Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. recently announced that they have established a partnership with National Disability Institute (NDI) – a national organization exclusively focused on the financial health and well-being of people with disabilities.

According to the press release issued by the Alphas, “The partnership, which aims to raise awareness of the social, economic, and attitudinal barriers faced by those with disabilities and their families, will help to advance the financial, physical, and mental health for members of the fraternity as well as for students, family members, coworkers, and other individuals through social and community relationships. It also hopes to institute concrete methods and initiatives to combat and alter the stigma around disability and those it affects.”

“Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is excited to partner with National Disability Institute,” said Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. General President Dr. Willis L. Lonzer, III. “This partnership leverages our collective power to increase awareness, create opportunities, and combat the stigma surrounding disabilities for our members, their families, and the communities we serve.” 

Members of Alpha Phi Alpha will have access to competitive invitations each summer to participate in NDI internships to learn about policy development and implementation with executive and legislative branches of the federal government to develop and increase leadership skills as well as expand opportunities to Alpha Phi Alpha places of employment for talented African-American youth and young adults with disabilities identified with NDI support, the press release states.

“There is tremendous synergy between our organizations, especially our shared advocacy and commitment to economic reform and social justice,” Thomas Foley, the National Disability Institute Executive Director stated. “The partnership, through APA’s Leadership Development Institute, will deliver an increased awareness and understanding of the societal, economic and attitudinal barriers faced by people with disabilities and their families.”

The U.S. Small Business Administration recently awarded the partners the newly funded Community Navigator grant to advance entrepreneurship and small business development by individuals with disabilities. Under the grant, Alpha Phi Alpha will help identify fraternity members and alumni to serve as mentors to Black entrepreneurs and small business owners with disabilities in the greater Washington, D.C. area.

“It is an honor to work closely with Alpha Phi Alpha, an organization whose members include civil rights leaders Martin Luther King, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois and Cornel West,” said William Gould, National Disability Institute Director of Equity and Inclusion. “This partnership will further strengthen and sustain our organizations’ work at the intersection of race, ethnicity, and disability.”

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