Through the AAPD Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leader Awards, the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) recognizes outstanding emerging leaders with disabilities who exemplify leadership, advocacy, and dedication to the broader cross-disability community.

Two (2) recipients will each receive $10,000 in recognition of their outstanding contributions and $15,000 to further a new or existing project or initiative that increases opportunities for people with disabilities.

Please note: If all required fields, which are all denoted with an asterisk (*), are not filled, an error message will appear, preventing applicants from submitting their form. Please be sure to answer these questions AND re-attach all documents before re-submitting your application.

More information on the Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leader Award can be found on AAPD’s website. You can preview the entire application through the Google document.

If you have any technical difficulties or questions, please email info@aapd.com.

Applications are due Monday, October 20, 2025 at 5:00pm ET (note time zone!)

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* Full Name:

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* Phone Number

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* Address

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* I am applying as a:

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* If applying in a pair, please list the other group member’s first and last name (only one other name permitted):

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* The applicant(s) identify as a person with a disability.

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* For AAPD to continue to improve our outreach and dissemination, please let us know how you learned about the AAPD Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leader Awards.

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* Have you previously applied for or participated in any of the AAPD Programs? (note: this will not impact the decision regarding your application)

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