Disability Data Fellow

American Association of People with Disabilities • Washington, DC

4h • Remote

About The Position

AAPD is seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Disability Data Fellow to support an initiative to preserve and expand access to disability data in the United States. AAPD has partnered with Microsoft to establish a Disability Data Archive, an initiative focused on collating, preserving, and publishing disability-related datasets from federal and state agencies. The initiative aims to build a public-facing portal that provides open-source disability data for a broad range of users, including researchers, policymakers, advocates, technologists, journalists, and disabled individuals. A key priority of this initiative is identifying and preserving datasets that have been removed from public access or are at risk of being removed. Grounded in principles of disability justice and participatory data practices, this initiative seeks to advance community ownership and stewardship of disability data. Beyond preserving datasets, the initiative also aims to ensure that disability data remains accessible, transparent, and responsive to the needs and priorities of disabled people and the broader disability community. The Disability Data Archive will create opportunities for meaningful community engagement, including identifying priority datasets, informing archive design and accessibility, and shaping approaches to data preservation and dissemination. The Fellow will contribute to a project that values collaboration with disabled individuals, advocates, researchers, and community organizations as key partners in the responsible stewardship of disability data. This is an exciting opportunity for an individual interested in disability policy, data governance, public-interest technology, digital preservation, and open data.

Requirements

• 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

Nice To Haves

• 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

Responsibilities

• 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

Benefits

• Annual salary of $68,000 for the duration of the fellowship term
• Fixed monthly stipend towards health insurance contribution
• AAPD-observed holidays, sick leave, and generous PTO in accordance with organizational policies

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: fellow
• Education Level: No Education Listed