The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) Summer Internship Program is a professional and career development opportunity for disabled students and recent graduates to access meaningful employment, gain leadership skills, and connect to the broader disability community.
In 2002, AAPD launched the Summer Internship Program to develop the next generation of leaders with disabilities. For over 20 years, we have placed college students, graduate students, law students, and recent graduates with all types of disabilities in paid summer internships with Congressional offices, federal agencies, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations within the Washington, DC area. The AAPD Summer Internship Program advances participants’ career opportunities, deepens their leadership skills, and meaningfully connects them to the broader disability community.
Explore what has made this program so successful, why it has had such a strong impact, and how leaders can replicate its model in our report: Disability Economic Power & AAPD Internships.
Applications for the Summer 2027 cohort will open in the Fall of 2026.
Throughout the summer, AAPD interns will:
- Participate in a 1-week orientation to prepare for their internship, meet with the cohort, and learn about the disability rights movement
- Work at their a paid internship program Monday – Thursday
- Participate in weekly programmings on Fridays
- Attend events and network on Capitol Hill, conferences, community events, briefings, and more
- Connect one-on-one with a mentor who provides career guidance
AAPD interns are paid a living stipend and transportation to and from Washington, D.C. In-person interns are provided fully accessible housing. Remote interns receive a technology, internet, and a housing stipend if applicable. Through minimizing barriers to participation, we are able to recruit a diverse cohort of interns. As a result, we connect our host employers to talented emerging leaders with disabilities.
