Congratulations to Abigail Shaw, GSS ’22, who, along with finishing her MSW program this May, also completed the RespectAbility National Leadership Apprenticeship Program as a Policy Apprentice.
Shaw joined RespectAbility’s Disability Speakers and Training Bureau in 2020 and later graduated from the National Leadership Apprenticeship Program in four months — her main project being supporting the Building Better Futures Initiative in the state of California. Post graduation, she will work as an Adjustment Counselor for the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (MABVI).
“RespectAbility has given me the opportunity to practice in real life the theories of change and transformative justice that I studied in my MSW program,” Shaw said in a press release. “I have felt affirmed and appreciated for my full authentic self, which isn’t always the reception I have received in professional, academic, or social circles.”
Shaw graduated alongside more than 240 graduates of RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program. The program is for seniors in college and graduate students, as well as graduates and those in the early stages of their careers. It also is for people with disabilities who have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic and currently are seeking new opportunities.
The RespectAbility National Leadership Program has fall and spring apprentice cohorts. The program is entirely virtual and can be done from anywhere in the United States. Learn more about the program and how you can apply for a future cohort at RespectAbility’s website.
