Alumni Network

The Alumni Network is an effort to proactively sustain relationships with AAPD program alumni and provide programmatic opportunities to early and mid-level career professionals with disabilities. AAPD launched the Alumni Network in 2020 thanks to generous support from the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation.  Through the Alumni Network, members can find a community that is supportive and engaging, where joy and growth are centered and celebrated.

About AAPD’s Alumni Network

AAPD’s Alumni Network, which encompasses individuals who have participated in AAPD programming since the inception of AAPD’s Summer Internship Program in 2002, is a space for joy, growth, and learning. AAPD Alumni come from the following core programs: Summer Internship Program, Fall Internship Program, the Fannie Lou Hamer Leadership Program, the Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leaders Award, Tony Coelho Media Scholarship, or if they participated as a mentee during a Disability Mentoring Day event.

AAPD engages Alumni Network members through quarterly virtual gatherings focused on building and sustaining connections with other alumni along with professional development opportunities. Alumni are also invited to attend the Network’s emerging events and programs, such as virtual book clubs and other affinity spaces for alumni. Alumni are encouraged to stay connected with our network through monthly newsletters. Not receiving our emails? Let us know! We welcome ideas and suggestions for future events and ways to further engage with our network.

People sitting around a table while paying attention to someone speak. There is CART captioning behind them.
Two people speaking at an event

Coming Soon: AAPD Alumni Network Online Platform

Summer 2026 will bring a new way for our network to share resources and find support as AAPD debuts our new Alumni Network Platform! This platform will be an online community for Alumni Network members to network, share experiences and accomplishments from major milestones to everyday victories, and strengthen our connections across career fields and geographical locations. If you are interested in sharing feedback and pilot testing our platform for accessibility, please email us.

AAPD’s In-Person Events

In April 2026 we hosted our first ever Alumni Meetup in Washington, DC! This intimate event for our local DC alumni kicks off a year of virtual and in-person opportunities for AAPD’s Alumni Network to convene and connect. Check back with this page for more opportunities to find community, resources, and joy. A larger-scale Alumni Network Regional Gathering is set for late fall 2026. We will update this page soon with more information.

AAPD’s Alumni Network Virtual Gatherings

Register to attend a virtual gathering by reaching out to us or by clicking the link below to register in our monthly Alumni Network Newsletters. Dates below are subject to change, please email us to confirm your attendance and to receive a link to join us on Zoom. Access providers such as CART and ASL interpretation are available. We hope to see you!

Upcoming Virtual Gatherings

Please send us an email to join any of these events! 

  • Thursday, June 18, 6:30 – 8PM ET
  • Thursday, September 17, 6:30 – 8PM ET
  • Thursday, December 3, 6:30 – 8PM ET
A diverse group of people with disabilities at an event.

What are AAPD Alumni up to?:

Alumni of AAPD’s programs are changemakers. They are advocates, teachers, artists, writers, and more. Read below for a few highlights of the recent projects and accomplishments of our alumni network members. Are you an AAPD Alumni who would like to share your work or accomplishments on our website and in our Alumni Newsletter? Fill out our Google Form for alumni updates! 

    • From an Anonymous Internship Alumni, read this powerful piece in AAPD’s blog that reflects on being a “token,” in a world that discards and oppresses those who do not fit into society’s boxes, who aren’t palatable because of their illnesses. Read the piece: “My Token is Done Shining for You”
    • Stacy C (Summer Internship Program, 2004) has written a book with Deputy Editor of Parents Magazine Diane Debrovner! After being featured in the magazine in a piece about parents who are blind, Stacy developed the middle grade novel alongside Diane Debrovner that will be released on June 2nd, 2026. The novel follows seventh grader Roxie Glass as she struggles to fit in at her new school, and the cost of hiding from her new classmates that she has blind parents. The novel is typeset in Atkinson Hyperlegible Next, a font developed by the Braille Institute specifically for low-vision readers and will be available in braille and audiobook formats. Pre-orders for Roxie in Color are available now.
    • Chloe D (Summer Internship Program, 2024) was recently accepted into a Ph.D. program in Information Science at the University of Washington in fall 2026! Davidson will be focusing on human-computer interaction and college access for neurodivergent first-generation applicants, an acceptance that is a culmination of her work in this field and passion for neurodiversity and disability advocacy.
    • Mira G (Summer Internship Program, 2024) was just accepted as a Pro Member of Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities (RAMPD). Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities is a cross disability professional consultancy group and networking platform amplifying industry musicians, creators, and others in the music, sound, and live entertainment industry. Read more about Mira’s projects and work.
    • Ollie H (Fannie Lou Hamer Leadership Program, 2024) was named part of the National Black Justice Coalition’s 100 Black LGBTQ+/SGL Emerging Leaders to watch! Read more about 100 to watch, Ollie’s work, and the work of other leaders doing transformative justice work by reviewing the National Black Justice Coalition’s list.
    • Cassidy H (NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship, 2020) hosted an event on Friday, February 13th at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library during a screening of the PBS film about the Capitol Crawl entitled, “Change Not Charity: the Americans with Disabilities Act.” Huff facilitated an empowering space for disability rights advocates to connect and learn.
    • Elayne O (Summer Internship Program, 2021) will be graduating with her Master’s in Strategic Communication from the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Otstot will be defending her thesis on challenges in non-profit communication with a focus on disability led organizations on May 5th, 2026. Congratulations and best of luck to Elayne!
    • Melina L (NBCUniversal Tony Coelho Media Scholarship, 2023) wrote a moving piece titled, Paratransit Passenger Princess, about using paratransit, interdependence, and how crip time affects lives- how we move through it, the choices we make (or are forced to make), and the connection we all share for AAPD’s blog. 
    • Alexandra (Zandy) W (Summer Internship Program, 2022) is a Rhodes Scholar, and has been named on the latest Forbes 30 under 30 United States List in the Social Media category, recognizing her work in disability advocacy. 

 

More Questions?

If you have any other questions, please email them to us at aapdalumninetwork [at-symbol] aapd [dot] com or by clicking here.