March, 2011 | DisabilityScholarships.us

LIFE Scholarship for Lupus

The Life Scholarship for Lupus as offered by the Lupus Inspiration Foundation for Excellence provides financial assistance to those students with disabilities.

lupus-scholarship — Life Scholarship for Lupus

The Life Scholarship for Lupus as offered by the Lupus Inspiration Foundation for Excellence (LIFE) provides financial assistance to those disability students who are living under the condition of having had lupus, which often does interrupt the normal course of their lives. It’s one of the few Lupus scholarships for disabilities offered today. When suffering from a condition which threatens life and limb, it can be very easy for education to quickly become a second priority. This is often the case for students who are suffering from lupus, a disease which affects the body’s organs and can result in death if not treated appropriately.

The LIFE scholarships overall goal is to help those with lupus take a small load off of their mind as living with a life threatening condition can add an incredible amount of stress to a person’s life. I’t one of the few lupus scholarships offered today. Additional financial burdens brought on by trying to afford higher education can affect the quality of an individual’s life in many ways and by bringing in financial assistance the hope is that those with lupus will have a little less on their minds.

Founded in 2001, LIFE has worked to promote not only awareness of the condition but also to provide financial assistance to students with the disease. Lupus itself affects over a million Americans, making it a fairly wide spread condition, and though affects both men and women has shown to be prevalent in older women. It is important for those who are suffering a number of possible symptoms to get checked out by a physician as soon as possible.

LIFE SCHOLARSHIP REQUIREMENTS
While generally affecting more women than men, the Life disability scholarship for Lupus is open to all students interested in finding additional funding for their higher education goals. At the very least one student will be awarded with the $500 Life Lupus Scholarship each year and the money will be applied to the college the applicant is currently enrolled at or attending. Students must be attending their chosen college at least part time or have no fewer than six credit hours in a given semester while maintaining a 3.0 grade point average at a minimum.

Further, interested applicants must be actively participating in one extracurricular activity including but not limited to student clubs, community organizations and jobs. All applicants will have to get a letter from their physician verifying that they have lupus and provide a transcript from the last semester of school they attended. A letter of recommendation from somebody actively involved in the applicant’s education must be obtained and an essay of no more than 500 words regarding how lupus as affected their life must be submitted. The yearly deadline for the Life Scholarship is July 1.

As with many such programs, a selection committee of judges will determine the winners of the Life Scholarship for having Lupus. The Life Scholarship has awarded around 48 Lupus scholarships since 2001, giving an average of right around 5-6 students every academic year.

Because the disease affects women disproportionately as compared to men, a gender bias is not only likely but pretty clear in the previous winners. Despite this, men who are interested in this Lupus scholarship absolutely should apply for the Life Scholarship as this gender bias is based more on a rough demographic percentage than indicating anything about the selection committee itself.

Segments of the personal essays as submitted to the Life Scholarship selection committee and published on their website emphasize the organization’s interest in showing hope in those with lupus. Nearly every winning entry concerns working hard to achieve goals, realizing the importance of life, fighting through depression, and being grateful for the life applicants have yet to live. This suggests that those interested in applying for the LIFE Scholarship for Lupus should be hopeful with regards to their plight in life, looking forward to the next day and interested in not letting lupus get them down. Keeping an eye towards the sky and indicating an interest in working hard through the 500 word essay will help convey a sincere interest in education. Adhering to LIFE’s wish to show courage, strength and an ability to push forward through the essay will further help indicate to the selection committee that a particular application is worth the $500 Life scholarship for disabilities.

Scholarships for Bipolar Students

There are some disability scholarships for bipolar students with this condition which can be used to help bipolar people achieve their educational goals.

bipolar-scholarships — Scholarships for Bipolar Students

Thankfully there are some disability scholarships for bipolar students with this condition which can be used to help bipolar people achieve their educational goals through providing financial assistance. Bipolar scholarships exist often times side by side or within broader scholarships for students suffering other mental maladies, though there are still those which are offered exclusively for students living with bipolar disorder only.

Working through life with a condition like bipolar disorder can be difficult for anybody. Students with this disorder can have a double dose of trouble while trying to maintain a balance between a healthy life and school made difficult by mood swings which are affecting a student’s ability to handle the world around them. Combined with the social stigma in the United States which surrounds people with bipolar disorder, it can be extra difficult for students looking to enter into higher education to be taken seriously, or even at times given scholarships because committees may not see the student as being likely to progress through their schooling.

There are also disability scholarships available for those from a diverse background for which bipolar students have had great success in applying for. While not necessarily related to scholarships, bipolar students will also find that the mental health facilities at universities are often designed in part with them in mind, and when picking a university to apply a bipolar scholarship to, students should be careful in also reviewing their medical facilities to ensure they are capable of helping them with any serious issues which may come up during the course of their studies.

In 2004 a woman named Sarah Freeman was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and, after a tumultuous time dealing with the issues it created in her life, established a website called Bipolar Lives. During her quest to provide as much information as possible regarding this mental disorder, Freeman discovered that the available information and number of bipolar disorder scholarships available was significantly limited. To rectify the situation as best she could, Freeman dedicated a page on her website to scholarships for bipolar students while at the same time establishing a disability scholarship of her own.

Since 2009 Sarah Freeman’s Bipolar Lives Scholarship has been providing at least $500 to students looking for additional funds for school while also having bipolar disorder. In 2011 the amount was increased to $1,000 and some of the specifics regarding the bipolar scholarship were changed. Students interested in applying, must be over 21 years old and write a 450-900 word essay regarding interesting or useful information on bipolar disorder. All entries will be judged by a five person panel and the awards will be given out on July 1. Beyond this students will also need to submit a separate application form which will contain the name of chosen college, program applicants wish to enter, and current grade point average. All applications must be received no later than on June 1.

Beyond the Bipolar Lives Scholarship, the Lilly Reintegration Scholarship is offered every year to students who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder. These disability scholarships for bipolar students provides for between $2,500 and $5,000 to anywhere from at least 70 to 100 students at all levels of post secondary education. On top of having been formally diagnosed with one of the above conditions, interested students must be currently undergoing medical treatment while actively working on rehabilitative program.

Further, students must be a United States citizen and be attending or preparing to attend a fully accredited university. The selection committee will consider an applicant’s overall academic progress thus far in their life, personal references, success in handling their condition, volunteer experiences, and their current rehabilitation efforts. Essays will be on a topic as assigned yearly by Lilly Reintegration group. While entries for 2011 have come to a close, the deadline for the Lilly Reintegration Scholarship for bipolar is January 25 of every year. As it is important to show active progress, it is important to start the process as early as possible.

Cerebral Palsy Scholarships for Students with Disabilities

Cerebral Palsy Scholarships for students with disabilities are rare so it’s best to look for scholarships for the disabled.

Cerebral Palsy Scholarships for students with disabilities are not in abundance so students aflicted with this condition are better served by looking for ‘scholarships for the disabled’ in general then just specifically scholarships for cerebral palsy. We will highlite the few that exist.

As a condition cerebral palsy can be difficult and, in some cases, impossible to manage. Resulting from this, it can be hard for those with some form of cerebral palsy to live their lives with relative ease, and this is shown to be true especially with regards to finding financial assistance for students looking to continue their education on into post secondary institutions.

The largest network for those with cerebral palsy, United Cerebral Palsy, does not offer anything in the form of national cerebral palsy scholarship programs. This being the most logical source for such disability scholarships to sprout from makes finding such scholarship programs even more difficult, as the group does not even offer a useful scholarship guide for those students interested in continuing their education. Instead they point to affiliate groups which may offer cerebral palsy scholarship awards to needy students. Fortunately, despite United Cerebral Palsy’s inability to offer much nationally in the way of solutions, there are groups and, as UCP vaguely suggests, a number of affiliate organizations which do offer financial assistance to students.

On top of applying for this limited number of scholarships for cerebral palsy, students should also consider applying to broader disability scholarships which are much more widely available and cover a number of various conditions under which those with cerebral palsy may qualify. Of course because these disabilities scholarships are not inherently for those living with cerebral palsy interested applicants should read the eligibility over carefully to make sure that they are able to receive funding from any specific source.

The Pfizer pharmaceutical company does offer a cerebral palsy scholarship which many organizations, including the UCP, direct those with the condition to. This disability scholarship is open to students with epilepsy. The aptly named Pfizer Epilepsy Scholarship Award program is open to those with cerebral palsy because epilepsy is a condition commonly associated with the condition. Every year a single $2,000 scholarship is offered to students who have overcome epilepsy in their lives, have strong academic records, participated actively in the community or school groups and have shown a sincere wish to use their education to some great advantage. The selection committee for this cerebral palsy scholarship is made up of those with extensive experience in education and medicine. This should indicate to all interested applicants that a serious desire to expand their education while overcoming their disability will be massively important throughout their application. Other eligibility requirements require students to either currently be in school or having been accepted to a university while under formal medical care for their condition. One letter of recommendation must come from the student’s doctor and a second one must be obtained from a friend, relative, teacher or employer. Along with these letters an essay must be submitted which will consider the challenges an applicant has overcome, what living with the condition has meant to an applicant, who helped them succeed in life or an achievement they are proud of. All application material is due no later than June 15 every year.

Affiliates of the UCP do in fact offer scholarship programs of their own, though this is not true across the board. Students interested in a scholarship from a UCP affiliate should contact the relevant office to see if they offer cerebral palsy scholarships in their area. A good example of a UCP affiliate which offers scholarships comes from the John J. Ingalls Memorial Scholarship as presented by the UCP Metro Boston affiliate office. This program awards three $5,000 scholarships every year in the memory of John Ingalls. This cerebral palsy scholarships are limited to college bound high school graduates or current undergraduate and graduate students who are residents of Massachusetts. All applicants must be medically diagnosed with a disability. For application materials and details, interested students should email or call the UPC Metro Boston offices. The deadline for this cerebral palsy scholarship is April 17 of every year.

Other similar types of cerebral palsy scholarships are offered by affiliates in areas such as California. Several sources suggest looking for funding at a more local level from places such as Moose Clubs, Elk Lodges or the Easter Seals. Students should also highly consider the AmeriGlide Achievers scholarships for disabled students program which would make an ideal substitute for cerebral palsy scholarships.

Arthritis Scholarships

Arthritis scholarships are established to help take the burden of financial of tuition costs off of the minds of students with rheumatoid arthritis.

Arthritis scholarships for college are generally established to help take the great burden of financial need with regards to tuition costs off of the minds of students with the condition, in all hopes making going to school that much easier. Adding student loans on top of having to deal with what can sometimes be crippling pain is a mental burden even students that are completely healthy do not need in their lives.

Attending school or, even more basic for the matter, living life with arthritis can be a difficult task for anybody. With regularly occurring pain in the joints interrupting activities and forcing concentration away from a task at hand it can be hard to even imagine going to school at times. Added to this the sheer difficulty of fighting through arthritis pain while typing paper, writing notes or even turning the pages of a text book makes it is pretty clear that arthritis sufferers need as much help as they can get.

Getting access to arthritis scholarships is not an incredibly difficult process as there are a number of national organizations devoted to the topic which also offer financial aid programs. Some colleges have programs which are designed around helping students with disabilities and, on top of looking into potential disability scholarship sources, students should always look into what programs their individual university may offer.

The Arthritis Foundation, apart from working to spread awareness and supporting research regarding arthritis, offers at least two different programs students may find of interest. Their arthritis scholarships come from the Winterhoff Collegiate Scholarship and the RA Scholarship which are designed for those students or family member living with somebody suffering with arthritis. On top of these arthritic scholarships, the Arthritis Foundation also offers the Barbara Pierce-Nord Assistive Device Scholarship to help individuals afford equipment to help them in their day to day activities. The Winterhoff Collegiate Scholarship offers programs to three specific universities – the University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University, and Arizona State University. Students at these universities should contact their on campus Disability Resource Center and register as a student with arthritis in order to be eligible for the disability scholarships which awards anywhere from $500 to $2,000. Once appropriately registered, students will be able to fill out their university’s scholarship form to be enrolled for a chance to receive an award.

The Arthritis Foundation’s nationally offered arthritis scholarship is the RA Scholarship program which is available to students attending school anywhere in the United States. Apart from US residency other eligibility requirements include being able to show proof of having arthritis, formally seeking a degree or a certification at a university, demonstrating academic merit and having already been enrolled or accepted to an institution of higher education in the United States. Students completing an application for this arthritis scholarship will need to submit two letters of recommendation – one from a teacher and another from a community member – along with a school transcript and picture of the applicant. Further a one to two page essay about how the applicant is living beyond the limitation imposed on them by arthritis must be turned in with their application material. The RA Scholarship program provides up to $10,000 to those who receive the reward. Deadline for all applicants is March 18, 2011.

The Arthritis Foundation is not the only group which provides college scholarships for arthritis and students should look around and both regional and national organizations which work in the field for additional funding options. The Arthritis Foundation itself is split into different regions around the country and the Northern/Southern New England Arthritis Foundation provides their own yearly $1,000 scholarships with requirements set as the same as the national program. Many of these programs are built around sufferers of juvenile arthritis, but those people who have recently began showing symptoms but are older in age are still eligible to apply for programs of their own.

Interested students should take their time when considering these rheumatoid scholarships and make sure that they truly have the ability to go through school with the condition as arthritis scholarship selection committees very often look for drive over anything else in essay submissions.

Physical Therapy Scholarships

Physical therapy scholarships are for students who will be making a career in a solid industry upon graduation.

Physical therapy scholarships are for students who will be making a career in a solid industry upon graduation. As with many areas of study, there are specific scholarships offered to students pursuing an education in the physical therapy field. Scholarships for physical therapy are offered to college freshmen through students pursuing a doctorate in the physical therapy field. So, make sure you do not stop applying for physical therapy scholarship money after your senior year in high school, because specialized fields often have money available to help you through all phases of your higher education – beginning to end. Some of the scholarships for physical therapy students available are listed here.

The Daughters of the American Revolution offer a variety of scholarships in the medical field, including an Occupational/Physical Therapy scholarship for $1,000. Students accepted into an accredited school of Occupational or Physical Therapy who can show financial need is eligible for this one-time therapy scholarship. The deadline for enrollment is February 15.

Often individual universities with the physical therapy program offer scholarships through the university itself from local foundations or from endowment programs from former students. Every state also has its own physical therapy association and offer scholarships for physical therapy students , so make sure to research the awards available through your state of residence and study. Texas’s Physical Therapy Association, for example, gives several annual scholarships to students pursuing their Master’s or PhD in Physical Therapy in amounts ranging from $2,000-$7,000.

Some scholarships earmark funds for students at particular points in their educational journey. The following two scholarships for physical therapy, for example, are set aside for students in their freshman or sophomore year of college. Two freshmen female physical therapy students are each awarded $1,200 from the Caroline, Clara, Charles and Mildred Harper Scholarship after demonstrating need and academic excellence. Similarly, the $800 Barbara Ellen Gerlich-Hoefeyzer Scholarship is awarded to a freshmen or sophomore student who shows the above traits.

There is money available for those nearing the end of their education, too, so funds are available to help lessen your debt throughout your educational path. Current physical therapists and physical therapist assistants are eligible for financial assistance from the Kendall Doctoral Scholarships, part of the Foundation’s Doctoral Opportunities for Clinicians and Scholars (DOCS) program in their first year of pursuing a doctoral degree. Applicants must be accepted in an accredited program which is clearly linked to physical therapy. $5,000 scholarships may be used for academic fees or tuition. The deadline for completing the online registration is early spring.

Students at the end of their physical therapy program should consider applying for the $2,000 Margaret Kohli Scholarship which rewards students for community service, leadership and academic excellence.

This physical therapist scholarship is sponsored by McLaren Regional Medical Center and offers up to $6,000 per year or $3,000 per semester in Michigan. The goal of this scholarship is to provide financial assistance to physical therapy students and to invest in the local economy by encouraging awardees to remain employed in the area. Applicants must be accepted into a DPT or Doctorate of Physical Therapy program to be eligible for the award and must pledge to work one year at the McLaren Regional Medical Center for every year awarded the physical therapy scholarship. Students must also gain PT licensor in the state of Michigan within three months of graduation, having maintained a minimum of 3.0 GPA throughout their physical therapy studies.

There are also many scholarships available for individuals pursuing a degree in a health related field. For most of these, physical therapy students are eligible. For example, The Tylenol scholarship has an extremely large scholarship money pool, awarding over $250,000 to 170 students annually. 150 of these are $1,000 grants and 20 are $5,000 scholarships given to undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students in the health care industry.

Another example is The International Order of the King’s Daughters and Sons which offers several $1,000 awards through their Health Careers Scholarship Program, which includes the area of physical therapy.

A degree in physical therapy, be it a Master’s or Doctorate, requires extensive education which is costly. Luckily there are many physical therapy scholarships which can help reduce this cost and lower the amount of debt physical therapists accrue while in school.

Cancer Survivor Scholarships for College

Battling cancer and surviving is a feat that should be celebrated and is by a number of college cancer survivor scholarships.

Battling cancer and surviving is a feat that should be celebrated and is by a number of college cancer survivor scholarships. Inheritance of Hope is a faith-based organization which seeks to improve the lives of those families affected by a life-threatening disease, like cancer. One of the ways they do this is to offer a $1000 scholarship to a student living with a person diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, but they also provide links and information about a number of scholarships for cancer survivors and their families on their website. The Inheritance of Hope scholarship deadline is May 31, 2011 and applications may be submitted online now.

The Jackie Spellman Scholarship Foundation awards ten scholarships to students who have suffered from lymphoma or leukemia or whose sibling or parent has had the disease. These cancer scholarships are renewable for four years and range from $1,000-$3,000 dollars. The deadline for applying is April 15, 2011. Students must provide a doctor’s verification of the cancer, as well as demonstrate need for the scholarship in cancer. Eligibility also includes enrollment in a four-year college or university and a 3.0 minimum high school GPA.

The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults offers a $2,500 scholarship for cancer survivors or the children of someone diagnosed or suffering from cancer. There are also several other links to related cancer scholarships on their website. The individual having suffered from cancer must have been at least 15 years old when diagnosed with the disease and recipients of the scholarship which is given out in parcels over two consecutive semesters, must agree to perform 80 hours of community service. On this website there are also links to scholarships available only to Maryland, DC and Virginia residents.

The Sean Silver Scholarship Fund is a national cancer survivor scholarship to a college student who is currently in treatment for their cancer. This cancer scholarship honors the memory of Sean Silver who sought to obtain his college degree while he was battling cancer. He did graduate but succumbed to the disease a year later, thrilled to know part of his legacy would be a scholarship to reward another student in his situation who was determined to pursue their dreams, even while fighting through treatments and side-effects of treatments in order to live. The deadline to apply to the scholarship for cancer survivors is April 1, 2011.

The National Collegiate Cancer Foundation offers a similar scholarship for students seeking to finish their education while in treatment for cancer and offers a $1,000 nonrenewable scholarship. The deadline for application is Oct. 1, 2011.

The American Cancer Society’s R.O.C.K. (Reaching Out to Cancer Kids) Cancer College Survivor Scholarship Program offers resident students of Florida scholarship money to pursue their education at a Florida higher education facility. This scholarship is up to $3,000 for tuition each year, dependent on credit hours taken and $300 yearly for textbooks. This is only one example of an American Cancer Society Scholarship. They fund numerous scholarships for different areas of the country and available for specific universities. To search for one applicable to you or your location, search American Cancer Society Scholarships on the internet or go to their webpage.

Another non-profit source for cancer-related scholarships is No Wooden Nickels through the Felton A. Childress, Sr. and Rhoda A. Wilson Scholarship funds. This group is made up of 100% volunteers and is dependent on donations, so the amount of money available for scholarships may vary from year to year. The Cancer Survivor’s Fund also offers a scholarship for cancer survivors that do not have to be currently undergoing treatment to be eligible. The deadline for 2011-2012 school year is February, but applications will be accepted beginning in February of 2012 for the upcoming year.

There are possibly hundreds of scholarships available to students battling with cancer treatments, children of cancer survivors, siblings of children diagnosed with cancer, etc. Many cancer scholarships are renewable for the duration of four years as long as requirements continue to be met, but there are even more non-renewable, one-time scholarships available that can eliminate thousands of dollars in educational tuition for college students. This list will get you started.