For Immediate Release: June 29, 2020
Contact: Christine Liao, internships@www.aapd.com
WASHINGTON, DC – The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is pleased to announce the Disability Advocacy Certificate Program Class of 2020.
Due to the current pandemic and many unknowns associated with COVID-19, AAPD has postponed the in-person Summer Internship to 2021. Despite this postponement, we remain committed to providing young leaders with an opportunity to gain meaningful employment and leadership opportunities for the 2020 cohort.
In partnership with American University, AAPD is providing a credit-optional Disability Advocacy Certificate Program. The 10-week virtual Certificate Program prepares participants to be knowledgeable and effective advocates and representatives for the disability community. The focus will be on preparing participants to advocate in their home universities, home states, and on the national level.
During this course, participants will have the opportunity to become familiar with the history of the disability rights movement through a variety of topics such as disability legislation, healthcare, employment, and more. Through conversations with issue experts, participants will apply their learning to advocate effectively to influence policy change. Participants will complete a government visit, learn how to communicate across multiple platforms to engage with diverse stakeholders, and understand their role as an advocate and in the disability rights movement. In addition to the Certificate Program, all participants are paired with a virtual mentor..
Below are the 2020 Disability Advocacy Certificate Program Participants.
Matthew Arnold
Year: Rising Senior
Major: ESE/Elementary ED
College/University: University of West Florida
Kyra Beckish
Year: Rising Junior
Major: Public Relations/Digital Media Engagement
College/University: Temple University
Fanisee Bias
Year: Rising Junior
Major: Sociology, Change-making
College/University: University of San Diego
Hana Gabrielle Bidon
Year: Rising Senior
Major: Information Science, Systems, and Technology
College/University: Cornell University
Nadia Bon
Year: Recent Graduate
Major: History/Science and Technology Studies
College/University: Cornell University
Kaitlyn Brennan
Year: Rising Sophomore
Major: Political Science and Human Rights
College/University: Columbia University
Jonas Bryson
Year: Rising Senior
Major: Political Science/Minor, History
College/University: North Carolina State University
Shirley Carrillo-Acevedo
Year: Recent Graduate
Major: Communication Studies, opt. PR/Advertising & French
College/University: California State University-Los Angeles
Daniel Charney
Year: Rising Junior
Major: Politics/Communications
College/University: University of Puget Sound
Courtney Felle
Year: Rising Senior
Major: American Studies / English and Public Policy
College/University: Kenyon College
Naomi Hess
Year: Rising Junior
Major: Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs intended major, Journalism intended minor
College/University: Princeton University
Jake Linn
Year: Rising Senior
Major: Film and Public Policy
College/University: School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Osler Moore
Year: PhD Student
Major: Computer Science
College/University: Mississippi State University
Louis Paniccioli
Year: Recent Graduate
Major: Political Science with a dual minor in legal studies and philosophy
College/University: College of Staten Island
Alma Silver
Year: Recent Graduate
Major: Communications and Journalism / Psychology
College/University: St. Catherine University
Verlencia Somuah
Year: Master’s Student
Major: Masters in Social Work, Policy Practice
College/University: Columbia University
Jesica Weaver
Year: Rising Senior
Major: Political Science/History and Russian
College/University: SUNY at Binghamton
Learn more about the 2020 DAC program participants here!
The 2020 AAPD Disability Advocacy Certificate Program would not be possible without the generous support of our partners. Thank you Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, AT&T, The Coca-Cola Foundation, Arconic Foundation, Microsoft, and the Aid Association for the Blind of the District of Columbia for supporting these participants!
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AAPD is a convener, connecter, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power of people with disabilities. As one of the leading national cross-disability civil rights organizations, AAPD advocates for the full recognition of rights for the over 60 million Americans with disabilities. AAPD’s programs and initiatives have been effective in mobilizing the disability community through communications advocacy; cultivating and training new and emerging leaders with disabilities through leadership development programs; increasing the political participation of Americans with disabilities and elevating the power of the disability vote through the REV UP (Register! Educate! Vote! Use your Power!) Campaign; and advancing disability inclusion in the workplace through the Disability Equality Index (DEI) — the nation’s leading corporate benchmarking tool for disability equality and inclusion. To learn more about AAPD, visit www.aapd.com.