Disability Scholarships

What are Disability Scholarships?

As you can see scholarships exist for many minority groups, and having a disability is no different. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different disability scholarships for people with disabilities available to those who suffer from some form of mental or physical disability. These programs do exist and they help thousands of disabled people pay for school and college tuition every year.

Some scholarships for persons with a disability cover full costs of education, including tuition, books, and living costs; some match financial need; and still other scholarships are local, small, and intended to support students in making education or institution choices. Unlike college loans which must be reimbursed, scholarships should never cost the student (or his or her parents) any money and do not need to be paid back.

A law was passed in the United States in 1975 called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The main intent was to make sure that over 40 million Americans would have more accessibility and mobility in the U.S.. This law was amended to include other benefits which allowed other organizations to provide grants and disability scholarship awards through (IDEA). A good example of this is the National Federation for the Blind and the National Association of the Deaf who both award scholarship and grant money for the disabled through (IDEA). After (IDEA) made the act of segregation of disabled students an illegal one a number of universities and colleges have stepped up and made education funding available for the disabled.

While federal governments provide money solely for those with some sort of physical or mental disability, which is estimated to be about forty million Americans, private organizations are where most of the scholarships for people with disabilities come from. Many institutions and organizations today offer financial aid for students with disabilities in the form of scholarships, opening the way for better educational opportunities. There are even disability scholarships designed for families with a parent(s) on disability allowance. Additionally, many private organizations award scholarship money to ensure students with disabilities are able to achieve their college goals, despite learning issues, environmental challenges, or medical bills.

Because of either physical or learning disabilities, students with disabilities, especially in the past, have been more challenged in professional and educational environments than have many other minority groups.

How do I Know if I Qualify for a Disability Scholarship?

No two scholarships are ever quite the same and not every scholarship may apply to you. If, for example, you have a hearing impairment and the scholarship is for blind students, you obviously would not qualify. Therefore be sure you read the scholarship application details and requirements thoroughly before filling out the form(s).

The Learning Disabilities Association is a U.S. national organization committed to providing services, education, and resources for individuals with learning disabilities such as dyslexia and ADHD, among others. Students facing such challenges might benefit from contacting their state’s chapter of the LDA.

Note: Assistance for students with a physical disability is separate from, for example, hearing and learning disability scholarships.

Students with disabilities can qualify for a large number of unique scholarship types and Disabled World has assembled a few of the well respected resources and organizations below. In addition you can perform a search on FastWeb.com, which provides a list of scholarships for students with disabilities and other related information for both parents and students.

Scholarships for persons with disabilities that help subsidise education expenses come in various types including:

Autism Scholarships

Wheelchair User Scholarships

Learning Disability Scholarships

Veteran and Military Scholarships

Scholarships for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired

General Scholarships for People with Disabilities

Blind, Low Vision, Visually Impaired Scholarships

(The above list will be expanded as we receive further scholarship submissions from institutions and private organizations)

Further Information Regarding Disability Scholarships

National Federation of the Blind 2010 Scholarship Program
The National Federation of the Blind, the oldest and largest organization of blind people in the United States, announced today that applications are now being accepted for the 2010 National Federation of the Blind Scholarship Program.

List of Veteran and Military Scholarships
When seeking funds for school many service members, veterans, and their families tend to overlook more than $300 million of military, and veteran, related scholarships and grants. Not applying for scholarships is like turning down free money. Get started on your search for a military, or veteran, scholarship today.

Scholarships for Broadcast Journalism Students in Canada
Radio-television News Directors' Association Of Canada (RTNDF) is pleased to announce the establishment of a new scholarship. Thanks to the generosity of 660 News in Calgary, the new scholarship will be known as the 660 News Diversity Scholarship.

Army Scholarship Eases Student Loan Burdens for Health Care Professionals
As college students settle back into classrooms this month, they may be more worried about how to pay for school than completing homework, studying or doing well on exams. In particular, many medical and dental students will face a student loan debt of more than $150,000 after graduation.

Disability Scholarships for Wheelchair Users
A list of available Disability Scholarships for wheelchair confined school and college students.

Canada Company Awards Scholarships
A charitable business group called Canada Company paid tribute today to fallen Canadian Forces personnel by presenting seven surviving offspring with scholarships of up to $16,000 each - up to $4,000 per year for the next four years to each - to help defray the costs of their post secondary education.

General Disability Scholarships - U.S.
A list of available Disability Scholarships for general disabilities open to school and college students in the United States.

General Disability Scholarships - Canada
Listing of General Disability Scholarships open to students with disabilities in Canada.

72 Jacob K. Javits Fellows
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today named 72 Jacob K. Javits fellows to pursue graduate study within selected fields of the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Selected from 764 applicants, fellows are chosen on the basis of superior academic achievement, exceptional promise, and financial need. They will attend 28 institutions of higher education.

Scholarships for Deaf and Hearing Impaired - Canada - Disability Scholarships
A list of available Canadian Scholarships and financial aid for Deaf and Hearing Impaired school and college students in Canada.

Autism Scholarships - Educational - U.S. - Disability Scholarships
A listing of Autism Scholarships available to students for education purposes in the United States.

Scholarships for Deaf and Hearing Impaired - U.S. - Disability Scholarships
A list of available United States scholarships for deaf and hearing impaired school and college students in the U.S. A large number of schools, foundations, and organizations in the United States have created scholarships with hearing impaired students in mind.

Blind and Low Vision Scholarships - Canada - Disability Scholarships
There are many organizations and agencies that give scholarships to visually impaired and blind persons in Canada. This is a short list of available Canadian scholarships for vision impaired and blind students in Canada.

Learning Disabilities Scholarships - Canada - Disability Scholarships
Students with learning disabilities represent a huge resource for our society, and with the proper tools and support, they can pursue (and achieve) a decent education. This is a list of Canadian school and college scholarships for students with learning disabilities in Canada.

Scholarships for the Blind - U.S. - Disability Scholarships
A list of Blind, Low Vision, and Visually Impaired Scholarships in the U.S. These scholarships provide financial assistance with tuition, books, and supplies for legally blind USA citizens of working age who are pursuing an accredited post-secondary education.

2009 Cochlear UK Graeme Clark Scholarship Open for Applications
The Cochlear UK Graeme Clark Scholarship 2009 available to Nucleus cochlear implant recipients nationwide is open for applications. The scholarship is open to UK residents who have been implanted with a Nucleus CI at a UK implant centre.

Learning Disabilities Scholarships - U.S. - Disability Scholarships
This list presents a short list of scholarships for students with learning disabilities in the United States. Due to the large and growing number of students who claim to be learning disabled, such scholarship awards are often highly competitive.

Student Loans College Scholarships and Grants
The Internet has dramatically changed the way we live and this is certainly true in the case of student loans as both students and parents can now gain access to the information and advice they need and even apply for loans from the comfort of their own homes. Today it is easy to quickly access an enormous amount of information including interest rates, qualifying criteria, loan limits and much more.

Nursing Student Scholarships and Organizations
If you are a member of a minority group, and are considering nursing school, here are some resources and organizations for you. There are many special grants and scholarships which you may be eligible for through these organizations, and they can give you advice on seeking grants and scholarships as well.

Writing a Scholarship Essay
There are some scholarships where they have a predefined topic, however you will want to tailor these topics to address one of the following issues. I have found that focusing on these issues will greatly increase your chances in winning the scholarship.

Disabled War Veterans Scholarships
The AFCEA Educational Foundation is pleased to announce the newly established Disabled War Veterans Scholarships of $2,500 each. The Scholarships are made possible by generous contributions from Microsoft employees with matching funds from Microsoft Corporation.