2003 AAPD Congressional Internship Program for College Students with Disabilities Call for Applications Announced Today; Submission Deadline is March 17th
February 14, 2003FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mariana V. Nork
(202) 955-6114WASHINGTON, DC - The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) today announced that university students with disabilities who would like to gain first-hand knowledge of the legislative and political process are invited to submit applications for the 2003 AAPD Congressional Internship Program, an eight-week paid summer program that places interns in Capitol Hill offices in Washington, DC.
The AAPD Congressional Internship Program seeks to provide a unique learning experience for college students with disabilities that will further enrich their educational endeavors and enhance future career opportunities. Students from the 2002 inaugural year of the AAPD Program interned in the offices of Senator Tom Harkin, the late Senator Paul Wellstone, and Congressman Jim Langevin. Thousands of students come to Washington each summer for Congressional internships, but this is one of the few programs that offers students with disabilities an opportunity to serve.
AAPD, a national membership organization dedicated to promoting the economic and political empowerment of all people with disabilities, launched the AAPD Congressional Internship Program in 2002 with a grant from the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF).
In 2003, up to 10 summer internships will be awarded to college students with disabilities from across the country, who will be selected on the basis of a written application and interviews. Each intern will be provided a $1,500 stipend, free and fully accessible housing, and any necessary assistance with accommodations at the worksite.
The 2003 AAPD Congressional Internship Program is made possible by generous grants from Independence Technology, a Johnson&Johnson company, and the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, this program's founding sponsor.
"We are proud and honored to again partner with the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation and also this year with Independence Technology, to make this program happen and to significantly increase the number of internships awarded in 2003," says Andrew J. Imparato, AAPD's President and CEO. "Working on the Hill is a great way for college students with disabilities to learn how policy is made, and to bring their unique perspective to the development of laws that will affect their future."
The deadline for application submissions is March 17, 2003.
For additional information on the AAPD Congressional Internship Program and to download an application, please visit the AAPD website.
AAPD is a national membership organization dedicated to promoting the economic and political empowerment of all 56 million people with disabilities. AAPD was founded in 1995 by a group of cross-disability leaders to help unite the diverse community of people with disabilities, including their family, friends and supporters, and to be a national voice for change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act: equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency.
The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) is a non-profit foundation jointly funded by the Mitsubishi Electric Corporation of Japan and its American affiliates, with the mission of contributing to a better world for us all by helping young people with disabilities, through technology, to maximize their potential and participation in society.
Independence Technology, a subsidiary of Johnson&Johnson, strives to help people with disabilities achieve even more and to empower them with technology, with the ultimate goal of helping them to live their lives with greater freedom. They do this by utilizing cutting-edge technologies and creating products to increase disabled peoples' independence. Independence Technology also has strong advocacy and sponsorship to benefit the disability community.
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