In 2010, WID started the New Leaders Internship Program in collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley with support from the AT&T Foundation and Verizon Foundation and is providing paid internships to undergraduate students with disabilities. Targeting students with disabilities from low-income and traditionally underserved communities, seven competitively selected interns (five from UC Berkeley) are currently placed in a WID program based on their skills and interests and provided supervised work experience to help build their resumes. WID also provides these interns with the unique opportunity to interact with and be mentored by leaders and professionals with disabilities both at WID and other Ed Roberts Campus partner organizations. While learning and refining their professional skills, the interns are also developing leadership qualities and becoming informed about career development and employment opportunities.

Few internships target students with disabilities, and many disabled students are unable to market themselves effectively due to a lack of confidence and work experience necessary to compete with nondisabled job applicants. To bridge the gap to securing employment, WID’s New Leaders Internship Program engages college students with disabilities in work experience to reach their employment potential and become workers and potential leaders of the disability movement. Further, it tests the hypotheses that education coupled with relevant work experience will translate into the next generation of adults with disabilities being better equipped to secure employment, live independently and achieve economic security.