Handicapped Scholarships for Disabled Students

handicapped-scholarships

Handicapped Scholarships

As physical and mental handicaps come in many different forms, handicapped scholarships for disabled students are designed around the variability inherent in the category of disabilities. Students who may be blind, deaf, or physically disabled will be able to find scholarships to help them fill their financial needs based on their handicap. In order to better locate scholarships for handicapped students which will meet individual criteria, seekers should be able to identify which form of disability they have.

In many cases handicapped scholarships are segmented into individual types, so knowing which disability an individual has will allow for a more successful search. On top of nationally available handicap scholarships students should always stop by their local financial aid office to see what scholarships or grants may be available through the specific college. It is not uncommon for colleges to receive grant money from the federal level or from private foundations dedicated to making financial aid available to students. If all of these options do not pan out, students with disabilities can often fall back on government grants or social security disability education benefits which are designed to help defray the costs of higher learning. In combination with all of these options, students with disabilities should be able to find the necessary financial aid they need for school. Though the process is not always simple, tenacity will find a student funded well enough that in all hopes should any gap remain it will be relatively small.

Students with a general physical or mental handicap should check in with the Mays Mission for the Handicapped and consider them as a potential source for a handicapped scholarship. Every year the Mays Mission gives out up to seven handicapped scholarships to needy students in the form of a stipend. The amount varies student to student and is not specified by the organization. In order to qualify for a Mays Mission handicapped scholarship students must be able to officially document a handicap or disability, be a resident of the Unites States, score 18 or better on the ACT, be enrolled in a four year college program and be actively working towards a degree. On top of these initial requirements, the Mays Mission requires that every semester students provide proof of full time enrollment, submit grades while maintaining a grade point average of at least 2.3 and compose a letter which updates the Mays group with a status of the student’s life. While it is not stipulated directly, the wording of the requirements suggests that stipends operate in an ongoing basis so long as minimum qualifications are maintained. The deadline for the Mays Mission scholarship is June 30.

Students who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as those who are blind, have several options available to them in terms of a handicapped scholarship as well apart from relying solely on social security benefits or government grants. The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) provides a series of deaf scholarships through a number of private foundations, the most prominent of which is the William C. Stokoe Foundation. This foundation provides a single $1,000 handicapped scholarship to students who can verify that they are either deaf or hard of hearing of any major or program. Applications for this hard of hearing scholarship are due no later than March 15 of every year and for more information, students should contact NAD directly.

For blind students, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) offers 30 blind scholarships every year of anywhere from $3,000 to $12,000 to winning applicants. Interested students must be able to show legal documentation regarding their blindness, be a resident of the United States, planning to or currently are enrolled in an institution of higher education and be a participant in NFD scheduled events. Those applicants whom are awarded with these handicapped scholarships for disabled students will also receive separate assistance to help them attend the NFB annual conference in July, allowing them to network with publicly active blind persons. The deadline for the NFB scholarship is March 31, 2011.

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16 Responses

  1. Bhupindra Mainali says:

    I would like to inform you that, i am disable my right leg is affect by polyo.I was passed my B. A. in english so i need free disable seholarship.

  2. admin says:

    Bhupindra,

    contact Polyo organizations to see if they have specific Polyo scholarships (we are not aware of any. You must go into your college’s financial aids office to inquire into student aid for your situation to see what ‘disability scholarships/grants/aid you may qualify for.

  3. Afshan Afridi says:

    i m from Pakistan FATA. my both legs are affect by polio and i am doing BS Hons in microbiology which will be complete in november 2011. i want to continue my studies. Kindly tell me the procedure for applying this scholarship. thanks

  4. admin says:

    Afshan,

    you can apply to any you see listed on the website; but you must go to the sponsor of the scholarships website to apply. Look into also the Davis scholarships. More reading at study abroad scholarships. Talk also to your FinAids office for more guidance too, especially for disability scholarships in India. Go to UPTU scholarship.

  5. Ahmed Ali Saghri says:

    I am Ali and i have a polio in right leg …
    i am M.A. in Economics and now I want to do Phd …for this I need disability Scholar

  6. admin says:

    Ahmed,

    apply to as many disability scholarships as you can. You have a disability and there are many programs which you qualify for – you just have to apply to them to see if you meet their criteria. Go to your states website to see what disability scholarships and grants are available for disabled students too. disability.gov is also excellent.

  7. k robinson says:

    my son was born without a right hand Are there any scholarships he can apply for?

  8. admin says:

    K,

    he should apply to all general disability scholarship since he clearly has a disability. These types of scholarships just require a disability of some kind.

  9. Mariya says:

    Hello, I was born with the OI brittle bone disorder. Right now I am finishing my senior year and I want to attend college in the fall. I was wondering if there are any scholarships available for my disability. Please let me know. Thanks.

  10. admin says:

    Mariya,

    read about and applying to high school scholarships for college is your first good option. Also contact organizations which provide support to OI such as the below ones to inquire and see if they sponsor programs for student aid. Since you have a disability you can apply to any scholarship program which requires any disability to apply.

    http://www.oif.org/site/PageServer

    http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/achesandpains/support_groups/006067.htm

  11. Michael Stephens says:

    My name is Michael Stephens and I am a two kidney and three strokes survivor and I was wondering what kind of scholarships and grants I could get. Please help!!! Thanks!!

  12. admin says:

    Michael,

    you should search for support organizations on the web using these search words: ‘kidney transplant support companies’ and ‘stroke support companies’ and/or Foundations. Many time these places have scholarships for people who have these types of disabilities such as yourself.

    Good Luck and you should find many of them.

  13. Omena says:

    Hi,

    I know a lady who had an accident some 20 years back after graduation from high school. This left her disabled and bound to the wheel chair. It was immediately after her final high school exams which she cleared with good grades. She wanted to study law then but without the needed support could do nothing else. She is Nigerian and resides in Nigeria. I want to know if there is a scholarship out there which she might qualify for. Because I don’t think disability should end one’s dream.

    Thanks.

  14. admin says:

    Omena,

    most all scholarships we high-lite apply to a wide range of students. You must ask the scholarship sponsor via an email via their contact webpage on their website if they will accept Nigerian students into their scholarship program.

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