It’s been about six months since I first heard about the Disability:IN Next Gen Leader program. The call for applications appeared in my inbox one afternoon in an email to my advisor’s class, Culture of Disability in Education. Although the professor (my advisor, Dr. Stephanie Cawthon) meant to share this with the course’s enrollees, I saw it appear in our Canvas announcements since I was a TA in the fall semester.

As a disabled student, the opportunity piqued my interest and I sneaked in my application at the buzzer. Fast forward to now, and I am in my second month of the internship as a Disability:IN Next Gen Leader.

Formerly known as the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN), Disability:IN is a non-profit organization devoted to creating a more inclusive workforce by connecting current and recently graduated disabled students to over 400 corporate partners across the nation. The organization strives to break down barriers that currently exist within the job market that inhibit wider engagement and participation from disabled professionals.

There are a number of initiatives within Disability:IN that promote accessibility strategies, tools, and even recognition for inclusive workplaces through their Disability Equality Index (DEI).

As a part of the Next Gen Leader initiative, I have gained access to a number of opportunities including connecting with a mentor, attending development webinars, and submitting my resume to a database available to the organization’s corporate partners, who have partnered with Disability:IN to seek out professionals who can diversify their workforce.

Connecting with my own mentor, Christina Dahms, throughout the program has been the most fruitful aspect of the internship. Christina works in corporate marketing for Kohls and has been an excellent contact for discussing the transition from academia to industry. We most recently met to review my resume, where Christina offered the valuable perspective of someone coming from the working world and outside of the ivory tower.

This kind of insight is important in that it helps me take steps to gain visibility to potential employers—but, at the same time, our meetings are lighthearted and discussion-based, and I feel comfortable coming to her with any questions that might help my trajectory through graduate school into industry. She even offered some suggestions for dinner spots at my most recent conference in Chicago that did NOT disappoint!

My fantastic Disability:IN mentor, Christina!

The beautiful pasta at Etta in chicago—One of Christina’s recommendations!

Being a part of the Disability:IN program has been important to me for a number of reasons. Disclosure of my disabilities—both of which are invisible—has been a recent trend in my life as I have come to realize that my perspectives and experiences as a disabled student can and should be valued in higher education as “lived expertise.” Along with the Access & Equity lab at The University of Texas at Austin, the Disability:IN program has been an empowering space for me to lean into this identity. Additionally, it has provided an avenue for exploration of career options beyond academia, giving me flexibility in how I envision my future as a researcher.

Through the Disability:IN program, I have found a supportive and empowering community that validates my perspectives as a disabled student and opens doors to diverse career opportunities, allowing me to embrace my perspective as a source of strength.