilities. Her passions include: equal access to education, disability related services, and transition from high school to higher education. Lauren discovered her passion for working with transition-aged youth with disabilities while serving as a co-counselor at the Iowa Youth Leadership Forum. In her free time Lauren enjoys baking, playing with her guide dog, and blogging.
April Caputi
Interning with the National Archives and Records Administration
April Caputi is a recent Bachelor of Cinema & Media Arts (CMA) graduate from Biola University with an emphasis in Production. She developed an interest in casting when she became aware that actors with disabilities are often misrepresented in the media. One of her most rewarding moments occurred when she was the casting director for her senior thesis film and casted a diverse group of actors, including one who is deaf. With her many years of experience in the arts, April would like to bridge the gap between the entertainment industry and the disability community. She aspires to become an advocate and liaison for actors with disabilities, and is a strong supporter of equal access in film and theatre for audiences with disabilities.
Ariel Carlin
Interning with the Administration for Community Living
Ariel Carlin, a recent graduate of Syracuse University earned her dual Bachelor’s degree in Selected Studies in Education and Sociology with a minor in Disability Studies. She is a scholar whom loves to coach and educate. At Syracuse, she completed numerous student teaching placements in both urban and rural settings as well as coach soccer for a local youth recreational team. As part of the disability community, she is also an advocate for fellow individuals with disabilities and is passionate about the equity and inclusion of all students in the classroom. Her internship experience was completed at the Colorado Cross Disability Coalition (CCDC) during Summer 2015. The experience gave her further insights of disability culture and the Colorado State government showing her connects to education, government, and policy. Ariel is currently at a cross road, looking to pursue a law or master’s degree to enhance her leadership skills and better advocate for the disability community through education. As a true Bostonian, you can find Ariel cheering on all New England sports teams!
Lauren Galloway
Interning with Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Lauren Galloway is a rising second year law student at Syracuse University College of Law and a self-proclaimed disability rights advocate. As a native of Illinois, Lauren earned her undergraduate degree in English from Bradley University, and it was there, on the university’s nationally-ranked public speaking team, that she really began to hone her advocacy skills. As a woman with Cerebral Palsy, she found an empowering outlet in researching, writing, and performing speeches for national audiences about policy as well as interpersonal issues facing people with disabilities. After undergrad, she decided to brave Syracuse’s infamous winters to turn her passion for advocacy into a career with the help of the first-of -its-kind Disability Law and Policy Program at SU law. Along with being a diligent social justice advocate, Lauren unashamedly admits to being an adrenaline junky who has yet to meet a roller coaster she didn’t like.
Jason Harris
Interning with the National Disability Rights Network
Jason Harris is on the autism spectrum. He attended both an inclusive and disability-focused high school. After high school, he attended the College of Mount St. Joseph where he was opened up to advocacy in his class Disability, Culture, and Equity. He graduated with a Liberal Arts Degree and a Minor in Philosophy from the College of Mount St Joseph with Honors in December 2013. He is the founder of Jason’s Connection an on-line community connecting over 200,000 people of diverse abilities to information, resources, services, human stories and each other. It’s community can recommend, rate and review services as well as request specialized searches for services and resources. Jason has spoken to groups around the United States about hidden and invisible disabilities and contributes articles and interviews with people of diverse abilities from around the world in the Jason’s Connection’s online magazine. He is involved in ReelAbilities National Film Festival, Jason’s Connection, Living Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled (LADD), and Starfire Council because he wants to show the capabilities that everyone has to offer. Jason Harris is currently in graduate school at Syracuse University in the School of Cultural Foundations of Education pursuing a specialty in Disability Studies. Jason Harris has recently been interviewed for Jason’s Connection and his contribution to the Disability Community in the Washington Post.
Application Process for the Summer Internship Program
The 2018 application process will open in September 2017. Please join AAPD’s mailing list to ensure you do not miss any announcements about the 2018 Summer Internship Program.
Candidates for the AAPD Summer Internship Program must submit the following:
- Applicant Information (Section 1 of the Application)
- A resume (Section 2 of the Application)
- Responses to the three (3) essay questions (Section 3 of the Application)
- Contact information for three (3) references (Section 4 of the Application)
- Two (2) letters of reference (Section 4 of the Application)
We strongly encourage answering the essay questions in a separate word processing program and copying them into the online form so that it can be submitted in one sitting. Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered. We will not be able to consider any materials in excess of the stated requirements. Applicants chosen for the AAPD Washington, DC Summer Internship Program release all information contained in their application for use on the AAPD website and in public press releases, including releases to the program funders and potential employers.
If you have any questions or would like to request reasonable accommodations, please contact AAPD at internships@aapd.com or at (202) 521-4316.
Eligibility
Any undergraduate students, law student, graduate student, or recent graduate from a US college or university who self-identifies as an individual with any type of disability is invited to apply. You will not be required to disclose your specific disability; however, your application for this program will signify that you consider yourself a person with a disability.
NOTE: This is a program run specifically for students with disabilities by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), a national cross-disability organization. Those selected for this program will be involved in various disability-focused activities and associated with AAPD and fellow interns with all types of disabilities throughout the program.
How to Apply for Intern at AAPD;
Using the link below you can list all current intern positions and apply to the position that suits you.