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FUTURES Program · @access.studio.official

We have closed applications for the 2026 cohorts.

Social media internship · Canada · 2026 · Three cohorts

Your voice.
Your content.
Now what?

A social media internship for Disabled and neurodivergent creators aged 18 to 30. Real craft, real mentorship, and the space to figure out what you actually want to say.
Cohort 3 starts October 5
Applications closed
All access needs supported
20 hours of creative work
IG takeover on @access.studio.official
Mentored by Gabi De Leon and Maayan Ziv
2026 applications closed
Learn more
A black and white candid photograph of two young people in a casual indoor space. A young South Asian man sits on a wooden chair by a window, holding a smartphone up to film, his expression relaxed and focused. A young woman lies stretched out on a worn sofa nearby, knees up, leaning back against the armrest, looking at a tablet in her hands. Neither is looking at the camera. Natural light comes through the window behind him.

Past interns

Meet the interns who finished.

Interns from cohorts 1 and 2 agreed to share their accounts here. Follow their work.

About the program

This is where that question gets answered.

There’s the craft. Video editing, copywriting, building an audience, running a campaign. Those skills are real and you leave with them.

Then there’s the harder work. Figuring out what you actually want to share. What are you into? What makes you laugh, crash out, or how your take on a pop cultural moment is different from the crowd? Your Disability or neurodivergence is part of that. Sometimes front and centre, sometimes not at all. That’s your call.

Whether you’re coming in fresh or building on time you’ve already spent in FUTURES, this internship is the next part of that. You’ll come out of this knowing exactly how you want to show up online. What you do with it is yours.

20
Hours of creative work
6
Week campaign
2+
Platforms to grow
4
Spots per cohort
2026 cohorts

Pick the cohort that works for you.

Once they’re gone, they’re gone. Apply early.
Cohort 1
Apply by May 22
Program runs May 29 to July 9
Program complete
Cohort 2
Apply by July 10
Program runs July 20 to August 30
Applications closed
Cohort 3
Apply by September 18
Program runs October 5 to November 15
Applications closed
What you’ll learn

What you’ll actually learn.

Your mentors are with you from the first session.
Video editing
Edit Reels, short-form videos, and content for TikTok and YouTube.
Copywriting
Write captions and hooks that actually get people to stop scrolling.
Narrative
How to structure what you want to say so people stay for it. Pacing, hooks, knowing when to hold back.
Audience growth
Grow your following on at least 2 platforms. Strategy, consistency, and knowing who you’re talking to.
Campaign strategy
Plan and run a full 6-week content campaign. Concept, production, posting, done.
Media criticism
Learn to spot how Disabled and neurodivergent people get misrepresented online. Develop a sharp enough eye to do it differently.
Figure out what you want to say.
Then get really good at saying it.

What you leave with.

●     A campaign you can show
Six weeks of work you planned and led yourself. A portfolio piece.
●    A growing following
Audience growth on at least 2 platforms, built during the program.
●    Momentum
You finish this program mid-stride, not at a finish line. The work continues.
●    People who get it
Connections with other Disabled creators and people inside the FUTURES community.
●    A certificate of completion
Something to add to your portfolio, resume, or LinkedIn.
●    A featured IG takeover
Your content published on @access.studio.official alongside your own channels.
Your mentors

Two people who’ve been doing this for real.

Gabi De Leon and Maayan Ziv are Disability advocates and digital creators with established platforms. They’ve figured out their voice in public, in a space that wasn’t built for them. They’re here because they want to watch you do it too.

@lilgabid
Gabi De Leon
Disability creator · she/her · Toronto, ON
Gabi De Leon, known online as Lil Gabi D, is a Toronto-based content creator, Disability advocate, and your friendly internet little person. Living with dwarfism and a spinal cord injury, she uses her platform of 23K+ followers to educate, humanise, and bring more little people, especially little people of colour, into media. Her goal has always been to show that Disabled people are just people. She’s in FUTURES for the same reason.
@maayanziv_
Maayan Ziv
Founder & CEO, AccessNow · she/her · Toronto, ON
Maayan Ziv is a Disability activist, photographer, entrepreneur, and the founder and CEO of AccessNow, the organisation that runs FUTURES. Living with Muscular Dystrophy, she built AccessNow in 2015 out of her own frustration navigating inaccessible spaces, and turned it into a global movement. She is a City of Toronto Access Award winner, a David C. Onley Leadership in Accessibility Award recipient, and a regular media voice on Disability and inclusion. She brings a decade of that work into this program.
A black and white candid photograph of a young Middle Eastern woman standing on a suburban sidewalk. A row of older clapboard houses with small front yards and asphalt driveways lines the street behind her. A bare tree stands to the left. She holds a smartphone up in both hands in front of her face, looking directly at the screen with a calm, focused expression. A Freestyle Libre continuous glucose monitor is visible on her upper arm.
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My activation project on social media accessibility helped me explore what I can access, what still needs work, and how digital spaces can become more inclusive for everyone.
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Liam, Fall 2025 cohort
Your creative deliverables

Here’s what you produce.

In 20 hours, you build and run a full social media campaign on whatever you want to talk about. Most of what you make gets cross-posted to @access.studio.official alongside your own accounts. Your content could become a FUTURES ad.
6
Week campaign
A campaign you planned and led yourself, start to finish.
3+
Original Reels
At least 3 Reels as part of your 5+ IG post campaign.
1
Educational carousel
An IG carousel that teaches your audience something.
5+
Short-form videos
30 to 60 second videos for TikTok or YouTube Shorts.
1
IG takeover
Your content published on @access.studio.official.
✓
Cross-posted
Your original content shared to both your account and @access.studio.official.
✓
Ad potential
Your reel or video may be promoted as a FUTURES ad.
Accessibility

Access is not an afterthought here.

We mean it. All access needs are supported throughout the program. Ask before you apply, after you’re in, or midway through. There’s no wrong time.

Flexible deadlines

We work around your capacity, not the other way around.

ASL interpretation

ASL interpreters available for all meetings and sessions.

Live captioning

Live and recorded captions for all video content and calls.

Fully remote

Participate from wherever you are, anywhere in Canada.

Multiple formats

Email, async, video, or text. You choose.

Whatever else you need

Tell us what would help. We’ll do our best to make it happen.

Who can apply

Who this is for.

This program is open to new registrants and current alumni of the FUTURES program. No portfolio, no following, no prior experience. Ever.
You identify as Disabled or neurodivergent (no diagnosis required)
You are between 18 and 30 years old
You are based in Canada
You are a new FUTURES registrant or alumni
You have something you want to share. No portfolio, following, or experience needed.
FAQ

Questions we keep getting.

Is this internship paid?
This internship is unpaid. It is a skills-building and portfolio program, not employment. What you get is mentorship, a portfolio you built yourself, audience growth on at least 2 platforms, and a featured IG takeover on @access.studio.official.

If you have questions about whether participating might affect your Disability benefits, reach out to studio@accessnow.ca before applying. We’ll give you an honest answer.

Do I need a portfolio or social media following to apply?
No. This program is for people who haven’t done this before. No portfolio, no following, no clips. If you’ve never posted anything in your life, you’re exactly who this is for.
How many spots are there?
4 spots per cohort. 3 cohorts in 2026. That’s 12 spots total. Apply early — spots go fast and we review as they come in.
Which cohort should I apply for?
All three 2026 cohorts are now closed.

Check back here for 2027 details.

What if I don't have a phone or equipment?
Note it in your application. We want to find a solution. Equipment access is a real barrier and we know it. Applying is the right first step.
What if my capacity changes during the program?
Deadlines flex around you, not the other way around. If something changes, tell us. You can also update your access needs at any point during the program.
I'm not sure if I identify as Disabled or neurodivergent. Can I still apply?
If it feels true, you’re welcome here. No diagnosis is required. Self-identification is enough. DM us at @access.studio.official if you want to talk it through before applying.
How much time does this actually take?
About 20 hours over the 6-week program. That works out to roughly 3 hours a week. You set the pace, with flexible deadlines built in. The program is fully remote, so you can work from wherever you are in Canada.
Can I apply for more than one cohort?
You only need to apply once. If Cohort 3 fills before we review your application, we’ll consider you for the next available cohort automatically. Just note which dates work for you in the application.
Apply now

Now what?

4 spots per cohort. No portfolio, no following, no experience needed. Just apply.
Cohort 1
Program: May 29 to July 9
Program complete
Cohort 2
Apply by July 10
Program: July 20 to August 30
Program complete
Cohort 3
Apply by September 18
Program: October 5 to November 15
Applications closed
Questions? Email studio@accessnow.ca · DM @access.studio.official
FUTURES Program · @access.studio.official · Canada
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