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Recent Changes to Immigration Policies Have Disastrous Impacts on Disabled People and Long-Term Care

Rachel Litchman, 2023 Summer Internship Alumni — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 18:31:50 +0000

Photo of Rachel Litchman

In January 2025, just two weeks before President Trump’s second inauguration, I was approved by the state of Wisconsin to receive Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), a form of long-term care that they called IRIS. A rapid decline in my progressive disability caused me to go into a rehabilitation hospital, and I exited it in August 2024 as a full time wheelchair user. I now needed help with basic personal and home care tasks – bathing, cooking, cleaning, and dragging myself and my forty-pound wheelchair up the twenty steps of my inaccessible apartment’s stairs.

Despite my home care services being approved to begin in January, it still took almost a month before I could find personal care attendants (PCAs). I posted in local Facebook groups, and I asked other disabled people for advice. Yet, I couldn’t find anyone who was able to help. The wages provided by the state were too low – at a maximum of $17/hour. Right now, a single person needs to earn at least $21 per hour to support themselves in Wisconsin, while someone with a family needs to earn much more. I didn’t have anyone in my personal network who could take on this job. Most of my friends were also disabled, or they had full-time employment. When I finally decided to select a care agency to hire workers for me, I thought it would solve my troubles finding support staff. But for almost a month, the agency had such a hard time finding PCAs for me that the agency CEO had to step in and provide caregiving support for me.

Unfortunately, challenges in finding qualified care attendants are the norm. Even before Trump took office, there has long been a severe worker shortage in the home care industry. In my state of Wisconsin, 1 in 4 direct care worker positions are vacant, and nationally, all states surveyed reported a shortage of direct care workers, in some cases leading to care agency closures due to a lack of staff.

Medicaid cuts and immigration raids only make these already pressing issues worse. Thirty-two percent of the home care workforce is staffed by immigrants, and immigrants make up twenty-one percent of staff in nursing homes. Additionally, that percentage has increased over time, as low wages and poor treatment make care work a generally unappealing job. Non-immigrants, who may have more resources to find jobs with better pay, often don’t want to take these roles. Further, there is enormous turnover amongst care workers because they can often get better, more secure jobs in other fields. One recent estimate found that turnover in the home care workforce was close to 75 percent in 2024.

All care attendants deserve better pay and treatment, and care attendants who are immigrants deserve to not feel threatened in the workplace due to increased anti- immigrant enforcement activity. Unfortunately, Trump’s immigration policies, which include visa suspensions for immigrants of color – including Haitians, Somalis, and Afghans – have already affected the long-term care workforce. Immigrants are leaving or disappearing from healthcare jobs and facilities are struggling to find people to hire.

Immigrants, especially non-citizens, have feared showing up to work, knowing they may be targeted for deportation. Even when immigrants have visas or have obtained citizenship, this has proven to not matter to ICE, who has illegally detained citizens and visa-holders, incentivized by quotas that place a bounty over people’s heads. This leaves disabled people without home care, nursing facilities without staff, and care workers and the disabled people who rely on them more susceptible to danger and death.

Immigrants and their families need care too. For disabled immigrants, including those who may be racially profiled regardless of citizenship status, they risk losing access to life-saving care if they are detained and/or deported. Immigrants may also fear leaving their homes or going to the hospital for healthcare, as nursing home staff fear raids from the federal government, and hospitals have already seen ICE agents walk through their doors. Disabled people in ICE detention centers face even more critical threats to their lives, as detainees have reported being denied access to medical care. Finally, for disabled immigrants who rely on personal care attendants, even if their citizenship status may not make them eligible for Medicaid or HCBS, they face the double threat of having their attendants disappeared and detained by the government, and care needs denied if subject to ICE detention.

The broader attack on immigrants combined with Medicaid cuts that are already beginning as a result of HR 1 mean that home and community-based services face a dire threat. Since HCBS is an optional program, it will likely be one of the first programs that states cut when Medicaid dollars decline. Even before Medicaid cuts began, when states faced budget cuts, HCBS was often the first program cut. We recently saw this in both Maryland and New York. Further, when federal Medicaid cuts occurred in 2010, all states made cuts to HCBS, meaning reduced caregiving hours, longer wait lists, and less capacity to take new enrollees.

For people like me who rely on caregivers to remain in the community, assaults on immigrants mean I move closer and closer to institutionalization each day. I am not naïve to the abuses that occur in institutional facilities. I fear what will happen to myself and other disabled people, citizens and immigrants alike, when we are forced out of sight, out of mind.

Rachel Litchman is a cartoonist, writer, and consultant who primarily covers disability, healthcare, and housing policy. She has comics and writing published in The Washington Post, The Nib, The Disability Debrief, and STAT, to name a few places. You can find her on her website racheldl.com or on Instagram as @racheldlart.

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“Don’t Mourn, Organize” – AAPD Remembers Bob Kafka

Alexia Kemerling, Director of Accessible Democracy — Mon, 29 Dec 2025 03:11:02 +0000

For Immediate Release: December 28, 2025

Contact: Jess Davidson, jdavidson@aapd.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday, December 26, 2025, our movement lost a powerful leader, and many of us lost a dear colleague and friend. Bob Kafka, a longtime organizer with the disability civil rights protest group, ADAPT, the founder of AAPD’s REV UP campaign, and a co-lead of REV UP Texas, passed away at his home in Austin, Texas.

Bob was driven by the conviction that disabled people deserve freedom, choice, dignity, and power. His ideals were not just dreams; they were a mandate, a directive that guided how he lived his life. He carried his conviction with a steady, patient, laid-back confidence. He believed there was always work to be done, but he also believed in making time for banter and jokes, time to educate and mentor people new to the movement.

Bob was a unique and dynamic leader in that he didn’t play just one role in the disability rights movement – he played them all. He understood the value of different tactics and the power of community.

Bob protesting for transit access

He put his body on the line for justice – Bob was arrested over 30 times as part of the his many fights to pass landmark pieces of legislation and to protect and establish critical programs. The legislative causes for which he put his body on the line for were often eventually successful, resulting in lifts on buses and increased funding and incentives for home-and community-based services (HCBS).

One of Bob’s many arrests while fighting for disability civil rights

Bob’s unruly white curls (usually tucked beneath a hat) and wild beard can be spotted in the photos of the crowds at many pivotal disability protests that helped propel public awareness and progress on key issues. He could lead a chant and rally a crowd – “Our homes, not nursing homes!” – and then moments later lower his voice, lean back in his manual wheelchair and, with patience and tact, have a diplomatic debate with elected officials and political appointees over the nuances of federal funding, state-led programs, and managed care.

Bob speaking at an ADAPT protest

Bob attended his first ADAPT training in 1984 and remained a student of advocacy until the end of his life. He interviewed hundreds of disabled leaders on his KSFR 101.1 Santa Fe radio show, Barrier Free Futures. While many of his guests tried to turn the script and interview the movement giant on the other side of the mic, Bob was a curious and thoughtful host. He knew that listening was an important part of leading.

Bob negotiating with Mark McClellan, head of the agency that ran Medicaid and Medicare under the Bush administration, at a protest for HCBS outside the White House

“Bob was brilliant. There was no disability policy issue I couldn’t ask him about. Part of that was that he read a lot, but part of it was he made it a point to get to know people, ask them questions, and listen to them,” said Lydia Nuñez Landry, a leader of REV UP Texas, who advocated alongside Bob.

No task was below Bob, and no win was too small. He recognized equal and necessary value in freeing one person from a nursing home and in working toward systemic change. He enjoyed meeting with legislators as much as he enjoyed organizing community parties all around Texas for Disability Voting Rights Week.

“Bob hardly ever talked about himself, in a lot of ways he was really selfless. The last action we went to together, his chair was falling apart, held together with tape and zip ties. The money he received was all going toward the cause. That’s something I really respected and admired,” shared Nuñez Landry.

Bob recognized the importance of honoring and growing disabled peoples’ civic power, and fostered this passion by founding REV UP Texas. Ten years ago, we were honored when Bob asked AAPD to take the movement national — a movement he started — by establishing and managing disability vote coalitions in many more states. REV UP is an acronym, of course, but also a call to action: Register, Educate, Vote, Use your Power! It is national in scope, recognizing that broad change is needed to move the needle, but it is driven by local, grassroots advocacy, with coalitions in over 20 states and engagement across 48 states.

Bob with REV UP Texas coalition members

Bob understood that voting is a singular, individual action that connects people to larger movements. For this reason, REV UP recognizes that every person has a role to play in creating change and that all disabled people have immense power. It asserts that we belong in political conversations and we deserve to be seen, heard, and respected. Most importantly, REV UP recognizes that the disability vote is formidable with the power to shape and change the course of our nation’s history with 40.2 million disabled voters in the U.S. and over 70 million when you count caregivers and family members.

Bob and coalition members at a Disability Voting Rights Week celebration in 2023 in Austin, TX

Despite having witnessed both tremendous policy gains and heartbreaking setbacks over his lifetime in activism, Bob was relentless in his belief in a better future and putting in the work to get us there.

“To be an organizer, you have to believe that change is possible, but you also have to be pragmatic and realistic. You have to be specific about what policy changes you want, and Bob was great at that,” Nuñez Landry said. “I never saw him despair or give up. He always would tell me when I would get down, in his Brooklyn accent, ‘You can’t motivate people with despair and hopelessness, Lydia. You have to make them believe change is possible and can be done.’”

Bob’s portrait from the Civil and Human Rights Museum

Bob was famous for ending every email and phone call with his relentless refrain for justice, “Don’t mourn, organize.” Every setback in the long arc to justice, every loss of a disability hero and community member, is part of our story.

Bob in front of the ADAPT flag and a REV UP poster

In the spirit of Bob’s mantra, we will not dwell in our grief but use it to fuel our commitment to disability organizing, dignity, and power. You can stay engaged with REV UP by joining our listserv or attending state and national calls. If you’re interested in starting a coalition or getting further engaged, email revup@aapd.com.

Thank you, Bob. We won’t let you down.

Bob with his wife Stephanie and Tom Olin

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Shaking Up the Theater Industry as a Disabled Person

Brianna Arce, 2025 Summer Internship Program alumni — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 15:00:19 +0000

Photo by Neha Balachandran

As an Autistic, multi-disabled person, working in the theater industry can be challenging. It’s not often you see disabled representation in theater, both onstage and off. Growing up, I rarely saw other disabled performers or characters. When I started working in theater, I was often the one person in the room bringing up accessibility. Theater has always felt like both a safe space and an industry with many barriers. However, I have made my way into it with the intention of changing it, as Elphaba and Glinda would say, for good.

How does one change an industry? Well, they usually don’t, at least not alone. It is our actions as community members that help us to shake things up.

When I began my journey in theater, I knew I needed to start somewhere that allowed me to work with other creatives. So I became a Teaching Artist. Teaching Artists are small but powerful catalysts for change. That’s the belief that pulled me into the industry back when I didn’t think I could have a place in it. As a disabled teen, my teachers made a large impact on me and I felt an unshakable desire to have that same impact on others one day. When I was a Teaching Artist, change happened in the moments that nobody else would notice. I would notice a child’s access needs, help them navigate challenges, and help them be confidently creative. The moments I spent empowering the youngest creatives in my community with other educators meant the world to me.

However, I soon discovered that I could have a greater impact than I did as an arts educator by working at an arts education nonprofit instead. I was given the opportunity to intern at Philadelphia Young Playwrights (PYP). There, I did work centered on their education programs and community engagement efforts. The programs I assisted with gave youth free access to theater education that aimed to help them tell their stories. I know how impactful PYP was because I was also a selected playwright for their New Voices Festival for a play I wrote on the Autistic experience and what it is like to be Autistic in theater.

My desire for a more accessible theater industry led me to apply for a Social Media Manager job with the Autistic Theatremakers Alliance (ATA). I have been with ATA for a year now, engaging in collaborative activism on a national scale. Recently, we opened up grant applications for Autistic theatre artists to fund their theatrical goals. Our grants help artists fund projects and access education opportunities. Projects like these bring me joy because I could never empower other Autistic creatives on my own in this way.

While I love having an impact on a larger scale as I do with ATA, some of the work I’m proudest of has been the small projects I’ve done at a local level. As an AAPD Intern in Summer 2025, I made a list of accessibility improvement suggestions for my placement site, Washington Performing Arts. I cannot make an organization’s programs more accessible by myself, but I can help them figure out the tools they need to do so.

My career so far shows this commitment to community. I was recently nominated to be a part of the Kilroys Web – a web of changemakers in the theater industry. It is a web because we don’t create change by ourselves. Through our work, advocacy, and community contributions, we become a part of a long history of small actions that lead to significant changes over time. With PYP, my mentor and I kickstarted an initiative to provide students with access to local theater through ticket donations. As a Student Blogger for Broadway World, I get to offer a unique glimpse into what it is like to build a career in theater as a disabled person. Since I have broken into this industry, I want to work with others to make it more inclusive for others and encourage understanding. Even at the earliest stages of your career, you can help open doors for others by working with others in the spaces you occupy.

All of my experiences working in theater opened my eyes to the importance of making the industry more accessible to young and underrepresented voices. Works that capture the disabled experience make space for awareness, understanding, and acceptance. They can also help people feel seen. The casting of Marissa Bode to play Nessarose in Wicked did that for a lot of disabled people, providing authentic representation for a character always previously played by nondisabled actresses. At the time I wrote my play, I had only seen one show before with Autistic representation – How to Dance in Ohio. For me, disability representation in theater proves we belong in this industry and deserve to be represented accurately. It also fuels my work to advocate for greater access and inclusion.

The theater industry has a long way to go before it is disability-inclusive. However, everyday creatives and activists shaking things up in their communities give me hope it can be. It is a web because we don’t create change by ourselves. Through our work, advocacy, and community contributions, we become a part of a long history of small actions that lead to significant changes over time. I’ve been seeing more representation on stage, behind the scenes, and in the business side of theater. These beautiful voices are the future of American theater and it would be tragic if we did not continue to amplify them. It takes a wave of people to make a difference, so what role will you play?

Brianna Arce (she/her) is a Latina, multi-disabled arts professional, writer, and creative based in Philadelphia, PA. She presently works with the Autistic Theatremakers Alliance (Social Media Manager), Tech Owl (Assistive Technology Champion), and Broadway World (Student Blogger). She was also an AAPD 2025 Summer Intern who worked with Washington Performing Arts.

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Powered by Community: How AAPD Showed Up, Built Together, and Looks Ahead

Maria Town, President & CEO — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 19:58:05 +0000

This year, AAPD marked 30 years of advancing disability rights and leadership under a theme that feels more urgent than ever: Powered by Community.

Our founders, Paul G. Hearne and John Kemp, imagined AAPD decades ago as an organization where disabled people could come together to shape policy, build power, and foster community. Thirty years later, that vision continues to guide us.

In 2025, the disability community faced extraordinary challenges. We saw renewed threats to services disabled people rely on for our safety, dignity, and survival. Inclusive education, accessible employment, affordable housing, and health care were all under attack. Through it all, AAPD not only worked to mitigate these threats, but we also brought partners together to coordinate across community priorities, supported the development of disability organizing infrastructure, and lift up advocates engaged in the fight for disability rights.

I am deeply proud of what our team and our community accomplished together this year. Here are some of my highlights from AAPD’s work in 2025:

How We Shaped Disability Policy

AAPD’s policy work is rooted in the principle of nothing about us without us, ensuring that disabled people are at the center of decisions that affect our lives. In 2025, we helped to organize rallies and vigils in response to proposed Medicaid cuts and helped demonstrate that disability policy is a bipartisan issue. During our Disability Power on the Hill event in September, AAPD supported nearly 120 disabled advocates from 33 states by covering travel and lodging so they could participate fully. Together, advocates held meetings with 126 members of Congress in both Republican and Democratic offices. The advocates focused on gaining more support for the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act and Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act, preserving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and securing appropriations funding for programs disabled people rely on.

Not only did Hill Day lead to critical members of Congress signing onto the target bills, but it also formed a community of disability advocates who keep in touch to this day. This experience was meaningful for many participants because it was their first time ever advocating in-person in Washington, D.C and being in the halls of Congress. Disabled people belong everywhere decisions are being made, and Disability Power on the Hill serves as one example of how AAPD creates leadership experiences for disabled people that directly lead to real policy impact.

2025 was a year of often rapid and unpredictable policy changes that created confusion and fear, especially for disabled people and our families. In order to shape policy, people have to be able to understand it. To meet the needs of our community, AAPD expanded the ways in which we communicate about policy. We published a series of explainers to ensure disabled people and our allies can keep track of what is moving, changing, and unfolding on Capitol Hill and across the federal government and further understand how these changes impact the disability community. Related to this goal of increased understandability of our materials, we have started and will continue to incorporate more plain language into our materials to make our work more accessible.

AAPD also heavily supported on-the-ground organizing by disabled leaders working in their own communities. Through our REV UP disability voting campaign, we distributed close to $250,000 in grants to organizers in 23 states to strengthen disability voter engagement. These grants supported conducting polling place accessibility audits, providing accessible voting information and outreach in American Sign Language, engaging in nonpartisan ballot education, and more. State REV UP coalitions planned a variety of activities to shape a more accessible democracy. To name a few highlights, REV UP Virginia hosted a statewide candidate forum on disability and REV UP Texas registered and engaged nearly 700 voters, reaching disabled voters on college campuses, community events, and nursing homes. In 2025, REV UP also focused on making sure all voters could access our materials. During Disability Voting Rights Week, REV UP provided resources in eight languages, including American Sign Language. Nationally, REV UP reached almost 30,000 voters by helping them register to vote, request an absentee ballot, update their address, or obtain nonpartisan voter education.

Beyond our REV UP grant programs, we also provided grants to support the disability community in moments of urgent need. In response to the federal government shutdown, the Fannie Lou Hamer Leadership Program launched a Rapid Response Hunger Relief microgrant initiative. These grants supported 33 food distribution events and 10 education sessions across 14 states, reaching more than 2,100 individuals and families through meal programs, mutual aid, SNAP navigation, and transportation support.

We also continued to expand our Information and Referral (I&R) services, providing individualized support to disabled people seeking accessible housing, equitable education, career and internship opportunities, and many other supportive resources. Since January, we have responded to close to 5,000 emails and phone calls from people seeking direct support related to — everything from accessible, affordable housing to legal representation and more. Although AAPD is not a direct service organization, getting connected to the right local resource can be a daunting task in and of itself. If this year has taught us anything, it is that our state and local disability community infrastructure is more important than ever.

How We Built Disability Power and Community

Community building is not separate from policy work; it is how lasting change happens. Power and community building happens across all of AAPD’s work. Whether it is through creating opportunities to increase disabled people’s economic power or cultivating disabled leaders across the country, AAPD used our advocacy and our programmatic work to build disabled people’s power in 2025.

As we have done for more than two decades, we continued to invest in programs that develop disabled leaders and strengthen economic opportunity. This year, we released a comprehensive evaluation of the first 20 years of our Summer Internship Program. The findings were powerful and significant. Internship alumni experience economic mobility that outpaces national norms. Evaluations from our most recent internship cohorts demonstrate the benefits interns experience as a result of participating in the program. 100 percent of 2025 summer and fall interns reported that the program was valuable for their career development and that they felt a strong sense of belonging within the disability community. Demand for our internship program has never been higher, and we hope the information and lessons contained within the internship evaluation report can be applied to other programs seeking to improve career, leadership, and community development experiences for youth with disabilities.

We also strengthened our commitment to emerging leaders by increasing the Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leaders Award from $10,000 to $25,000 per recipient, enabling awardees to turn bold ideas into lasting change. While this increase in award is significant, it pales in comparison to the movement contributions of these leaders. For example, Sneha Dave, a Hearne Awardee from 2020, facilitated 6 roundtables on young adults with chronic medical conditions on clinical trials and young adults this year, creating an opportunity for disabled voices and experiences to be shared in spaces that often explicitly exclude us. Of course, I cannot think about the lasting movement contributions of Hearne Awardees without mentioning Alice Wong, who we lost this year. Alice’s Disability Visibility Project was supported by AAPD’s Hearne Award in 2016 and grew into an essential platform for creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture. Her work made and continues to make complex disabled experiences visible to the world. This year we commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Hearne Awards by convening former Hearne Awardees from 2000 all the way to 2025.

This year, AAPD also launched the Access Coalition: Creating More Inclusive Retail Spaces. Through this coalition, AAPD joined with partners like Walmart, Sam’s Club, Starbucks, Step ‘n Wash, Locknet, Inclusive Web, and CVS to create retail accessibility frameworks that integrate human-centered design and constant feedback from people with lived experience.

This work has underscored that small changes — whether in signage, fixtures, or layouts — can make a meaningful difference in the ability of disabled people to experience greater dignity within our larger communities.

Our work to promote greater accessibility and dignity for disabled people was not limited to physical retail spaces. AAPD also engaged in work to ensure that people with disabilities are centered in the creation, deployment, governance and auditing of technologies that we rely on. One example of this work is the Anthem award- winning report we authored with the Center for Democracy and Technology titled Building A Disability-Inclusive AI Ecosystem: A Cross-Disability, Cross-Systems Analysis Of Best Practices. The report provides recommendations for assuring that disabled people can enjoy the benefits of AI and algorithmic technologies while being safeguarded from the risks.

Across AAPD’s work, one lesson is clear: when disabled people lead initiatives on issues that directly impact our lives, the results are powerful. From visionary leadership supported by the Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leaders Award to grassroots organizing through REV UP, disabled-led solutions are what move our movement forward and ensure that disabled people can thrive.

The work I’ve described above is only a snippet of what AAPD’s dedicated team and our partners accomplished in 2025. Reflecting on the year as a whole, one of the moments I’ve continued to return to was traveling with the REV UP team to Alabama, for the 60th anniversary Selma Jubilee and the Edmund Pettus Bridge crossing commemorating Bloody Sunday. Bloody Sunday was a pivotal moment in the fight for voting rights and the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Every year since, advocates return to cross the bridge alongside the original demonstrators, called foot soldiers. During this year’s march, AAPD supported disabled marchers by providing wheelchairs, sighted guides, and transportation assistance, and we organized a group of 25 disabled advocates to cross the bridge together alongside original foot soldiers. By now, the foot soldiers have aged into disability, and many used the wheelchairs we provided to cross. The consistent presence of these foot soldiers over the past 60 years, witnessing the many shifts in civil rights over that time, reminds me of the Martin Luther King Jr. quote, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” It also reminds me that no matter how policy changes, no matter what economic opportunity exists, community will sustain us.

How You Can Be Part of Our Community

AAPD’s work is powered by community.

Whether you joined us on Capitol Hill, organized locally through REV UP, participated in a leadership program, or supported our work from your home, you are part of this movement. Your engagement and generosity sustain the programs and policy advocacy that help us expand opportunity and advance disability rights.

As we look to 2026, our priorities include strengthening disability voter education ahead of the midterm elections, expanding plain language access, and continuing to build political and economic power across the disability community. We will adapt to changing times to take on emerging disability issues from AI to autonomous vehicles. We will also continue investing in people with disabilities through our internships, scholarships, and awards programs.

Our policy advocacy and power building programs require support from our community. If you are able, I invite you to make a contribution today to support our important work. You can donate by visiting aapd.com/give, where your gift helps ensure that AAPD can continue to show up, build together, and grow our impact in the year ahead.

There are many opportunities to get involved with AAPD’s work beyond donating. You can sign up for AAPD’s email list, follow us on social media, sign up to be a DMD mentor, get engaged with REV UP, and more.

AAPD’s progress belongs to all of us. Thank you for everything you have contributed, including your time, your voice, your partnership, and your belief in what we can build together in 2026 and beyond.

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AAPD condemns the latest Presidential Executive Order preventing states from regulating Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.

Naomi Hess — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 15:06:53 +0000

For immediate release December 16, 2025

Contact: Naomi Hess, nhess@aapd.com

Washington, D.C. – The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) strongly condemns the Trump Administration’s Executive Order (EO), “Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence” that prevents states from regulating Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. This EO comes after many failed attempts by Congress to limit the ability of states to regulate AI technologies, including proposed moratoriums in the budget reconciliation bill passed in July, and in the National Defense Authorization Ac t. Restricting states from regulating AI undermines civil rights protections for people with disabilities and the principle of federalism in the Constitution.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere. It powers most technologies today, including smartphone applications, home appliances, assistive technologies, and tools used in schools, universities, and workplaces. While AI holds immense potential to enhance independent living and capabilities of people with disabilities, it also poses significant risks. AI amplifies existing social stigma against people with disabilities and discriminates against disabled candidates applying for jobs. It also poses significant threats to the privacy of disabled people and creates new accessibility barriers.

In the absence of strong federal protections against such risks, state regulations have been an important measure to ensure that AI benefits everyone and does not harm people with disabilities, consumers, workers, and other vulnerable groups. Existing and proposed legislation in states such as Colorado, Illinois, California, and New York require accountability for AI-based discrimination, mandate auditing and testing of tools, and impose new mitigation measures in instances where AI harms people. States are stepping in to fill the regulatory gap left by the absence of federal action .This is a role that state regulation frequently plays in the context of new and emerging policy issues.

This Executive Order is an illegal attempt to do what Congress has chosen not to do, to override important legislation states have enacted to require transparency and protections in AI. It creates a special task force at the Department of Justice to challenge state laws, and threatens to restrict federal funding for states who pass laws that, in the opinion of the White House alone, are too “onerous.” The EO specifically threatens funding restrictions under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. The BEAD program is a $42.45 billion federal grant program that aims to connect every American to high-speed internet. It is an immensely important program for building internet and broadband infrastructure for unserved and underserved areas, and to solve the huge connectivity gap experienced by disabled people.

“This EO undermines the ability of states to enforce and protect the civil rights of people with disabilities in emerging AI technologies”, said Maria Town, President and CEO of AAPD. “It also unjustifiably claims that some state laws preventing algorithmic discrimination against protected groups such as women, people of color, and people with disabilities may force AI models to produce false results”, Town continued. “The administration is using federal dollars to prevent states from protecting the interests of their vulnerable constituents”, Town concluded.

AAPD has been working with state-based disability advocates, state legislatures, and state government offices to ensure state regulations adequately address the rights of people with disabilities. AAPD strongly supports the creation of a clear federal framework that ensures AI technologies comply with civil rights statutes. However, an executive order that threatens to withhold essential broadband funding as a means of pressuring states is unacceptable. We support state governors, attorney generals, and legislators in opposing the moratorium.

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Disability Economic Power & AAPD Internships

AAPD Press Team — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 18:52:34 +0000

Disability Economic Power & AAPD Internships

For more than two decades, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) has run an internship program that opens doors to access meaningful and accessible employment opportunities. The AAPD Summer Internship Program develops stronger disability identities for students and recent graduates so they can shape the future of our workplaces and communities.

AAPD conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the program’s first 20 years, and the results are incredible. Our new report, Building Disability Economic Power Through AAPD’s Internship Program, shares the practices and insights about what truly moves the needle on disability employment and economic power.

This report shows not only what our alumni have achieved, but why those outcomes are possible — and what it takes for institutions, employers, and leaders to replicate this success. In early 2026, we will be sharing opportunities for people to put the findings we’ve learned into practice in their own workplaces so that we can all collaborate to strengthen and expand our disability career and leadership efforts.

Read the 2025 report

Introduction

At the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), we want to see disabled people thrive in decision-making roles, earn competitive wages, take pride in their disability identity, and find a sense of belonging at work.

Despite significant federal and state legislation that has improved the lives and employment prospects of people with disabilities over the last 20 years, inaccessible and inequitable workplaces remain commonplace. Workplace discrimination complaints filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) may be made in cases of discrimination because of an employee or applicants’ race, color, religion, sex (including transgender status, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), and disability or genetic information. Out of all of those categories, in 2023, the EEOC reported that discrimination on the basis of disability was the largest category of new EEOC employment discrimination complaint filings. Disability-based discrimination complaints also saw the most significant percentage increase of any EEOC employment discrimination category, at 77% in 2023 (“EEOC’s Final FY 2023 Enforcement Statistics Show 10% Increase in Charges Filed,” 2024).

In addition, adults with disabilities are employed at less than half the rate of people without disabilities, and twice as likely to live in poverty. Benefit programs like Medicaid or Social Security force recipients to live in poverty in order because of income and asset limit policies (National Council on Disability, 2023). This impacts the ability of people with disabilities to become financially secure and achieve economic independence.

The 2020 Census reported that people with disabilities are less likely to complete their high school education, enter and complete college, find jobs paying competitive wages, or earn as much as their contemporaries without disabilities. Many organizations that design career development opportunities like internship programs do not recognize the inequities that disabled people face leading up to when they enter the workforce.

Nondisabled students report that work experience gained during internships is critical to forming professional networks that lead to positive employment outcomes post-college (Briel & Getzel, 2001). Many internships or fellowships require a transcript or a certain grade point average to be eligible. Many disabled students’ grades or class records may not accurately reflect their learning, but rather their lack of access or discrimination experienced in the classroom.

Furthermore, if disabled students are isolated in education, this impacts their number of opportunities to network with others in their field who could offer learning and employment opportunities. Disabled people of color face further barriers to obtaining education and employment opportunities (Losen et al., 2021, 2021; Shaw, et al., 2012). Studies show that the majority of students with disabilities in the United States are students of color (Musu-Gillette et al., 2017).

There have also been extensive studies that share how higher socioeconomic status correlates with a higher quality of life and improves access to housing and medical care (Nutakor, et al., 2023). These studies also show that having social capital is positively correlated with a high quality of life. It is currently legal to pay people with disabilities less than minimum wage. In addition, people with disabilities experience a higher degree of loneliness and social isolation compared to people without disabilities. Studies have found that low social connectedness was associated with lower well-being (Emerson, et al., 2021).

For more than two decades, AAPD has run its Summer Internship Program to address the significant gaps that remain for people with disabilities. The program has provided hundreds of disabled students and recent graduates with career opportunities, along with resources and community support to make sure they obtain meaningful skills and knowledge to create change. Our goal for the Summer Internship Program is to ensure that students and recent graduates can develop stronger disability identities and develop the skills to shape the future of our workplaces and our communities.

To understand our progress towards this goal, AAPD hired an external evaluator to assess the impact of our program on the participants’ career growth, as well as the impact on placement sites and mentors. Interns, supervisors, mentors, and community members, including AAPD staff, board members, and key stakeholders, provided feedback to guide program improvement and impact for future years.

This report is an overview of the external evaluator’s findings and future recommendations. We share some changes that we have already implemented from 2019 to 2023, as well as reflections on challenges and future changes. We also plan to use the findings as a way to assess how accessibility and equity are embedded into our program. By sharing our proven methods and successes in strategy, activities, and impact, our program model can serve as a resource for other organizations on how to implement inclusive programming with a focus on community building to increase impact on the participants’ career opportunities and leadership development.

Organization Overview

Founded in 1995, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, working to increase the political and economic power of people with disabilities. As one of the leading national cross-disability civil rights organizations, AAPD advocates for full civil rights for the over 70 million Americans with disabilities by promoting equal opportunity, economic power, independent living, and political participation. One of the ways AAPD achieves our mission is through our Summer Internship Program.

AAPD Summer Internship Program Overview

Established in 2002, the AAPD Summer Internship Program strives to develop stronger disability identities within students and recent graduates to better equip them to shape the future of our workplaces and communities. The comprehensive program provides participants with an opportunity to advance their career goals, gain leadership and advocacy skills, and connect with the broader disability community. To minimize barriers to participation, AAPD offers the internship program in either a hybrid or fully remote format. AAPD provides interns with a competitive wage, technology support, and accessible housing or a housing stipend. For in-person interns and remote interns who come to Washington, D.C. for orientation, AAPD covers travel to and from D.C. After interns get accepted to the AAPD internship, AAPD matches interns with a placement site based on career goals, pairs them with a one-on-one mentor based on their interests, and provides weekly programming.

Career Development

AAPD’s internship program provides an opportunity for disabled students and recent graduates to feel more confident as a person with a disability in their field of work. While placement site opportunities were initially focused on Capitol Hill internships in 2002, AAPD now provides high-level paid internships across all sectors, including government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit companies. The internship program may be the first time AAPD interns experience disclosing their disability in a workplace and going through the formal accommodations process with their supervisor. Throughout the program, interns have many opportunities to network and connect with a variety of people with disabilities in different career sectors and fields of interest.

Leadership Development

Throughout the internship program, AAPD provides several opportunities for interns to learn and explore different leadership styles through meeting disability community leaders and participating in a variety of advocacy opportunities. Opportunities include the National Council on Independent Living Annual Conference, participating in AAPD partner organizations’ rallies and vigils, workshops, webinars, and more. Interns also have opportunities to lead presentations on disability topics, write a blog post or a policy memo, and meet with their legislators. In 2018, AAPD established the Disability Advocacy Certificate Program to further develop interns’ leadership and advocacy skills. The Certificate Program prepares participants to be knowledgeable and effective advocates in the disability community on the local, state, and national levels. The course focuses on using one’s story to impact change in their community and workplace. They also learn about different tactics of advocacy (e.g., digital, art, campaigns, coalition building, etc). After the program, interns receive a Certificate in Disability Advocacy from AAPD.

Community Building

For many interns, being a part of the program is their first introduction to the disability community and disability pride. AAPD kicks off the program with a book club for the book Disability Visibility by Alice Wong to introduce interns to different disability experiences and facilitate discussion among the cohort. AAPD hosts several informal weekly events for only the interns and also provides opportunities for the interns to meet other disabled people by inviting AAPD alumni and disability community members to participate in our gatherings virtually and in-person, providing support to attend conferences or networking events, and more.

In addition to participating in the internship and Certificate Program, each intern is matched with a mentor. The matching is determined by the mentee’s personal and professional goals and other demographic preferences such as identity and location.

Formal Evaluation

In 2022, AAPD celebrated two decades of the Summer Internship Program. After 20 years and one formal external evaluation in 2007, AAPD decided to contract an external evaluator, Third Sight, LLC. Third Sight assessed the program’s effectiveness and provided recommendations for continued program improvement for the future, including program expansion. Their goals were:

Examining the program and its evolution over two decades.
Collecting information from alumni to determine if and how the program might have affected their employment and life goals.
Learning about the value of the program for internship placement sites and mentors.
Identifying strengths of the program and recommendations for further improvements.

Third Sight developed a report with their findings after gathering feedback from various key community members (i.e., alums, supervisors, mentors, AAPD Board members and staff, and partners) through surveys and interviews. The report discussed implications and shared a list of recommendations.

A brief infographic with high-level results of their findings is also available.

Download the one pager

Key Findings

These are key findings from people who participated in surveys and interviews conducted in 2022. Not all who engaged with the Summer Internship Program responded.

Alumni

The majority of alums strongly agreed or agreed that the internship program contributed to greater awareness of their disability identity, their experience in the world of work, their understanding of public policy, and their ability to network.
Most alumni reported that the program strengthened their identity as a person with a disability by providing the opportunity for them to be around other people with disabilities in general, people with similar disabilities, and those with disabilities in their age group.
All the alumni interviewed reported that the internship program positively impacted their self-confidence at work or in their community.
More than 68% of alum respondents are employed full-time. In comparison, 14.9% of the general disability population and 55% of the nondisabled population are employed full time (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023).
Nearly 85% of alum respondents are employed. In comparison, 21.3% of the general disability population and 65.4% of the nondisabled population are employed (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023).
Alumni reported their average hourly wage is $34.59. The national hourly wage of people with disabilities is $13.74, compared to $17.73 for people without disabilities (Third Sight LLC authors’ calculation, U.S. Census, 2020).
Alumni are more likely to be in the workforce and employed than the national average for people with disabilities. Alumni also have a higher attainment of a bachelor’s degree than the average for people with and without disabilities.

Mentors

The majority of mentors enjoyed the opportunity to share their knowledge and connections with interns, learn from the interns, and build lasting relationships while contributing to the expansion of leaders with disabilities.
Mentors benefited from “giving back” by helping interns build their networks and have successful, positive job experiences. Mentors could share their disability experiences with their mentees and broaden their understanding of the disability community through learning from the new perspectives and life experiences of the interns.

Supervisors and Internship Placement Sites

The majority of supervisors were satisfied or very satisfied with their experiences with the internship program. They gave high ratings to AAPD across the board, including on communication from AAPD staff, clarity about the supervisory role, matching of the interns to the position, professionalism of the intern, quality of communication about participation in AAPD-sponsored events, and AAPD staff’s support during the internship.
About a third of supervisors agreed or strongly agreed that the internship led them to hire more people with disabilities, and more than half responded that working with AAPD interns led their organizations to make their workplace more inclusive.
Eighty percent of supervisor survey respondents are still in touch with the interns, and a majority continue to have a professional relationship with the interns.

Recommendations

Third Sight also provided several recommendations for AAPD. Their recommendations centered on improving program structure, providing additional supports for interns, increasing alumni engagement, diversifying intern recruitment, expanding internship programming, and strengthening mentorship activities.

Program Structure

Increase stipends.
Consider adding professional development components, including:
- Leadership development,
- Guidance on how to network,
- Orientation to DC, including how to get around,
- Guidance on how to address interpersonal conflicts,
- Team building,
- Diversity and equity training
- Practice advocating, including self-advocacy skills.
Provide practical tools and tips for advocacy.
Implement a pre- and post-evaluation of interns’ knowledge, skills, and engagement to measure impact.

Greater Intern Interest Alignment and Support

Ensure that selected interns receive all supports and accommodations needed for their full participation. This may require additional training or orientation for some interns, and an early review of their housing and transportation to ensure they have adequate services.
Continue to ensure that interns are well-matched with the job placement.

Alumni Engagement

Increase the number of alumni events offered.
Ensure that interns across cohorts have the opportunity to engage with each other.
Identify alumni experts for speaking engagements and events. Leverage key alumni with successful careers.

Diversity in Recruitment

Expand outreach to different schools and locations across the country to increase the diversity of cohorts.
Highlight alumni who are women, people of color, LGBTQIA+, and from different regions of the country to support diversity in recruitment.

Internship Expansion

Create a year-round internship program with summer, spring, and fall cohorts.

Mentorship Component

Review the process for matching interns to mentors. Consider sharing professional interests and the opportunity for interns to engage with mentors who have similar disabilities.
Create more opportunities to bring together mentors and interns through planned activities. Include virtual opportunities for greater flexibility and engagement.
Clarify expectations of the mentoring program with mentors. Ensure mentors are prepared to dedicate the time required to participate in the program.
Provide interns with structured guidance on how to engage with mentors.

AAPD Summer Internship Program Changes

Approximately 85% of alumni who responded to the survey were from the Summer of 2019 and prior. Since the leadership changes described below were implemented, there have been notable changes throughout the internship program that respond to most of the recommendations identified by Third Sight’s evaluation report.

Staff and Personnel

In Summer 2018 and 2019, the internship program was led by the AAPD Programs Manager with the support of the President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The Programs Manager was responsible for developing and executing all aspects of the Summer Internship Program and Disability Advocacy Certificate Program in addition to several other of AAPD’s national programming initiatives, including the Disability Rights Storyteller Fellowship, Disability Mentoring Day, Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leader Award, and the NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship. In 2019, AAPD contracted a part-time Summer Internship Program Assistant who worked full-time during the summer internship program and part-time hours leading up to and following the completion of the internship program.

In Fall 2019, AAPD welcomed a new President & CEO to the organization and a new Programs Manager to lead the Summer Internship Program. Similar to in 2018, the Programs Manager continued to manage multiple programs in addition to the internship program focused on emerging leaders, such as awards and scholarships. AAPD also added a part-time Program Coordinator to focus on Disability Mentoring Day and Alumni Network to support staff sustainability in the organization. This allowed the Programs Manager to have more capacity to implement changes to the internship program. In 2022, the Programs Manager became the Programs Director to manage the growing internship program team, along with the Programs team.

In Summer 2021, AAPD expanded the Internship Program Team by hiring a Summer Internship Program Coordinator. The Program Coordinator was solely dedicated to the internship program to increase capacity. In fall 2023, AAPD promoted the Internship Program Coordinator role to Manager to recognize the full scope of responsibilities of managing all of AAPD’s internship programs. This also recognizes the increased responsibilities of the internship expansion to include a fall cohort. Due to the expansion of the internship program, AAPD hired a year-round part-time Program Assistant working 10-20 hours a week to support the Program Manager.

In Summer 2023, AAPD hired an Events & Logistics Coordinator to provide additional support to the Internship Program team. The Events & Logistics Coordinator provides support with travel, supplies, inventory, technology, speaker honorariums, on-site support, and more. AAPD also hired a full-time Programs Coordinator to focus on the Alumni Network, to continue supporting the professional development of former AAPD interns and other program participants, and to help manage Disability Mentoring Day each October. With the Programs Team comprised of a team of four people, and three of the four Programs Team members supporting the internship program, this further increased the Internship Program team’s capacity to implement more meaningful changes.

The last significant change in 2023 was that AAPD hired a Chief Operating Officer (COO). The COO helps develop additional structure and policies, and streamlines processes to strengthen the internship programs. The COO also works closely with the Internship Program team to work on evaluation and impact.

By the end of 2023, the AAPD Leadership Team supported the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of the internship program:

President & CEO
Chief Operating Officer
Programs Director

The Internship Program Team supported the day-to-day execution:

Internship Program Manager
Programs Coordinator (Alumni Network focus)
Events & Logistics Coordinator
Program Assistant

Budget

Throughout this report, AAPD will detail many changes that have impacted our budget. To the right is a table that summarizes how the expenses have changed each year.

We chose Summer 2019 as a reference point, as it was the last summer before the COVID-19 pandemic and before new leadership joined the organization. Some notes:

Summer 2019 was fully in-person.
Summer 2020 was not included due to only offering the Disability Advocacy Certificate Program.
Summer 2021 reflected our first fully virtual internship. We had two classes, since interns from 2020 were invited to return in 2021.
Summer 2022 was our first hybrid program (i.e., interns participated in DC or remotely).
Summer 2023 was the first time we offered a remote housing stipend.

* The total direct expenses do not include everything listed in the table. Travel line items may fluctuate depending on sponsorship available. Other expenses may include subscriptions or contractors.

Program Format

From 2002 – 2017, AAPD hosted the Summer Internship Program entirely in-person with internship placements requiring 40 hours of work a week over ten weeks. The program components, including mentors, placement sites, and activities, were all based in Washington, DC. In 2018, AAPD added the Disability Advocacy Certificate Program, which reduced the weekly placement site hours to 32 hours, from Monday to Thursday.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, AAPD pivoted to offer only the Disability Advocacy Certificate Program remotely that summer. Many placement site partners needed more time to be ready to host entirely virtual interns by the summer. While we could not place participants in internships at this point, we continued to pay the interns for their time due to a lack of financial opportunities amid the pandemic. We also paired our interns one-on-one with a virtual mentor for the first time. The 2020 cohort was offered an opportunity to return in summer 2021 to gain internship experience.

Due to a virtual format and wanting to create similar opportunities to an in-person environment, AAPD strengthened our community engagement by providing weekly virtual informal events for interns to meet and get to know each other. Some examples include a monthly book club, with topics determined by the interns, such as disability and dating, disability and abolition, LGBTQIA+ pride, and more. We received significant positive feedback surrounding the creation of intentional spaces for engagement of our internship cohort, and we have continued providing spaces for our interns to informally connect with each other and the broader community in multiple formats. Many interns also took the initiative to plan their own virtual gatherings, such as co-working spaces.

In 2021, since the COVID-19 vaccines and tests were not yet widely available, AAPD hosted the entire internship program remotely. This ensured the safety of the AAPD interns while providing high-level quality access to career opportunities, leadership development, and connections with the disability community. AAPD’s first-ever remote internship program was built on the success of the remote Disability Advocacy Certificate Program in 2020. By providing remote opportunities, AAPD created more opportunities for internship placement and participation across the country in a modality that is more accessible to many.

At the conclusion of the 2021 program, AAPD surveyed our interns to ensure the remote format was an accessible and meaningful experience. Ninety-two percent of the respondents recommended that AAPD continue to provide a remote option. In addition, 92% of the interns who responded to the survey reported that they strongly agreed or agreed that their virtual internship placement site was a meaningful experience. Lastly, 40% of the interns who responded to the survey shared that the virtual format was more accessible for them than an in-person format. However, 16% of the interns reported that an in-person environment would have been more accessible for them.

As a result of the responses, AAPD decided to continue offering both in-person and remote internship opportunities. In 2022, AAPD hosted our first-ever hybrid program successfully, with an opportunity to join in-person in Washington, DC, or participate fully remotely. The in-person interns also experienced a true hybrid environment (going to the office a few times a week). All remote interns have the opportunity to attend in person for the weeklong orientation in Washington, DC, during which AAPD covers their travel and lodging. A hybrid internship program allows remote interns to access meaningful internship opportunities without worrying about their access to healthcare in their home state or leaving their place of safety (e.g., COVID-19 protocols, support systems, etc.). Based on the continued success of a hybrid model in Summer 2022, AAPD will offer a hybrid summer internship program going forward.

Based on feedback from the Summer Internship Program evaluation and with the support of a challenge grant from Arconic Foundation, AAPD launched our Fall Internship Program in September 2023. The Fall Internship Program is entirely virtual and part-time. This is an opportunity to offer part-time internships to provide more opportunities for students who may be managing school or work obligations. Additionally, part-time opportunities allow flexibility for income limits that may impact people with disabilities who receive public benefits. We do not want prospective interns to choose between impactful career development and the benefits they need to survive.

Recruitment and Outreach

Beginning in the Summer 2021 cycle, AAPD diversified our recruitment efforts by intentionally reaching out to several organizations or institutions that primarily serve people who experience intersecting oppression or are historically excluded. Some examples include, but are not limited to: Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges, Minority Serving Institutions, community colleges, and postsecondary education programs specifically for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In addition, we contacted different organizations outside of university Disability Resource Offices, such as student-led organizations on campus, Offices of Diversity & Inclusion on campuses, youth-led organizations, and vocational rehabilitation services.

We see the impact of our intentional recruitment among disabled people of color. The following spread showcases the percentages across cohorts for interns’ racial and ethnic identities, gender identities, and those identifying as LGBTQIA+. The number of people identifying as a specific race may exceed the number of interns due to interns identifying with more than one race.

The year 2020 was excluded because numerous interns opted to defer their participation to 2021 due to no internship component being offered or wanting to focus on their well-being during the summer.

In 2021, AAPD staff began hosting a virtual information session on the Summer Internship Program, which features a panel of intern alumni. This is an opportunity to access information about the program in real-time beyond written materials and it also allows prospective interns to engage with AAPD staff and alumni.

Interview Process

During the interview stage, we have continued the practice implemented in 2018 of engaging alumni in the interviews. We provide alumni opportunities to share feedback on the interview questions and format. Alumni’s perspectives significantly impact how we consider applicants who will benefit the most from the program.

We also changed our interview process to be more accessible in 2020. We reduced the length of the interview from 60 minutes to 30 minutes (unless an accommodation has been requested that asks for more time), and we reduced the number of questions asked. We also conducted our interviews on the Zoom platform instead of Google Meet to allow integration with real-time captioning.

Intern Onboarding Materials

In 2021, AAPD drafted and developed several onboarding documents to formalize the internship program and establish a shared understanding between AAPD staff and interns.

When an intern was officially matched with a placement site, AAPD required more formal agreements for shared understanding. First, the placement site had to fill out a form to agree and adhere to all the placement site responsibilities. The placement site would also share more information upfront about the intern’s activities and tasks for the summer. After the form was completed, AAPD prepared an offer letter for the intern to agree to and accept.

AAPD developed a Code of Conduct and Community Guidelines. The Code of Conduct outlined expectations of intern engagement and behavior, such as communication expectations between interns and supervisors, staff, and mentors. It was included as part of the intern’s offer letter to the program. The Community Guidelines were co-developed with each cohort of interns during their first day of orientation and revisited throughout the summer. It included items such as checking in with people about their accommodation and access needs before planning a restaurant outing, speaking based on their own experience instead of generalizing it to the entire community, confidentiality, and so forth.

From 2022 onwards, AAPD included COVID-19 protocols as part of our Code of Conduct.

Program Supports

Before 2020, AAPD provided interns with a living stipend equal to $8.75/hr for 32 hours a week over a 10-week period, accessible housing, and transportation to and from Washington, DC. AAPD also budgeted in personal care attendants to travel with and support the interns during the summer, and meal stipends of $200 for the entire summer. Since then, the hourly wage, housing stipends, meal stipends, and other program supports have all increased.

Hourly Wage

Our interns with disabilities come from diverse backgrounds that add value and expertise to their placement sites. However, people with disabilities frequently go unpaid or are often paid subminimum wage. While this contributes to the pay gap between nondisabled and disabled people, many people with disabilities cannot accept unpaid work due to paying for additional support or resources to live independently in their community.

In the summer of 2020, AAPD provided a stipend of $20/hour for our interns during their time in the Certificate Program, as they may have planned on relying on the internship program as a source of income. The Certificate Program was six hours a week over a 10-week period.

In 2021, AAPD increased the living stipend per hour to match at least the District of Columbia’s (DC) minimum wage or higher. For 2021, it was $15/hour. The hourly wage increased again in 2023 to $18/hour.

Due to the increase in stipend, AAPD works on a case-by-case basis with interns who may need a different payment schedule due to their public benefits. If interns are concerned about the hourly wages impacting their benefits, AAPD will split up the payments over a longer period of time to minimize the impact. AAPD will also work on a case-by-case basis to figure out alternative payment methods to ensure interns are compensated for their time and expertise.

Housing

For the majority of the internship program, AAPD has provided in-person interns with accessible housing at George Washington (GW) University. In 2022, AAPD started to provide remote interns with hotel lodging during orientation week. In 2023, AAPD began offering remote interns a monthly housing stipend of up to $2,000. This rate is comparable to the monthly rate AAPD pays to cover in-person interns in Washington, DC. Because the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) considers housing stipends as income since we pay the interns directly, AAPD informs interns that the housing stipend may impact their benefits before they officially accept their spot as an AAPD intern. Like with the hourly wages, AAPD will work with interns individually to figure out an alternative if this stipend threatens their benefits.

Meal Stipends

In 2018 and 2019, AAPD provided a meal stipend of $200 over 10 weeks through American Express gift cards as part of Friday’s Disability Advocacy Certificate Program lunches. When the full internship program resumed virtually in 2021, AAPD continued providing meal stipends. In 2021 and 2022, AAPD increased the amount to $400 over 10 weeks through grocery or food delivery gift cards to factor in fees and tips. Instead of adding the meal stipend to their living wages, AAPD provides gift cards to minimize potential impacts on interns’ taxes or benefits.

In 2023, GW University offered meal plans for its summer residents, including AAPD interns. The meal plan was $550 for the summer, which included 50 meal swipes (prices vary based on meal) and $50 declining debit balance on their GW card.

Due to this change, AAPD allowed all interns to choose one of the three options:

Participate in GW’s Meal Plan
Receive a $550 Visa gift card or food delivery service gift card*
Receive $550 as part of their stipend.

*On a case-by-case basis, AAPD provided a grocery gift card of the intern’s choosing if food delivery is not accessible in their area or does not meet their dietary accommodations.

Similar to the housing stipend, AAPD informed interns that if they opt out of a meal stipend and choose to combine it with their living wages, this may impact their taxes and/or benefits.

Technology and Equipment

Starting in 2020, AAPD provided internet stipends for remote interns and developed a budget for technology support. The internet stipend provides additional support for interns who may not have access to high-speed internet. Technology supports include, but are not limited to, laptops, monitors, accessible software, and accessories (e.g., headphones, ergonomic mouse, monitor, etc). Since many placement sites’ organizational policies provide limited technology offerings for interns (especially remote interns), AAPD purchases equipment for interns to use during their internship experience.

Sustained Engagement

In 2020, AAPD launched the Alumni Network to continue investing in our program participants. Alumni can obtain professional development support related to their career goals, make new community connections, and sustain existing connections. As part of the Alumni Network, AAPD established the Ambassadors Council. They are alumni who help guide AAPD’s planning for future initiatives. Due to AAPD implementing more structure to keep in contact with alumni, we are able to execute a more intentional effort to uplift and continue building relationships with them. They are frequently invited to participate in the internship program as guest speakers and mentors and attend community events. Because of our continued relationships with alumni, we can also recommend them for other professional development opportunities, such as a guest speaker on a Hill briefing, subject matter expert webinars, blog posts, and so forth.

Information and Preparation

In 2022, AAPD developed a more comprehensive resource guide to support interns during the summer. This includes information on national resources and mental health services. For in-person interns, this includes access to healthcare, including COVID-19 testing and treatment, and transportation.

We also provided pre-orientation sessions, which share information with interns before they arrive in Washington, DC. Sessions included how to navigate transportation in DC, such as how to use the Metro, and discussing accommodations while flying.

Placement Site Matching

AAPD completes a thorough vetting process with every placement site before officially pairing them with an intern. As part of our vetting process, we ask about the supervisor’s comfort level with providing and implementing accommodations and the organization’s disability inclusion policies or beliefs. We also ensure interns will be assigned meaningful tasks and activities. Historically, AAPD has required that administrative duties not take up more than 25% of the interns’ time.

In 2021, AAPD began a more formal process with our placement partners. All placement site supervisors must sign an agreement that outlines each intern’s responsibilities and confirms the interns’ scope of work. This gives AAPD an opportunity to review the activities and enforce our requirement of limited allocation to administrative duties. This information is also included in the interns’ offer letters before they agree, so interns have a chance to ask questions about their responsibilities and expectations. This creates greater transparency and sets expectations for the summer. This process also mirrors what an intern may experience when applying for jobs and finalizing an offer. AAPD references this information during the check-ins throughout the summer between supervisors and interns.

In 2022, AAPD started collecting more information from placement sites to share with interns ahead of time before starting the formal process. Since AAPD does not do a background check on our interns or require U.S. citizenship, many of our placement sites have an independent process. Some placement sites may require U.S. citizenship, current enrollment in a university or college, and background checks, including fingerprinting, paperwork, and/or reference checks. The information from the placement site allows interns to determine whether they want to proceed with a specific placement site’s selection process. This information is also available to applicants as part of our recruitment efforts.

In 2023, AAPD continued to work with placement site supervisors to streamline the matching process and ensure the interns are set up for success. We began collecting more information on what resources (e.g., technology equipment) or existing skills are required to ensure a meaningful experience for the interns.

AAPD also made intentional efforts to diversify our placement partners for two reasons: to ensure the placement site was tailored to the intern’s career goals and to increase AAPD’s impact on different organizations. From 2021 to 2023, AAPD averaged nine new placement site partnerships each year.

Mentors

Beginning in 2020 , AAPD offered the option of virtual mentors in addition to in-person mentors. The virtual format allowed us to find mentors more aligned with the interns’ interests and advocacy development, if desired. AAPD also developed mentorship guidance with prompted questions to better support facilitation between the mentor and mentee.

AAPD also asked more questions about interns’ preferences for their mentors. We asked if they prefer their mentor to have a specific background or expertise and shared identity (disability, race, gender, etc). As a result of recruiting a more diverse intern cohort, we end up matching more interns with mentors with a disability, particularly mentors with a disability who are also people of color.

In 2021, AAPD shifted our traditional “How to Network in DC” orientation workshop to focus on how to build and sustain meaningful relationships with their mentors, supervisors, peers, and community members.

Disability Advocacy Certificate Program

AAPD offers the Disability Advocacy Certificate Program to complement the Summer Internship Program experience. Created in 2018, it was initially designed for interns to learn more about the electoral and legislative process in Washington, DC. This included learning about different legislation that impacts the disability community. In 2018, this was established in partnership with a DC-based university (American University and George Washington University both served as partners). As a result of the university partnership, interns could opt to pay to take the course for credits that can be transferred to their home university.

In 2022, due to the low interest in interns taking the course for credit and feedback on the Certificate Program, AAPD decided not to continue a partnership with the university. The program was redesigned to focus on preparing interns to be knowledgeable and effective advocates in the disability community through storytelling. This also includes understanding their individual, local, state, and national audience.

By the end of the course, interns learn how to:

Communicate their story to different audiences across multiple mediums (e.g. social media, blog posts, policy memos, Hill visits, presentations, etc.)
Identify a variety of advocacy strategies and tactics to address issues the disability community faces.
Describe approaches to developing relationships and coalitions.
Apply an intersectional lens to their advocacy.
Understand their role and responsibility in the collective disability movement.

They receive a certificate from AAPD upon completion of the program.

In 2020, AAPD started offering honorariums to Certificate Program speakers. We also prioritized guest speakers who identify as a person with a disability. This is an opportunity to not only pay disability experts for their work and knowledge, but also uplift community members and provide professional development opportunities for them. As of 2023, we offered the following honorariums:

$300 for a single speaker on a topic between 1 – 2 hours, including breaks
$150 each for co-speakers on a topic between 1 – 2 hours, including breaks
$75 for each panelist on a topic up to 1.5 hours, including breaks

In 2023, AAPD started collecting the other identities of speakers in addition to disability identity. Guest speakers can opt in to share this information, and only demographics are shared publicly. This allows AAPD to better understand how we are engaging disabled people with intersecting identities.

COVID-19 Protocols

The pandemic continues to impact the lives of people with disabilities. Despite the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ending in May 2023, AAPD continued to implement COVID-19 protocols for all in-person components of our internship programs.

In 2022 and 2023, AAPD had COVID-19 protocols and contingency plans to ensure in-person interns could safely participate. For both years, any in-person intern could change their preference to work remotely (up until a reasonable “drop date” of March, to allow time for coordination). Reasonable accommodations were provided upon request.

AAPD asked questions about individuals’ COVID-19 safety precautions as part of the roommate match process for DC-based interns.

The 2022 and 2023 protocols applied to all of the in-person internship program participants, including remote interns who participated in-person for Orientation week, personal care attendants, and AAPD staff.

Requirements included:

Most recent COVID-19 booster vaccine as of the time of the internship program
Weekly COVID-19 rapid antigen test, provided by AAPD
Wearing masks provided by AAPD during weekly Friday programming
In-person interns have their own private bathrooms in their dormitories
HyperHEPA air purifier in the room during Orientation week and Friday classes

Interns could request a private suite instead of a shared suite. A shared suite is defined as having multiple private bedrooms with private bathrooms, but shared living spaces, such as a kitchen and living room.

For remote interns who opted to visit Washington, DC, they had their own hotel room.

If an intern tested positive for COVID-19, they were required to immediately notify both AAPD and GW University Housing in 2021 and just AAPD in 2022. From there, interns were expected to isolate themselves in their room for at least five days or until a negative test, whichever was longer. In both 2022 and 2023, AAPD provided additional rapid tests as needed, thermometers, and pulse oximeters. GW University Housing provided support to interns on a case-by-case basis, including supporting delivery services related to food and/or essential items.

If an intern tested positive and their suitemate did not, the suitemate took daily rapid tests for up to 1 week. AAPD provided daily test kits.

AAPD also reserved the right to shift the Friday Certificate Program class to a fully virtual format if the following occurred:

Five (5) interns and/or one AAPD Summer Internship Program staff member tests positive
When fewer than five (5) in-person interns attend due to concerns about COVID-19 or due to accommodation needs

Guest speakers and access vendors (e.g., ASL interpreters) participating in-person during community events or the Disability Advocacy Certificate Program were required to have a negative COVID-19 rapid antigen test and wear a mask. AAPD provided masks and tests.

What Comes Next: Challenges, Opportunities, and Our Goals for Future Improvement

Systemic Challenges

Even with numerous changes to our program, there remain significant national systemic changes needed to ensure students and recent graduates with disabilities have access to meaningful career and leadership opportunities. This impacts people with disabilities’ future employment opportunities. Some existing barriers include, but are not limited to:

Interns have concerns about risking their benefits due to asset limits. AAPD has to consider how much financial support to give interns without impacting their benefits long-term.
While many remote opportunities increased during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many workplaces are reversing their policies.
Interns may lose their access to home and community-based services if they are away from their homes for too long.
Interns are only eligible for home and community-based services in their home state, not when they travel or temporarily relocate.
Interns are concerned about the accessibility of travel, such as how airlines may damage their mobility aids, or whether they will receive the accommodations they need for travel.
Placement sites may not have the budget for accommodations due to limited funds. If the placement site is a small organization under 15 employees, they may be less willing to provide accommodations because the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not require workplaces of this size to provide reasonable accommodations.
If interns are not local to the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia area, then they may not have access to their healthcare providers for the summer.
Due to the lack of access to vaccines and public health guidance, interns may not feel comfortable risking their health to accept a hybrid position.
Lack of enforcement of the ADA may affect whether placement sites and transportation are accessible for interns.

It is important to note that the systemic barriers listed above are existing challenges at the point when interns are connected with AAPD. There are several challenges that happen long before they are accepted in the program, such as accommodations in primary and secondary education or access to inclusive volunteer or after-school activities that impact their opportunities to enter post-secondary education. There are also numerous challenges to accessing employment after they complete the program.

To address some of the systemic barriers and propose long-term solutions, AAPD works with our community to bring awareness and solutions. AAPD collaborates with our Policy Team to educate policymakers on the impact of their policies. We continue to engage and educate our federal partners on the impact of our program. We also share contextual information with our placement sites and mentors to help them understand the challenges that people with disabilities have entering the workforce. AAPD also aims to partner with other internship programs or workforce coalitions, even if they do not have a focus on disability, to share inclusive practices.

Future Improvements

For AAPD, advancing access and equity is a continuous commitment and practice. The AAPD Internship Program team continues to improve the program annually, incorporating feedback from Third Sight, conducting internship program evaluations, and responding to policies impacting people with disabilities.

Looking ahead, AAPD has begun planning some next steps to ensure the internship program continues to be reflective of the diverse disability community, as well as continuing to measure the program’s impact. Below are some of our priorities.

Internship Goals and Objectives

Assess our program activities to ensure they align with the program goals and objectives.
Develop pre- and post-evaluation surveys for interns and alumni to better understand the impact of the AAPD Internship Program.
AAPD has received feedback that interns often feel like they have competing priorities regarding the internship component and the Disability Advocacy Certificate Program. Despite AAPD staff reducing the number of assignments and classes, interns continue to report challenges balancing their workload. AAPD will revisit the Certificate Program model to ensure interns maximize their career opportunities, leadership development, and community building.

Processes and Support for Interns

Research best practices for the application and interview processes, such as submitting application information in alternative formats, sharing interview questions ahead of time, etc.
Identify additional supports for the internship program, such as access to mental health and healthcare, job coaching accommodations, and more.
Explore options for providing a housing stipend without impacting interns’ income.
Strengthen the mentorship component based on alumni’s feedback.
Create more materials in plain language.
Continue to build intentional relationships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions, college programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and community and technical colleges for recruitment efforts.

Alumni Network

Continue building out the Alumni Network to increase and sustain engagement.
Provide a transition period when interns complete the program and get involved in the Alumni Network.

Processes and Support for Supervisors and Mentors

Gather more resources to provide support for supervisors who may not have experience with an intern or employee with disabilities.
Build in capacity to support supervisors and mentors during the internship program.

Throughout the development and implementation of new initiatives or practices, AAPD plans to engage intern alumni and community members to ensure our approach is accessible and equitable.

Conclusion

Since the inception of the AAPD Summer Internship Program in 2002, the program has played a vital part in preparing disabled people to be in decision-making roles that impact our future workplaces and communities. AAPD cultivates an environment to strengthen disability identities for students and recent graduates during their internship experience. Many alumni have reported that the internship program positively impacted their self-confidence in the work environment. As the evaluation found, many alumni who go through our program are more likely to graduate from college, obtain full-time employment, and earn higher wages than the national average of people with and without disabilities.

The Summer Internship Program not only increases the power of people with disabilities through career and leadership opportunities, but it is also a program that prioritizes and values community connection by instilling and embracing disability identity. AAPD builds in many opportunities for interns to connect with the broader disability community by exposing them to leaders with disabilities across all sectors and participating in a cohort of all people with disabilities to support building their social capital. As their disability identity strengthens throughout the internship program, interns become more engaged in the disability community. When we have more people who are aware and proud of their disability identity, we believe they will positively shape and impact our collective future.

The AAPD Summer Internship Program has gone through significant changes since new leadership joined the team in 2019. AAPD has increased the number of and strengthened the quality of our resources to support disabled people looking for career opportunities, leadership development, and connection to the broader community. While the AAPD Summer Internship program has changed significantly since its inception, the model of the program remains a flexible yet strong foundation for continued program improvement.

This allows AAPD to:

Implement changes to address the inequities and inaccessibility that impact how people with disabilities access meaningful employment.
Broaden our understanding of what meaningful employment, leadership, and community looks like for people with disabilities.
Provide a variety of experiences for interns to learn more about themselves as individuals, and their experience as a person with a disability in a broader community of disabled people and in their workplaces.
Adapt and respond to society’s changing conditions (e.g. COVID-19 pandemic).

Due to our program’s flexibility, AAPD has implemented incremental and systemic changes to improve our program between 2019 and 2023. The incorporated changes have been guided by feedback and input from program participants and alumni, placement site supervisors, mentors, supporters of the program, and the broader disability community. AAPD will continue to engage with them to guide future program improvement and expansion efforts.

AAPD is committed to building a future where all people with disabilities can live and thrive in our communities by providing opportunities and resources for them to influence our future. The Summer Internship Program is more than just a program that provides career and leadership opportunities. The program recognizes the power of disability pride and having access to inclusive communities. This has a ripple effect, since mentors and supervisors who participate in the program also feel the impact of people with disabilities in the workplace.

Yet, significant challenges and barriers remain for people with disabilities to access meaningful employment opportunities, which impacts many other aspects in their life, such as education, housing, healthcare, transportation, and more. AAPD shares our strategies, findings, and impacts in the hopes of increasing disability awareness and demonstrating best practices of how to plan inclusive programming. In order to truly have a more inclusive society, it takes all of us to advocate for policies and implement equitable practices to ensure all disabled people have equal access and opportunities.

Works Cited

Briel, L., & Getzel, E. (2001). Internships in Higher Education: Promoting Success for Students with Disabilities. Disability Studies Quarterly, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.18061/dsq.v21i1.254

EEOC’s Final FY 2023 Enforcement Statistics Show 10% Increase in Charges Filed. (2024, May 20). Center for Workplace Compliance. https://cwc.org/CWC/CWC/Updates/2024/EEOCs-Final-FY-2023-Enforcement-Statistics-Show-10-Increase-in-Charges-Filed.aspx

Emerson, E., Fortune, N., Llewellyn, G., & Stancliffe, R. (2021). Loneliness, Social Support, Social Isolation and Wellbeing Among Working Age Adults With and Without Disability: Cross-Sectional Study. Disability and Health Journal, 14(1), 100965. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2020.100965

Losen, D. J., Martinez, P., & Shin, G. H. R. (2021). Disabling Inequity: The Urgent Need for Race-Conscious Resource Remedies. The Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the Civil Rights Project, UCLA. https://civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/reports/disabling-inequity-the-urgent-need-for-race-conscious-resource-remedies/

Musu-Gillette, L., de Brey, C., McFarland, J., Hussar, W., Sonnenberg, W., & Wilkinson-Flicker, S. (2017). Status and Trends in the Education of Racial and Ethnic Groups 2017. National Center for Education Statistics.

National Council on Disability. (2023). 2023 Progress Report: Toward Economic Security: The Impact of Income and Asset Limits on People with Disabilities. https://www.ncd.gov/report/2023-progress-report-toward-economic-security-the-impact-of-income-and-asset-limits-on-people-with-disabilities/

Nutakor, J. A., Zhou, L., Larnyo, E., Addai-Danso, S., & Tripura, D. (2023). Socioeconomic Status and Quality of Life: An Assessment of the Mediating Effect of Social Capital. Healthcare, 11(5), 749. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11050749

Shaw, L. R., Chan, F., & McMahon, B. T. (2012). Intersectionality and Disability Harassment: The Interactive Effects of Disability, Race, Age, and Gender. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 55(2), 82–91. https://doi.org/10.1177/0034355211431167

Third Sight LLC authors’ calculation, U.S. Census, American Community Survey (2020).

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023). Persons With a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics — 2022. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/disabl_02232023.pdf

My Token is Done Shining for You

Anonymous Internship Program Alumni — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 20:46:24 +0000

“…and when we speak we are afraid
our words will not be heard
nor welcomed
but when we are silent
we are still afraid

So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive.”
– Audre Lorde, A Litany for Survival

Flat affect. Disorganized thinking. Brain fog. Fast-moving shadows, critiquing whispers, inescapable paranoia. Schizoaffective disorder.

I am a high-achieving Black woman, and I grew up as a high-achieving Black girl. I was your Student Council president, your community leader, your fellowship recipient, your Truman finalist. I applied for everything, was awarded most things, and I was often the youngest in the room.

I represented my community with grace. I did not slip up, I did not show weariness, I put on a brave face. I knew my place. I was often the first of many. I checked every box, and I was your token. But what happens when the boxes we are placed into no longer fit us? What happens when the token stops shining for you? You loved me until I stopped making sense to you. And believe me, I’ve stopped making sense to many.

I live with schizoaffective disorder. Schizoaffective disorder is the combination of schizophrenia and a mood disorder, such as depression or bipolar disorder. Since my early adolescence, I have struggled with depressive and psychotic symptoms that often felt too big for my body, and I’ve been in and out of psychiatric institutions, therapy programs, and on and off various psych medications since age 14.

To be a high-achieving Black woman with schizoaffective disorder is to be released from the psychiatric hospital, return to work the next day, and be questioned by supervisors for my flat affect. It is to be tone-policed, to try to fit into boxes that will never bend for me. It is to be invalidated during crisis, yet doubted for dreaming. To live on the brink between wellness and illness is a cage that I have never been able to free myself from. To know that I am deeply capable of creating a meaningful life for myself, but never truly knowing if one psychotic episode can make the life I am trying to create suddenly disappear, sometimes feels like too big a burden to bear.

You would never know that this is who I am or what I live with. So when I hear you on the news, you think you’re not talking about me because I, of course, am your token, right?

In September, Fox News host Brian Kilmeade boldly stated on national television that unhoused people with mental illness should simply be executed. “Just kill them,” he said, in response to a conversation about social support, housing, and how (or if) to meet the needs of unhoused people who refuse to accept such services. Kilmeade has since publicly apologized, but the harsh implications of his words have been echoed decades before and continue to be broadcast throughout our media and society. If you cannot get in line, you must be eliminated. I have spent my entire life trying to get in line for my own protection. I have tried to be a societal token, but I no longer want my legacy to be one of obedience. Audre Lorde told us that our silence would not protect us. So when this country routinely chooses to discard people like me, the shield of compliance becomes suffocating because it not only fails to shelter, but it erases who I am in the process.

My token is done shining for you. I have been a high-achieving Black woman, a token you could point to as proof of progress. But I will not be the token for you anymore – I no longer want to allow my worth to be defined by those who will never truly understand me or my community.

I am learning to live without the weight of your gaze, and when the token stops shining, I will finally be free to glow for myself. But here’s the truth: it’s not enough for me to be free. If we are to truly change, we must shatter the systems that demean people like me and countless others. Kilmeade’s statements were not a slip of the tongue. They were a reflection of the deep-rooted and systemic violence we endure.

Kilmeade was talking about the marginalized people who are rendered invisible, whose humanity is erased, and whose lives are deemed disposable because they cannot get in line.

This is not just about me; we are all intertwined in the fight for justice, and this fight must be collective. Push against the complacency that allows these dehumanizing narratives to flourish. We were never protected, anyway.

My token is done shining for them – is yours?

This blog was written by an alumni of the Internship Program who requested anonymity.

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IDEA at 50: Why Disability Rights in Education Cannot Be Taken for Granted

Angeth Mayen, AAPD Policy Fellow — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 19:49:55 +0000

Portrait of Angeth Mayen

May 24, 2024, is a date I will never forget. Before last year, I didn’t fully understand the struggles faced by people with disabilities. I knew disability existed, but it felt distant from my everyday life. That changed overnight when I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Suddenly, I had to confront inequities in the healthcare system, the lack of public understanding of disabilities, and how having an invisible disability can change the way you navigate the world.

I had some resources when I was diagnosed that others do not have. I have an older brother who also lives with Type 1 Diabetes, so I had someone to guide me through the toughest early months. However, when I transitioned from high school to college, I found myself navigating a system that I barely understood. For the first time, I was a disabled student, and I didn’t even know what accommodations were. I still saw myself as the same person I always was, but my body and my needs had changed significantly. I could no longer sit through a two-hour exam without monitoring my blood sugar. I needed snacks readily available. I needed breaks. I needed professors and administrators who understood.

It took me almost two months to understand what my university’s Student Disability Services office actually did. Once I connected with them, I was supported, respected, and given every accommodation I needed. That experience was validating, but some students with disabilities across the country do not have such a positive experience. It reminded me that the right to learn, participate, and succeed should not depend on luck or whether you happen to know the right resources.

Disabled students’ rights to education exist because of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA is a law that guarantees students with disabilities a free, appropriate public education tailored to their specific needs. It was enacted in 1975 as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. Before that, disabled students were often institutionalized, excluded, or denied access to education altogether. I grew up in a world where IDEA already existed, so I took it for granted. Many of us do. However, as IDEA turns 50 years old, it’s clear that merely having this law is insufficient. States are expected to follow IDEA, but their actions tell a different story.

On June 20, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education issued the annual determination letters regarding state implementation of IDEA. Each state receives a rating based on its performance in implementing IDEA, as assessed through its State Performance Plan. States fall into one of four categories: meets requirements, needs assistance (one year), needs assistance (two or more consecutive years), or needs intervention.

These ratings are important because they clearly demonstrate whether states are meeting their legal responsibilities to students with disabilities, and the 2025 figures are concerning.

This year, ratings improved in only three states, while dropping in five states. Over the 12 years from 2014 to 2025, only six states consistently earned a “Meets Requirements” rating each year. Every other state in the country has failed to meet IDEA requirements at least once in the past decade. This means that less than half of school-age students with disabilities live in states that meet the IDEA requirements. That fact alone should be concerning. But the deeper issue is structural. It’s not that states have suddenly worsened; the system used to evaluate them has worsened.

Starting in 2014, the Department of Education introduced the Results Driven Accountability (RDA) system. RDA aimed to shift focus from paperwork to real student outcomes. On the surface, that seems helpful. However, in practice, it created a scoring system that ranked states against one another.

Even if all states improve at the same rate, some would still end up in the lowest categories. This creates a system where it’s nearly impossible for every state to earn a “Meets Requirements” rating, regardless of their overall improvements. All states could be doing well, yet the scoring would still classify them as winners and losers. The RDA system depends too much on ranking and too little on properly assessing students with disabilities through long-term goals and accurate performance measures. This makes it hard to identify which states are genuinely succeeding and which are falling behind, leading to difficulties in determining which states need more intervention from the federal government.

However, it’s challenging to focus on fixing the inner workings of a system that is being dismantled at the helm. The Department of Education faces budget cuts and significant staff reductions, including those responsible for enforcing IDEA. When oversight diminishes, accountability decreases too. And when accountability weakens, students like me who rely on IDEA protections are the ones most impacted.

The recent government shutdown highlighted the Trump administration’s and the Department of Education’s stance on disability rights and federal oversight. The administration used the shutdown to argue that the Department of Education is merely a channel for distributing funds to the states, and they claimed that states can manage the money independently. However, this view overlooks the department’s true importance. Currently, there are proposals to move the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) into agencies like the Departments of Justice and Labor, which lack the expertise and institutional knowledge needed to protect the rights of students with disabilities. During the shutdown, OCR cases went unresolved, and districts were unable to access important information.

Additionally, recent office closures and staff reductions have already led to thousands of dismissed cases and fewer investigations, leaving students without meaningful protections for their rights. IDEA, OCR, and OSERS are not optional programs, funds, or administrative chores; they are lifelines. They are the reason students with disabilities have a chance at equal education, and weakening them jeopardizes all of that.

If we want the next 50 years to be different from the last for disabled students, we must speak out. We need to advocate for federal investment in special education, stronger oversight, and reforms that guarantee fair and meaningful accountability. Students with disabilities deserve more than just the bare minimum. They deserve schools and states that consistently and fully meet their obligations.

IDEA transformed everything. Now we have to fight to keep it alive.

Angeth Mayen is a second year at the University of Chicago studying political science with a focus on law, public policy, and disability rights. She serves in multiple campus leadership roles and is currently a Policy Fellow with the American Association of People with Disabilities, where she researches federal programs like SSI and SNAP. She hopes to pursue a career in public interest law and policy centered on access, equity, and community impact.

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AAPD and NBCUniversal Announce 2025 Recipients of the NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship

Jess Davidson — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 22:53:38 +0000

For Immediate Release:

Contact: Jess Davidson, jdavidson@aapd.com; 202-975-0960

WASHINGTON, DC – The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is proud to announce the eight recipients of the 2025 NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship. With generous support from NBCUniversal, the NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship was named after Tony Coelho, a former United States Representative and the primary author and sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The scholarship is provided to undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities who are interested in future careers in the communications, media, or entertainment industries.

“NBCUniversal is honored to continue supporting the next generation of media leaders through

the Tony Coelho Media Scholarship,” said Craig Robinson, Executive Vice President and Chief Inclusion Officer. “These students demonstrate talent, ambition, and a commitment to making an impact in the industry. We look forward to seeing the contributions they will make as they pursue their academic and professional goals.”

“Like disabled people, media is everywhere and touches every aspect of life. To combat ableism, which is also everywhere, we need accurate and powerful representations of disabled people in all kinds of media. This year’s NBCU Tony Coelho Media Scholarship awardees represent the breadth of opportunities for disability representation in everything from film and journalism to music composition and printmaking. I am extremely grateful to NBCUniversal for their ongoing partnership and support of these talented students,” said Maria Town, AAPD President and CEO.

Award recipients received $5,625 each to help cover the cost of education at their current college or university. Each recipient of the 2025 NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship was chosen for their demonstrated knowledge and passion in media industry. The recipients were also selected based not only on their commitment and contribution to disability representation in the media, but also their future aspirations to meaningfully include and engage the disability community in their careers. During the 2025-2026 school year, NBCUniversal and AAPD will collaborate to provide several opportunities to support the recipient’s growth in their academic pursuits and career development.

Please join us in congratulating the recipients of the 2025 NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship! You can read the recipients’ full biographies and learn more about the NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship on our website.

Anthony McFarland-Smith (he/him), Gallaudet University: Undergraduate Freshman studying Communications Studies (Sports).
Ashley Castillo (she/her), CUNY Craig Newmark School of Journalism: Graduate Student (Master of Arts) in Journalism. Broadcast Journalism, Concentration, Local Accountability.
Itai Hershko (he/him), Indiana University: Undergraduate Freshman studying Media Entrepreneurship.
John Bennett (he/him): University of Wisconsin, Madison: Graduate Student (PhD) studying Film Studies.
Juniper Johnson (she/her), Loyola Marymount University: Graduate Student (Master of Fine Arts) studying Writing for Film and TV Production.
Matthew Hua (he/him), Columbia College Chicago: Graduate Student (Master of Fine Arts) studying Music Composition for the Screen.
Rosemarie Shamim (she/her), Glendale Community College: Undergraduate Senior studying Journalism and Film
Shanelly Nunez (she/her), Rochester Institute of Technology: Undergraduate Senior studying printmaking.

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AAPD Opposes Unlawful Dismantling of the Department of Education

Jess Davidson — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 00:48:49 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2025

AAPD Calls for Congressional Action to Protect Federal Education Programs and Disability Rights

Washington, D.C. – The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) strongly opposes yesterday’s announcement by Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon that the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) and other programs will be transferred out of the Department. The Department of Labor (DoL) will now administer OESE and the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE). These interagency agreements further the long-planned and unlawful dismantling of the department initiated by the Trump Administration. According to federal law, these programs are required to be part of the Department of Education, and only Congress has the authority to transfer them to another department.

OESE collaborates with the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to promote inclusive education, enforce accessibility standards, and enhance teacher training—all of which are essential for the success of students with disabilities. Dismantling the department and splitting up these offices is prohibited without an act of Congress, weakens the expertise of education professionals, and jeopardizes the future of all of America’s students, including over 7.5 million students with disabilities.

We expect the Administration to continue its actions beyond this point, and we are increasingly concerned about its potential plans for OCR and OSEP. If OSEP actually moves into the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as has been suggested, it would mark a return to the segregated, medical model of disability and treating disability as a “problem” that needs to be “cured”, and addressed in separate, specialized settings instead of following the civil rights and inclusive education approach that entitles all students to a free and appropriate public education as outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Department of Education provides oversight, enforcement, funding, and programming that facilitate education opportunities for disabled students, which ultimately provides the foundation for the expectation of inclusion and integration as an adult and in other aspects of life.

This year, IDEA turns 50. Before IDEA and the Department of Education’s work to make the promise of IDEA real, children with disabilities were educated at home or within medical, institutional settings. We cannot return to this reality that many in our community still have painful memories of.

Join AAPD in urging Congress to act immediately to stop this transfer and prevent the dismantling of the Department of Education. We call on the Administration to reconsider this harmful move and protect the rights of students with disabilities to an inclusive, high-quality public education.

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All Categories Archives - AAPD

Recent Changes to Immigration Policies Have Disastrous Impacts on Disabled People and Long-Term Care

“Don’t Mourn, Organize” – AAPD Remembers Bob Kafka

Shaking Up the Theater Industry as a Disabled Person

Powered by Community: How AAPD Showed Up, Built Together, and Looks Ahead

How We Shaped Disability Policy

How We Built Disability Power and Community

How You Can Be Part of Our Community

AAPD condemns the latest Presidential Executive Order preventing states from regulating Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.

Disability Economic Power & AAPD Internships

Disability Economic Power & AAPD Internships

Introduction

Organization Overview

AAPD Summer Internship Program Overview

Career Development

Leadership Development

Community Building

Formal Evaluation

Key Findings

Alumni

Mentors

Supervisors and Internship Placement Sites

Recommendations

Program Structure

Greater Intern Interest Alignment and Support

Alumni Engagement

Diversity in Recruitment

Internship Expansion

Mentorship Component

AAPD Summer Internship Program Changes

Staff and Personnel

Budget

Program Format

Recruitment and Outreach

Interview Process

Intern Onboarding Materials

Program Supports

Hourly Wage

Housing

Meal Stipends

Technology and Equipment

Sustained Engagement

Information and Preparation

Placement Site Matching

Mentors

Disability Advocacy Certificate Program

COVID-19 Protocols

What Comes Next: Challenges, Opportunities, and Our Goals for Future Improvement

Systemic Challenges

Future Improvements

Internship Goals and Objectives

Processes and Support for Interns

Alumni Network

Processes and Support for Supervisors and Mentors

Conclusion

Works Cited

Sponsors

My Token is Done Shining for You

IDEA at 50: Why Disability Rights in Education Cannot Be Taken for Granted

AAPD and NBCUniversal Announce 2025 Recipients of the NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship

AAPD Opposes Unlawful Dismantling of the Department of Education

AAPD Calls for Congressional Action to Protect Federal Education Programs and Disability Rights