RespectAbility National Leadership Fellowship Applications are Open for Spring 2024
by Shelly Christensen
The last 2 weeks have changed all of us in so many ways. The enormity and the weight of it all have taken up residency in our hearts and minds. As we go about our days we pray for the safety of hostages, friends, and family in Israel.
A little over 2 weeks ago, my friend and colleague Ben Spangenberg died after complications from surgery. Ben's death has shaken us at RespectAbility deeply. Ben was the Senior Manager for the National Leadership Program. He led the Fellowship program with care and love, nurturing over 200 disabled Fellows in their professional development and careers. Ben's legacy will endure for years to come.
RespectAbility is now accepting applications for the Spring 2024 cohort. It will begin in mid-January and end mid-June. The priority application deadline for Spring 2024 is November 13. If space remains available, the final deadline is December 8.
The information for all of the Fellowships is here. I will be hiring 2 Fellows for the Faith Inclusion and Belonging Fellowship.
Just recently 3 of the Faith Inclusion and Belonging Fellows from the last 2 cohorts began careers in the field and several more are readying their post-graduate applications in related fields. It's been a joy to mentor them in this phase of their professional development and see where they take their careers.
The Fellowship requires a minimum of 15 hours a week and a maximum of 20. Fellows are paid $17 an hour.
Shelly Christensen, MA, FAAIDD, is the Senior Director of Faith Inclusion and Belonging at RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of community.
Shelly is a pioneer and leader in the faith community disability and mental health inclusion movement. Her passion for this work is anchored by her experiences as the parent of a child with autism. Long before she was an emerging leader in the field, Shelly was trained as a parent advocate, unwaveringly holding the school accountable for her son’s rights to a free appropriate public education as mandated in the IDEA. The family’s synagogue and religious school their three sons attended treated all children with equity and respect, seamlessly adapting education to meet each child’s needs and ensuring a lifelong connection to their Jewish identity and community.