Public Policy Fellow

National Disability Institute (NDI) invites applications from qualified candidates to apply for a six-month, part-time paid virtual fellowship. Candidates should have an interest in helping advance public policy development at a federal and state level to promote financial health and wellbeing for people with disabilities and their families.

Since 2016, NDI research has documented that people with disabilities in Black, Native/Indigenous, and Hispanic/Latino/Latine communities experience the greatest disparities across key indicators, including educational attainment, employment, earnings, economic, and banking status. Additionally, people with disabilities impacted by overlapping racial, ethnic, and gender-based discrimination experience higher levels of medical debt, housing instability, and food insecurity. Societal prejudices and systematic disparities create and exacerbate further discrimination in our society that has lingering and long-term effects on financial stability and economic inequity. The Public Policy Fellows will consider connections between disability, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and location/living place in the review and analysis of existing laws and regulations, including the development of new proposals that must recognize the multilayered, systemic challenges that multiply marginalized people with disabilities face. The goal is to maximize financial stability and advance economic equity for all people with disabilities. To learn more, visit the NDI website section on inclusion and access.

Two applicants will be chosen for 2026. One fellowship is reserved specifically for an early-career candidate; the other fellowship is open to candidates who may have more public policy experience or subject matter expertise, and who are seeking a career transition or a bridge opportunity.

FELLOW RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Monitor and track status of new pending legislative proposals at a federal and state level that have a potential impact on improving economic stability and financial health for individuals with disabilities and their families.
• Monitor legislative hearings and prepare summaries and analysis with recommendations for next steps of engagement.
• Conduct policy research on financial inclusion and advancing financial stability for working-age adults with disabilities with particular attention to new policy proposals including, but not limited to Child Savings Accounts (CSA), Universal Basic Income (UBI), Secure Choice, and expansion of federal and/or state favorable tax credits like Child Tax Credit (CTC), Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC), and business tax credits incentivizing accessibility modifications and disability employment.
• Participate with NDI staff in disability and economic policy coalition meetings to work collaboratively on educating and influencing policy development with Congress and federal regulators. Areas of focus may include, but not be limited to:
  1. Implementation of and proposed changes to the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE), which creates a tax-advantaged savings account for qualified disability expenses;
  2. Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) rules development and implementation;
  3. Accessibility of financial products and services;
  4. Efforts to change Social Security rules that improve opportunity to advance economic self-sufficiency;
  5. Reform of asset and income limits impacting eligibility related to other public benefits for people with disabilities across the life span;
  6. Efforts to end subminimum wage (commensurate wage) for people with disabilities and promote transition to competitive, integrated employment;
  7. Development of favorable statutory and regulatory frameworks to support disabled entrepreneurship and small business ownership;
  8. Federal appropriations process impacting programs, services, and activities relevant to financial wellbeing and inclusion of people with disabilities; and
  9. Coverage of consumer protection laws and rules related to equal access to credit and fair housing opportunities for people with disabilities, especially with the rapidly changing landscape of algorithmic decision-making systems impacting applicants for credit and housing.
• Participate in meetings with federal agencies to garner support for promoting an improved financial health agenda through funded initiatives, cross-agency partnerships, and system change strategies.
• Contribute material based on online research and data collection and analysis to the NDI website, publications, and social media outlets.
• Contribute research, drafting, and editing of NDI reports, policy briefs, and other written work products to advance NDI’s research and advocacy priorities.
• Maintain a detailed log of all activities and meet at least weekly with mentor and other NDI staff to assess progress and reach agreement on next steps.
• Prepare written updates for dissemination to NDI staff, partners, and community members.
• Participate in monthly NDI public policy team calls.
• Other duties related to public policy as assigned.

DESIRED SKILLS AND QUALITIES:

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience with qualitative and/or quantitative research methods and analysis, legal research and writing, or other public policy analysis and research experience.
• Demonstrated and documented interest in public policy development, poverty reduction, and economic justice for disabled people.
• Past record of engagement at a local, state, and/or federal level to educate policymakers about changes in existing laws or regulations or adoption of new legislative or regulatory proposals.
• Experience with disability rights, disability advocacy, or disability policy and/or experience with economic policy, labor advocacy, or finance law and policy.
• Knowledge of and familiarity with the state or federal legislative or regulatory processes, including components such as the legislative calendar, legislative markup, and public notice and comment on proposed rulemaking activities.
• Lived experience with disability. People with disabilities, including people who are neurodivergent or who have mental health conditions or chronic illnesses, are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Lived experience with other marginalized communities. We invite you to describe how your specific identities and experiences shape your approach to public policy.
• No specific educational level or degree is required; however, educational programs or training that includes coursework on disability rights, economics, finance, law, or public policy are a plus. Applications are welcome from candidates who do not have formal education or a specific degree, but who do have relevant experience and skills. Applications are also welcome from recent graduates of any academic program, people returning to the workforce, people transitioning between careers or sectors, recently displaced workers, and current students at both the undergraduate and graduate level.
• Reliable access to a computer or laptop with a strong internet connection.

FELLOWSHIP BENEFITS:

The opportunity to be an NDI Public Policy Fellow offers multiple benefits in addition to the financial stipend. You will have the unique opportunity to join a dynamic community of individual staff at NDI working in collaboration with representatives of other national disability organizations, congressional staff, and federal agency representatives to shape and advance a disability and economic justice and equity agenda. The fellowship will enable you to develop your research, writing, and analytical skills that apply your lived experience to shape public policy development. You will also gain new insights and perspective on the challenges and complexities of educating policymakers and other federal decision makers to bring forward new proposals and amend existing programs based on compelling evidence presented through quantitative and qualitative data. Completing the fellowship will provide you with a strong foundation for pursuing further study or work in disability and economic policy analysis and advocacy.

Two applicants will be chosen for 2026. One fellowship is reserved specifically for an early-career candidate; the other fellowship is open to candidates who may have more public policy experience or subject matter expertise, and who are seeking a career transition or a bridge opportunity. The fellow will be supervised by Ly Xīnzhèn M. Zhǎngsūn Brown, NDI’s Director of Public Policy, with further assistance and support from NDI’s Executive Director, Tom Foley, and other NDI staff.

The length of the fellowship will be six months (24 weeks) during 2026. The time commitment is expected to be 20 hours per week, primarily during ordinary business hours, with a specific schedule to be negotiated with the selected fellows. The fellowship will offer a paid stipend of $20 per hour to a total not to exceed $9,600 over the 24-week period. This total includes PTO, but does not include paid Federal Holiday Pay. The anticipated start date for the selected candidate is Monday, February 23, 2026, with an anticipated end date of Friday, August 7, 2026.

ABOUT NDI:

National Disability Institute is a national nonprofit and leading voice on policies and practices that increase awareness and understanding of the financial challenges and economic disparities that adversely impact people with disabilities, with particular attention to people with disabilities who are members of groups that have also been historically marginalized. Our strategies for promoting individual and systems change include public policy development, financial education, and testing intervention strategies through community partnerships that increase disabled people’s income production, savings, and asset accumulation.

The length of the fellowship will be six months (24 weeks) during 2026. The time commitment is expected to be 20 hours per week, primarily during ordinary business hours, with a specific schedule to be negotiated with the selected fellows. The fellowship will offer a paid stipend of $20 per hour to a total not to exceed $9,600 over the 24-week period. This total includes PTO, but does not include paid Federal Holiday Pay.