Riverdale resident earns global recognition by Zero Project

The goal of the PII Program is to use the power of internships to ensure people with disabilities have access to these jobs.”

Hannah Millson, program director of Partnership for Inclusive Internships (PII)

Zero Project, a worldwide initiative supporting the rights and well-being of the disabled, recognized the Partnership for Inclusive Internships (PII) and its program director, Hannah Milson – a resident of Riverdale. 

Run by AHRC NYC -- which champions for advocacy, humanity, reimagination and change – the PII program creates inclusive internship opportunities for disabled New Yorkers. Founded in 2019, the program has placed interns in a variety of fields, including accounting, architecture, human services, internet technology and research and public policy. The inclusive initiative was one of 77 organizations and programs selected by Zero Project as “worldwide solutions” for 2025. 

Working with the New York State Office of Adult Career and Continuing Education Service — Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR) and the New York State Commission for the Blind (NYSCB), the AHRC NYC PII program facilitates internships while also partnering with 20 city, state and federal agencies. 

The program also received grant funding from the Taft Foundation, an organization which also supports individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

The Zero Project supports the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), an international treaty with an intention of protecting the rights and well-being of individuals with disabilities. CRPD was originally drafted in December 2006, and went into effect in May 2008. It makes their award selections based on impact, innovation and scalability, according to Millson, with AHRC NYC PII program model being replicable and easy to implement in other countries, which led to it being recognized on an international scale.

Millson coordinated all aspects of the internships, from leading supervisors through disability etiquette training – which teaches people how to interact with disabled individuals – to coaching interns on interviewing skills.

In its five years, the program has placed over 200 interns in full-time job positions.

Local government is often the largest employer in metropolitan regions and has historically played an important role in creating pathways for people with disabilities through secure jobs protected by the civil service system.

“Though the civic sector offers competitive jobs, many local governments struggle to hire and retain talent,” Millson said. “The goal of the program is to use the power of internships to ensure people with disabilities have access to these jobs.”

Millson added, this particular model has been recognized as a global solution that can move the needle on the disability unemployment rate.

Although she does not have a disability, Millson began working as a special education teacher, which eventually led her to develop an interest in vocational skills and preparing people with disabilities to pursue employment.

About 630,000 people with disabilities, ages 16 to 64, live in New York City, making up about 8% of the city’s population, according to American Community Survey (ACS) data from 2021. It also reveals the Bronx has a disability prevalence rate at nearly 13%, the highest of the five boroughs.

In 2023, the unemployment rate for disabled citizens in the country was just over 7%, nearly twice the rate of people without disabilities, according to the Office of Disability Employment Policy.

“For the program to be recognized on this scale — and alongside such innovative and important solutions, is very special,” Millson said. “It is a testament to the hard work of those at AHRC NYC who are working everyday to improve the lives of people with disabilities, and to the city for committing to change a culture around inclusive hiring.”

The Zero Project evaluated more than 500 initiatives from 99 countries, before choosing its 77 awardees for 2025. 

“The Partnership for Inclusive Internships by AHRC NYC has been selected for a Zero Project Award for 2025 because it proves that inclusion in public sector employment is possible, scalable and impactful,” said Micahel Fembek, CEO of the Zero Project. “By creating replicable pathways for people with disabilities to gain meaningful work experience, this initiative is setting global standards for inclusive employment practices.”

AHRC NYC, whose supported employment programs began in the 1980s,
was a “pioneer in the field,” according to Millson, as this was years before other service providers began offering employment programming for people with disabilities. It is also the largest provider of supported employment service in New York State.

The 77 innovative solutions will be presented at the Zero Project Conference in Vienna, Austria, from March 5 through March 7, 2025.

“I’m thrilled to see the impact the program has had,” Millson said. “To be recognized as a solution with the potential to grow into other cities and countries is very gratifying and exciting.”