Program Assistant

Shirley Carrillo is the Program Assistant at the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). In this role, Shirley provides coordination and administrative support to the Internship Program Coordinator in launching the very first remote Fall Internship Program. She also identifies as a person with a visual disability.

Prior to joining AAPD, Shirley was a Communications Consultant for three years at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). She coordinated the dissemination of COVID-19 messaging and materials to support the National COVID-19 Resilience Network initiative. Shirley and her team advocated for accessible COVID-19 Vaccine information in plain language for individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. 

Shirley is a proud alumna of AAPD’s class of 2020 Summer Internship Program and Disability Advocacy Certificate program. She is a passionate advocate for the disability community. In particular, she speaks out on misrepresentation of people with disabilities in the media, and inaccessibility in education and employment.

Shirley Carrillo is a first-generation graduate student in the Masters of Communication Management from USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. She holds two B.A. degrees in Public Relations & Advertising and French from California State University Los Angeles.

Shirley lives in sunny Southern California. Her open-mindedness contributes to her curiousness to travel and experience new adventures and cultures. An ambitious individual with an optimistic attitude and determined mindset, she is pursuing a career in marketing communication and public affairs.