Leadership Opportunities
Frequently Asked Questions
Timeline
Our application for 2026-27 Paid Internships will open on February 1, 2026 at 12:00pm ET
For Summer or National Summit positions, the deadline to apply is March 15, 2026 at 11:59pm PT.
For Academic Year positions, the deadline to apply is April 15, 2026 at 11:59pm PT.
We will notify all applicants of the status of their application via email no later than May 15, 2026.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a leadership opportunity at The Neurodiversity Alliance, you must:
- Be between the ages of 16 and 26 and enrolled in high school or college for the 2026-27 school year, or have graduated within the past two years at time of application. The graduation and age requirement does not apply to alumni positions.
- Have a connection to Neurodiversity, either through lived experiences or through allyship. Priority is given to folks who identify as neurodivergent, including one or more challenges related to learning, such as Dyslexia, ADHD, Processing Disorders, Autism, or similar learning disabilities or challenges for roles where lived experience is critical, such as Student Ambassadors.
- Be available to attend our in-person National Neurodiversity Leadership Summit in Denver, CO, on August 6-9, 2026 (all expenses paid for by The ND Alliance).
- Be able to commit at least 10 hours per month for Academic Year roles and 10 hours per week for Summer and Summit roles, and meet the requirements of the specific role they are applying for (see individual roles for details).
- Pass a criminal history check and complete an IRS Form W-9 prior to the start date.
We define neurodivergent students as those who face challenges with one or more of the key processes related to learning and cognition. To be eligible, a recipient must have been identified by a healthcare or educational professional as having one or more of the following:
- Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyspraxia, or similar
- ADHD, ADD, Executive Functioning, or similar
- Auditory or Visual Processing Disorders, Slow Processing, or similar
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers, or similar
- Aphasia, Dysphasia, Stuttering or similar
- Non-Verbal Learning Disability (NVLD) or similar
- Any other challenge that falls under specific learning disabilities or autism
We welcome allies to apply for positions where lived experience is not central to the role, such as our Student Ambassadors.
Yes, students must be between the ages of 16 to 26 years old at any time during the 2026-2027 academic year. For 2026-2027 scholarships, that means that anyone born between June 30, 2000 and July 1, 2010 is eligible to apply.
The exception to that is for our alumni positions, where there is no age requirement.
No, but you must be able to submit a W9 form to receive payment.
Yes, these leadership roles are intended for students enrolled at a college or university located within the United States.
While non-citizens are eligible to apply, including those with permanent resident or similar status, international students are ineligible to apply.
Application Details
When live, the application is available within The Neurodiversity Alliance online portal and mobile app - once logged in, look for the link to the “Paid Internship Application” on the left menu bar.
If you are already registered with The Neurodiversity Alliance, click here to log in.
If you are not yet registered, registration is free and easy - get started today!
Our application for 2026-27 Paid Internships will open on February 1, 2026 at 12:00 pm ET
For Summer or National Summit positions, the deadline to apply is March 15, 2026 at 11:59 pm PT.
For Academic Year positions, the deadline to apply is April 15, 2026, at 11:59 pm PT.
To be fair to applicants, we are very strict on the due date. We cannot accept late applications or materials and we aren't responsible for hardware malfunctions, bad internet connections, or other conditions which might prevent applicants from submitting an application on time. No applications will be accepted after April 15, 2026 at 11:59 pm PT.
A photo, screen shot, or scanned copy of your documents are great! Just make sure that the entire document is visible and any text is not blurred or obscured.
You can submit your responses by either uploading a document with your written responses or sharing a link to a video. The essay word counts and video lengths below are only recommendations, not firm limits. Feel free to take what space is necessary for you to answer thoroughly.
Written essay responses are typically between 250-750 words per prompt and should be submitted by uploading your response in a .doc or .pdf format. Google Docs are a free and easy way to write your essay responses. To export a Google Doc as a PDF once it is complete:
- Open the Google Doc you want to export
- Select “File”
- Select “Download”
- Choose “PDF Document (.pdf)” as the output format
- Select “Save As” in the download pop-up
- Choose a location to save the PDF file
Video responses are typically between 2-5 minutes per prompt and should be submitted by sharing a link to the video either as a Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud file or on a platform such as YouTube. YouTube is a free and easy way to upload a video and create a shareable link that only those with the link can access. To share a video on YouTube via an unlisted link:
- Sign in to YouTube
- Select “Create a video or post”
- Select “Upload video”
- Choose “Unlisted” from the privacy settings
- Publish the video
- Copy the link to the video
Accommodations and support are available! Please send us an email at [email protected] and we will be happy to assist you.
You will receive a confirmation email once your application has been submitted. If your confirmation email does not arrive, check your junk-mail folder for the misplaced email. If necessary, make sure that you completed all submission steps. If neither option above corrects the problem, contact us at [email protected] to confirm your submission.
Any errors will be flagged in red when you go to submit. Correct the error(s) and re-submit. A confirmation text screen will appear and an email notification with additional information will be sent immediately upon successful submission of the application. If you are still unable to submit your application, contact us at [email protected] for assistance.
Payment & Terms
Stipends are paid on the last day of each month throughout your designated term.
Your offer will include paperwork to complete to ensure timely payment. We will need the following:
- Legal Name
- Birth Date
- Phone Number
- Tax ID Number: SSN or ITIN
- Address (if selecting payment by check)
- Banking Information (if selecting payment by direct deposit)
- Signed W9 Form
Attendance at the National Summit is a requirement and is critical for proper training and community building. If you have questions regarding your specific situation, please email [email protected].
We are committed to ensuring that those in our leadership positions are receiving fair pay for the work they do.
Academic year roles receive a stipend of $200 a month for 10 hours of work per month, which works out to $20 per hour.
Summer roles receive a stipend of $200 per week for 10 hours of work per week, which works out to $20 per hour.
Summer roles begin June 15, 2026, and continue through August 15, 2026.
National Summit roles begin August 1, 2026, and continue through August 15, 2026.
Academic Year roles will be from August 1, 2026, and continuing until June 1, 2027.
Yes! We love seeing our leaders come back to join us for another year. Please make sure you check the eligibility requirements to ensure you are eligible to apply again.
To ensure as many students and recent graduates are able to benefit from the paid internship experience, each individual is limited to one paid internship role per year.
Some exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis for returning students and alumni interested in both a Summer and an Academic Year role. Please email us at [email protected] to learn more.
Additional Questions?
If you have other questions, please contact us.