The Disability Rising Fellowship is a year-long program designed to amplify the public voice and cultural impact of multi-marginalized disabled leaders. 

Fellows receive media coaching, social media training, mentorship, pitching and booking, and hands-on support to develop their public presence and use storytelling to shift narratives around disability and ableism.

This fellowship is for all U.S.-based qualified disabled people who are:

• Active in disability justice, disability rights, health equity, or broader social movements.

• Passionate about using media and storytelling to create cultural change.

• Representing multiply-marginalized communities (especially BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, immigrant, low-income, or Southern-based disabled leaders).

• Looking to grow their public media profiles and build skills in areas like TV and radio, op-ed writing, and digital media creation.

• Interested in shifting the narrative, culture, and politics around disability from fear and pity to solidarity and liberation.

Each Disability Rising Fellow receives:

• An optional $5,000 stipend to an individual or their organization.

• Monthly virtual training sessions (topics include TV and radio, op-eds, public speaking, and social media).

• 1:1 coaching and editing support for you to increase your social media presence, the impact of your interviews, and the reach of your writing.

• Optional in-person media training in March 2026.

• Opportunities for public speaking, publishing, and media bookings.

The fellowship runs from September 2025 to July 2026, with:

• A Fall 2025 media training intensive with virtual sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays:

  • October 6 + 8, 2025

    • Kick off with DCL and cohort, Noon – 1:30 p.m. ET

  • October 14th and 15th, 2025

    • Noon – 1:30 p.m. ET (Monday date moved for Indigenous Peoples Day)

  • October 20 + 22, 2025

    •  Noon – 1:30 p.m. ET

  • October 27 + 29, 2025

    • Noon – 1:30 p.m. ET

  • November 3 + 5, 2025

    • Noon – 1:30 p.m. ET

  • November 17 + 19, 2025

    • Noon – 1:30 p.m. ET

• From January to June 2026:

  • Monthly cohort training sessions every 2nd Wednesday, 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. ET

• Optional in-person media training in March 2026

• Ongoing, asynchronous coaching and support with media pitching through July 2026

We're looking for emerging advocates who are committed to using their voice to shift public narratives. We want people who are interested in bringing a disability lens to reproductive justice or climate change, or share personal stories about access and liberation. All qualified disabled people are welcome to apply.

Successful applicants understand that all forms of oppression are disabling and are committed to shifting culture and shifting the narrative on disability. We want to hear what you’d say if you had a bigger microphone, and help you access that broader exposure.

We are committed to making the fellowship accessible for all. We will work with each fellow to meet access needs for all sessions and materials. There’s space in the application to share your access needs and we encourage detailed responses. And you can watch a video walkthrough of the application here.

We plan to select nine fellows for this initial cohort.

Applications for the 2025 cohort open on July 25, 2025 and close on August 22, 2025. You’ll be asked to share your contact information and a short bio, and answer questions about your background, work, interest in the fellowship, and vision for public impact. You can learn more about the application process via this walk through video.

Apply Here

Yes! Please email us at Hello@DisabilityCultureLab.org for more information.

The application is due by August 22, 2025, 11:59 p.m. ET.

The Disability Rising Fellowship is a project of the Disability Culture Lab. The Disability Culture Lab works to shift the narrative on disability in the United States from fear and pity to solidarity and liberation, and move the needle on ableism from indifference to action.

The stipend will be paid in two payments of $2,500, one at the start of the fellowship, the second in early 2026.

Sign up for updates through the Disability Culture Lab or follow us on social media. You can also email us at Hello@DisabilityCultureLab.org to stay in the loop.