Accessible Internships
Finding accessible work experience and internships can be tricky, so here’s a list of internship opportunities specifically aimed at disabled students (much like our definition of disability, this can include long-term health conditions, mental health conditions, specific learning difficulties and neurodivergence).
Most are targeted at university students, but if you’re still in school there are some work experience schemes, and you can look ahead to the opportunities available!
Change 100 with Leonard Cheshire
This internship is for penultimate, final year students and new graduates with disabilities, from any degree background. Applications open online in the autumn, after which you may be invited to an assessment centre. If successful, you will then be matched with an employer (past examples include BBC, BMW, NHS), then assigned a role for up to 3 months over the course of the summer, paid at the living wage! You will also have ‘professional development days’, which help you learn and develop useful career skills such as networking, mentoring and self-promotion as well as disability specific advice including requesting adjustments and disclosing your disability.
You can read about Georgia’s experience of taking part in the Change 100 internship.
As well as offering advice on CVs, interview technique and on disclosing your disability, EmployAbility advertises and helps with applications for disability-friendly internships, graduate schemes and jobs at high-profile employers such as Amazon, Google, and Bloomberg.
Unfortunately the civil service is no longer running its former diversity internship schemes. However, its general Summer Internship Programme (SIP) continues to offer an opportunity to gain 6-8 weeks of work experience, and are generally very receptive to implementing reasonable adjustments for disabled employees.
You need to be in your final two years of university, predicted or achieving a 2.2 degree. Applications open in the autumn, and there are online tests and telephone interviews – you can ask if you need adjustments.
Open to disabled people in Scotland, Inclusion Scotland promotes work-experience placements and internships paid at the Scottish living wage, as well as application support.
1-2 weeks work experience placements in law for disabled people including reasonable adjustments and paid reasonable travel expenses.
Work experience programme for disabled people in London aged 16-30.
Supported Internships:
Supported internships are a government scheme which is open to 16-24 year olds with a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) or an Education Health and Care (EHC) plan.
Lasting a minimum of six months, supported internships combine study with an unpaid internship placement. They offer the chance to study towards qualifications while learning new skills ‘on the job’.
To find vacancies, try searching ‘supported internships’ and the name of local colleges or further education providers, or your local council.
If you need specialist equipment to access your work placement, you may be eligible for Access to Work funding.
About Us
The general aim and objective of Head Up! is to promote the interests of young people with disabilities, physical and/or mental health conditions, specific learning difficulties and neurodivergence; offering them practical advice and support concerning their education and welfare.