Summer Internship Program
The 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.
Photo by Jeevan Portraits.
Throughout the summer, AAPD interns:
-
Participate in a 1-week orientation to prepare for their internship, meet with the cohort, and learn about the disability rights movement
-
Participate in the Disability Advocacy Certificate Program to build advocacy skills to advocate on the local, state, and national level.
-
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. Due to 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.
Applications for Summer 2025 are now closed.
Please check back in late summer for more information about applying to be an AAPD Intern in Summer 2026!
Summer 2025 Webinar Materials For Interested Applicants
Internship Application Process and FAQs
Please note: These FAQs were written for the Summer 2025 application process, and some details vary year-to-year. This information will be updated when the Summer 2026 Application opens.
Who can apply?
To be an AAPD summer intern, you must:
- Identify as a person with a disability
- Be a current student or recent graduate of a U.S. based school or program
- Have a high school diploma or equivalent by May 2025
We often get questions about who can apply, so below is some additional information about the requirements:
- You will not be required to share your specific disability or provide any documentation. You just need to identify as a person with a disability.
- A recent graduate is anyone who has graduated from an educational setting or a skills-based program in the last five years. For Summer 2025, this includes anyone who graduated in Summer 2020 or later.
- U.S. citizenship is not required for our program. It may be required for specific placement sites. However, you must have the required work authorization documents.
- You do not need to be a traditional degree-seeking college student. A U.S. based school or program could include a university, a community or technical college, a skills-based transition program, a non-degree seeking inclusive college program, an apprenticeship or trade school.
During the application process, applicants can indicate any of their top two choices of a placement site preference (Congressional offices, federal agencies, nonprofit, or private sector) and/or a specific opportunity. If applicants are interested in a specific opportunity, there are specific criteria to be eligible:
-
- Microsoft STEM Internship: This internship is for an intern who is passionate about technology, accessibility, and technology’s impact on the disability community. Since placement sites are in U.S. federal agencies, U.S. citizenship is required. The intern must have a background in science, technology, engineering, or math.
- Bobby Silverstein Fellow: The Fellowship honors Bobby Silverstein’s legacy, particularly his commitment to the disability community through the advancement of landmark legislation that has had a significant and enduring impact on social justice and equality for all. The Fellowship is for an individual with a strong interest in disability issues from a legal standpoint. The Fellow will be a rising junior or higher and participate in person in Washington, DC, and develop a public policy perspective on specific disability issues. Video: Meet Bobby Silverstein.
If you have a question about if you are able to apply, please email info@aapd.com or call (202) 521-4316.
AAPD is committed to cultivating a diverse class of interns every summer. We select interns who demonstrate their passion and vision of contributing to an inclusive workforce. In order to create gainful employment opportunities for people with disabilities, we recognize the importance of selecting a class of interns that reflect the diversity of our community. We strongly encourage individuals from historically excluded groups to apply.
How to apply?
You can view the entire Summer 2025 application in our Summer Application Google Document.
You must submit your application through the online portal. It will include:
- Applicant information
- Internship placement preference
- Essays
- Resume
- Contact information for two (2) references
- At least one of which is a professional reference
- References will only be contacted in the event a reference check is needed later in the process. In that event, references will receive an email from internships@aapd.com.
If the online portal is not accessible or you would like to request a disability accommodation to fill out the application, please contact info@aapd.com or call (202) 521-4316
Placement Sites
AAPD’s Internship placements fall into the following categories:
- Congressional offices: Current Representative or Senator’s office in U.S. Congress
- Federal agency: Government organizations that direct policy, programs, and resources at the national level.
- Nonprofit: Organizations that typically use its funds for the community to further a social cause or advocate for a shared point of view rather than using the funds internally
- For-profit: Private sector companies that have an interest in disability inclusion
- Microsoft STEM internship: Placed in federal agencies with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
- Bobby Silverstein Fellowship: Placed in a legal-based organization or law-firm, Congressional office or federal agency that focuses on disability law and policy.
Intern Expectations
- By participating in the program, AAPD interns will:
- Work full-time four days a week for 32 hours in paid internships with Congressional offices, federal agencies, nonprofits, or for-profit organizations.
- Attend AAPD-sponsored activities, including the Disability Advocacy Certificate Program.
- Communicate regularly leading up to and throughout the program. We will use technology like Google, Zoom, GroupMe, and email to communicate.
- Attend orientation at the beginning of the program.
- Follow the Code of Conduct and if in-person, follow roommate and housing agreements.
- Follow the AAPD COVID-19 protocols. For information about COVID-19 precautions, see our 2024 COVID-19 protocols. These are subject to change based on current public health guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: How can I learn more about potential internships?
A: Please review the AAPD Placement Site Overview for more information.
Q: Can I choose my placement site?
A: AAPD will strive to place all interns with a placement site that matches their career goals and preferences, but AAPD has the final decision on all placement sites.
Q: What if I want to be placed in a specific Congressional office or only in Congressional offices of a specific political party?
A: Since AAPD is a nonpartisan organization with many relationships with Congressional offices, we cannot guarantee a specific Congress person and/or placement with a member of a specific party. AAPD places interns in both Republican and Democratic offices.
Q: What is the Microsoft STEM internship and how is it different from other options?
A: The Microsoft STEM internship is part of the AAPD Summer Internship Program. AAPD places a summer intern specifically in a federal agency with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This intern will still receive the same benefits and participate in the same activities as AAPD interns. In order to be placed at a federal agency, an intern must be a U.S. citizen due to their background check processes, so the Microsoft STEM intern must also be a U.S. citizen.
Q: What is a skills-based program?
A: A skills-based program combines learning and job training to help prepare you for a career. AAPD requires that the skills based program be from an accredited institution or government agency. An accredited program is a program that has been checked in detail to make sure it is good quality and meets high standards. Some examples of skills-based programs are apprenticeships, transition programs, or inclusive college programs.
Q: How much is the stipend?
A: For Summer 2024, AAPD interns received a stipend equating to $18 an hour for 32 hours over 10 weeks. This stipend covered living and meal expenses for the interns for their summer.
Q: If I want to participate remotely, will I get a housing stipend?
A: Yes. For 2024, AAPD provided a housing stipend up to $2,000 per month. Housing stipend is determined on rent and utility bills.
Q: What if I live in the Washington D.C. area and I want to stay in my own housing? Can I still participate in the classes and events in-person?
A: You will need to apply as a remote intern. You can still participate in the classes and events in-person. “In-Person” internships require interns to live in AAPD’s provided housing.
Q: I am an International student studying in the U.S., can I apply for the internship program?
A; Yes, international students can apply if they have the required work authorization documents. Please note that some of our placement sites (especially federal agencies and Congressional placement) require U.S. citizenship.
Q: If I join in-person in Washington, D.C., where will I live?
A: AAPD will cover housing for interns to live in fully accessible dorm-style housing at George Washington University. Interns will have an opportunity to request specific housing accommodations.
Q: I have questions about the Disability Advocacy Certificate Program.
A: Please visit our Certificate Program page to learn more.
If you still have questions, please email info@aapd.com or call (202) 521-4316.
Support for the 2024 Summer Internship Program is provided by:
- Aid Association for the Blind, District of Columbia
- Arconic Foundation
- Coca-Cola Foundation
- Microsoft
- Western Digital
- United Airlines
Thank you so much to our generous sponsors for supporting these talented up-and-coming professionals.
Placement Sites
AAPD has previously placed interns in a variety of organizations. Learn more about past and potential future placement sites
Related Content
Announcing the Summer Internship Cohort of 2024
2023 Summer Interns
2021 Summer Internship Program Annual Report
