Applications are Open for the Ascend Summit Intensive
What the Ascend Summit Intensive is
Our upcoming Summit cohort is a 12-week cohort for mid-career Disabled professionals, people with roughly 5 to 15 years of experience who have real work behind them and are working out what the next chapter looks like. That might mean stepping into leadership, changing direction, negotiating for more, or building a long-term strategy for a career you have already put years into.
It's fully virtual and part-time. Most participants spend 3 to 5 hours a week. Summit is free, as every Ascend cohort is.
How a week works
Every week is built around a single theme, and each theme comes with three ways in: a live session, an open office hour, and an asynchronous discussion. All three cover the same ground.
That means you engage the way that actually works for you. Miss the live session and the conversation is still there waiting. Prefer to think before you speak and the async thread is a real part of the program, not a consolation prize.
Each week also comes with a small set of questions to work through. By the end of the week you'll have answered them all either live, in office hours, or in writing.
What you leave with
A career roadmap you built yourself.
Career mapping runs through the whole program rather than sitting in a module at the end. Every week moves your roadmap forward by a concrete step. Week 12 is where you graduate with a strategy, not a certificate.
Summit also includes guided work on AI literacy as a professional skill and as assistive technology. You'll complete activities inside the Making Space platform that introduce AI tools and how they can support productivity, accessibility, and career development. No prior experience is required.
Who it's for
Summit is open to applicants living in the United States or its territories, including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as qualifying military bases.
We're taking ~30 people. We encourage everyone eligible to apply and tell us about your goals, your experience, and what you're hoping to get out of the Ascend community.
What it isn't
Ascend is a community-centered professional development program, not a job placement program. The fellowship offers learning, guest speakers, and peer connection. It does not guarantee interviews, employment, or introductions to specific companies.
If what you want is a place to sharpen your skills, think seriously about where your career goes next, and do it alongside other Disabled professionals, Summit is likely a fit.
Dates
- Applications open: September 1, 2026
- Application deadline: October 12, 2026, 11:59 PM PT
- Review period: October to early November 2026
- Notifications: Mid-November 2026 — everyone hears back, accepted or not
- Program starts: January 11, 2027
Accepted participants complete onboarding paperwork before January. Anyone who doesn't forfeits their spot.
Questions at any point in the process go to the Ascend Program Team at ascend-fellowship@making-space.com.
About Ascend
The Ascend Fellowship Program is Making Space's career readiness and professional development program, designed by and for Disabled professionals. Disabled professionals are one of the most skilled and least-tapped talent pools in the labor market. Ascend serves them, and the organizations that need them.
Through the fellowship, Ascenders work toward:
- Confidence in how they communicate their value, their goals, and their access needs, including in negotiation and leadership conversations
- Clarity about where their experience can take them next, and what kind of workplace is actually worth it
- Real relationships with a community of Disabled peers at a similar stage
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