Disability Data Fellow

The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) works to increase the political and economic power of people with disabilities. As a national disability-led and cross-disability rights organization, AAPD advocates for full civil rights for over 70 million Americans with disabilities. We do this by promoting equal opportunity, economic power, independent living, and political participation through our programs and advocacy. We are looking to hire staff who embody our mission and are invested in building the disability rights movement. 

AAPD is an equal opportunity employer. Our office collaborates across initiatives to actively uplift and center the diversity of the disability community in our work. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with a disability. Applicants with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply. 

• Position Title: AAPD Disability Data Fellow
• Position level: Fellow
• Job type: full-time, temporary
• Term: Fixed-term fellowship (12 months, with possibility of extension based on funding availability)
• Reports to: Technology Policy Director
• Location: Remote 
• Expected Start Date: immediately
• Salary: $68,000

• →The Fellow will support the development and maintenance of AAPD’s Disability Data Archive through activities including:
• →Identifying, sourcing, and cataloging disability-related datasets from federal, state, and other public sources
• →Monitoring datasets that may be vulnerable to removal, alteration, or reduced accessibility and supporting preservation efforts
• →Cleaning, standardizing, and organizing datasets for publication and long-term accessibility
• →Developing metadata, documentation, and data dictionaries to improve usability and transparency
• →Developing the architecture for publication of datasets to a public-facing archive and open-data portal
• →Conducting quality assurance checks to ensure data integrity and consistency
• →Assisting with literature reviews, environmental scans, and research related to disability data ecosystems and public-sector data practices
• →Collaborating with AAPD and Microsoft staff, researchers, and external stakeholders to inform archive priorities and workflows
• →Supporting the development of accessible and user-centered approaches to disability data dissemination
• →Contributing to reports, presentations, and written materials related to the initiative

• Demonstrated experience working on disability rights and justice
• Strong interest in disability policy, disability rights, public-interest technology, data governance, archival work, or related fields

• Experience working with data management in a professional, academic, advocacy, or research setting
• Experience with development and/or maintenance of SQL cloud database infrastructure, preferably using Microsoft Azure
• Experience in programming, especially in SQL, Python, C#, and JavaScript
• Experience with advanced data management applications of Excel
• Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple projects and work independently in a fast-paced environment
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Commitment to disability inclusion, accessibility, and equity

• Familiarity with web crawling, web scraping, or automated data collection tools for identifying and preserving publicly available datasets
• Familiarity with version control systems and collaborative repositories, particularly GitHub, including documentation and data-sharing workflows
• Familiarity with open data practices, digital archiving, public-sector data, or data preservation efforts
• Experience with metadata standards, documentation, data cataloging, or database management
• Knowledge of disability policy, disability research, or disability community issues
• Experience supporting accessible and user-centered digital products or platforms
• Lived experience with disability is strongly encouraged

The Fellow will gain hands-on experience at the intersection of disability rights, technology policy, data governance, and open-source infrastructure. This fellowship offers a unique opportunity to help shape a national disability data resource while working alongside leaders in disability advocacy, technology, and public-interest innovation.

The Fellow will also gain firsthand experience contributing to a community-driven effort focused on disability data collection, preservation, and accessibility. Through this role, the Fellow will have opportunities to receive mentorship from leaders across the disability, policy, and technology sectors, while contributing to the growing field of technology policy and disability justice.

Please submit a resume, cover letter, and work sample through AAPD’s application portal.

Relevant work samples may include data repositories or archives with a brief explanation of the nature and extent of the applicant’s work on these, code repositories to which the applicant was a primary or sole contributor with documentation, or similar materials. Work samples should demonstrate relevant experience in areas such as data archiving, database management and development, data cleaning and analysis, or data preservation.

Selected candidates will participate in a multi-stage recruitment process, which may include:

• Initial interview to assess qualifications, interests, and overall fit for the fellowship
• Work assessment designed to evaluate relevant analytical, organizational, and/or technical skills
• Final interview with AAPD staff and project leadership