In this section, you'll tell us about your current education and career goals. This information will help us understand where you are in your career journey and provide internship experiences that support your goals.*Please note: To receive a stipend for participating in this internship, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States and complete a W-9 Form.

In this section, you'll tell us about your vision and any accommodations or accessibility needs you may have. This information will help us understand what you need to fully participate and complete your internship responsibilities.

In this section, you'll tell us about the computer and assistive technology you use. Because technology will be used regularly to complete internship work, you must be comfortable using your computer and the assistive technology you rely on.

To participate, you must have:

• A Windows 11 PC or Mac that is five years old or newer.
• Reliable access to the computer whenever you need it for internship work.
• Administrator access so you can install and use required programs
• A working Microphone for meetings and interviews. .
• Familiarity with the assistive technology you use to access your computer.
• Reliable internet access.
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 In this section, you'll describe how you use technology to complete everyday computer and workplace tasks. Your answers will help us understand your current skills, work habits, and any additional support you may need.

Each VTS team has 4–5 interns. Team assignments are based on your interests, strengths, and availability. While we cannot guarantee your first choice, we will consider your preferences when making assignments.

You do not need to be interested in music, writing, or business to benefit from this internship. All three teams offer opportunities to explore careers, connect with working professionals, and gain experience in communication, teamwork, problem-solving, meeting deadlines, and completing real projects.

Read the team descriptions below, then rank your preferences based on your interests and the skills you want to develop.

research and Outreach team: Want to learn how to find opportunities instead of waiting for them to find you? On the Research & Outreach Team, you’ll connect with professionals from the blind community, explore careers you may never have considered, and build the same skills you’ll need to network, research employers, and pursue future jobs. You’ll research potential guests, make professional phone calls, write outreach emails, schedule and conduct interviews, manage information using spreadsheets, create promotional content, and work with teammates to meet real deadlines and goals. If you want to become more confident talking to professionals, learn how to build a professional network, discover career possibilities, and get better at finding and pursuing opportunities for yourself, the Research & Outreach Team gives you the chance to practice those skills now, before you need them to land your next internship or job.

Audio Team: Why spend 14 weeks on the Audio Team? Because you won't just learn about podcasting—you'll actually produce one.  You'll learn how to record and edit audio in Reaper, work with single- and multitrack recordings, choose the strongest parts of an interview, write and record voiceovers, add music, adjust audio levels, assemble a complete episode, and create a transcript. By the end of 14 weeks, You'll be able to say, “I researched and interviewed a professional, learned professional audio-production software, solved technical problems, managed a long-term project, responded to feedback, and produced a finished podcast.”

The Writing Team: If you want to become better at taking ideas and information and turning them into something other people can understand, remember, and act on, the Writing Team gives you 14 weeks to practice clear written communication which is useful in any career. You’ll learn how to understand and communicate someone’s story clearly and respectfully through writing, taking everything you learned from your interview and turning it into a polished career spotlight that can be featured on our website.  Our feature writing framework will teach you to find the most important information in an interview, identify a strong theme, write an opening that makes someone want to keep reading, use quotes effectively, describe powerful moments, organize information, and revise your work until it is ready for a real audience.

In this section, you'll tell us about your availability for team and individual meetings.

Team meetings are 2 hours long and held twice each week, between 9:00 AM EST and 6:00 PM EST. We use Eastern time as a starting reference since that is where staff are located, but this may change to accommodate other participants with different time zones. Individual meetings are scheduled by appointment as needed.

Your initial meeting schedule will be developed based on the availability of staff and your team members. Please provide all the days and time windows when you are available so we can develop a workable starting schedule before the first day of the program. 

We expect you to treat this internship like a part-time job. Your performance will be evaluated throughout the program based on your attendance, participation, completion of assigned work, communication, and initiative. Your performance will determine whether you receive the full stipend, which is distributed at the end of the internship.