September 2004
Last updated: Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Linda Bentley was studying computer programming at Wisconsin's NorthCentral Technical College in 2004 when she learned that she would be spending the summer as an intern in Washington, D.C. By the time the summer ended, Bentley, who has a disability that requires her to use a cane, had been offered a full-time information technology job at the Federal Highway Administration.

Designed and funded by Microsoft, and administered by the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), a cross-disability organization with more than 90,000 members, the Microsoft-AAPD Federal IT Internship Program provides college students with disabilities paid summer internships at U.S. government agencies. The internships enable the students to hone their IT skills while gaining valuable work experience.

According to Mariana Nork, senior vice president for development and communications at AAPD, Bentley's success in transforming her internship into a job offer isn't unique. Several other interns have been hired by federal agencies, or have used the experience they gained as interns to help them land jobs in the private sector. Nork also points out that it's not only the interns who benefit from the program.

"The Microsoft-AAPD Federal IT Internship Program certainly opens doors of opportunity for students with disabilities, but it also opens the eyes of employers who may not realize that they are overlooking a largely untapped pool of talented workers," Nork says. "This program clearly shows that people with different types of disabilities can excel in highly competitive fields and make outstanding employees."

In the United States, 60 percent of working-age adults (101.4 million people, 18 to 64 years old) have mild to severe difficulties and impairments that may impact computer use (study commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by Forrester). Visual, dexterity, and hearing difficulties and impairments are the most common among working-age adults: Approximately one in four (27%) have a visual difficulty or impairment; one in four (26%) have a dexterity difficulty or impairment; and one in five (21%) have a hearing difficulty or impairment.

Unemployment is exceptionally high among people with disabilities; a Harris poll released in June 2004 estimates the rate at 65 percent. One goal of the Microsoft-AAPD federal internship for students with disabilities is to address that problem.

"Internships are a rite of passage that helps many people at the beginning of their careers, but it's a path that has been closed to most people with disabilities," says Sarah Meyer, director of community affairs at Microsoft. "The U.S. government has a large and growing demand for workers with IT skills. We want to see more of those jobs go to people with disabilities."

Initially, Microsoft and AAPD developed a two-year program to provide 25 paid IT internships to college students with disabilities at more than 15 federal agencies. Microsoft funded the program with a $325,000 grant, and AAPD provided administration and its experience in developing and running similar programs. The program was so successful that Microsoft extended its funding commitment for third year.

Each intern receives a stipend, free accessible housing in apartment-style dormitories at George Washington University, and free transportation. The internships also cover any costs associated with arranging special worksite accommodations the interns may need. In addition, Microsoft employees with disabilities offer the interns career advice, and Microsoft recruiters provide tips on interviewing for jobs and creating winning resumes.

The federal internship program is open to any college or university student with a disability who has demonstrated an interest in an IT career. Interns are selected through a competitive application and interview process. There is an annual application deadline and selection process managed by AAPD.

Microsoft established accessibility as a companywide priority in 1988, two years before passage of the American with Disabilities Act. Since then Microsoft has donated millions of dollars in cash and software to enable people with disabilities to improve their lives through the use of technology, and the company continually strives to make each version of its own products more accessible than the last. Microsoft also works closely with companies that manufacture assistive technology, such as screen readers for people who are blind and other devices that enable people with a wide range of disabilities to use computers as easily and efficiently as any of their coworkers.

Nork and Meyer both say that the interns in the Microsoft-AAPD program get much more than money and job experience from their participation. For some, it is their first taste of independence, the first time they have been on their own away from home. The interns form deep bonds, support each other throughout the program, and often keep in close touch when their internships end, even connecting with interns from other years who have taken jobs in Washington.

"The students who go through this internship program are not just building their careers, they're building community," Meyer says. "It's a life-changing experience for them—and for all of us who are part of it."