The Ascend Fellowship - Career Pathways Built by and for Disabled Professionals

What Is Ascend?

Ascend is a workforce mobility initiative designed to accelerate economic opportunity for Disabled professionals by connecting accessible education with direct pathways to employment. Run through Making Space's nonprofit arm, the program is free for participants and built to create lasting change, for the professionals in it and the employers who partner with us. The 12-month program supports two 6-month cohorts, combining accessible education, career preparation, mentorship, and employer engagement to translate skills into sustainable career pathways.

Two Tracks, One Goal

Ascend meets professionals where they are through two distinct tracks:

Early Career Track - designed for Disabled individuals entering the workforce or returning after disruption. Fellows build skills in leveraging lived experience, job searching and interview prep, financial empowerment tools, benefits navigation, networking and social capital, and navigating accommodations and disclosure.

Mid-Career Track - designed for experienced Disabled professionals who are underemployed or overlooked for advancement. This track focuses on career mobility, leadership strategy, communicating impact, preparing for promotion, benefits navigation, and rebuilding momentum.

How Employers Get Involved

Each Ascend cohort includes a small group of employer partners who support career readiness and visibility for Disabled professionals, at no cost to them. There are three ways to participate:

Live Employer Sessions - Host a virtual session introducing your organization, workplace culture, and hiring practices. It gives participants insight into different industries while helping employers build visibility with highly skilled Disabled professionals.

Resume Reviews - Provide feedback on participant resumes, helping translate lived experience and non-linear career paths into language that resonates with hiring teams.

Mentorship - Get matched with an Ascend participant to provide industry insight, career guidance, and leadership advice.

Past Ascend partners include Indeed, Visa, Red Bull, Salesforce, Walmart and Shutterstock.

The Impact So Far

Ascend has supported over 250 Disabled professionals, generated a $220M lifetime economic impact, and delivers a 123:1 social return on investment. 100% of employer partners report increased confidence in inclusive hiring after participating.

The Mission

Ascend is powered by Making Space's nonprofit arm, fiscally sponsored by Realize Impact. That means every dollar invested in the program goes directly toward closing the disability employment gap, through education, employer engagement, and systems-level change.