There are many disability scholarships for all types of specific disabilities, and then there are general disability scholarships which any student with a disability are free to apply to. There are graduate disability scholarships which aren’t as plentiful as regular undergraduate awards, and those can be hard to find.
BUT!
A good tip for graduate disability students is to look for any general disability scholarship and send an email to the scholarship sponsor to inquire if they allow graduate students to apply to their award.
Many of them do!
So, don’t hesitate to ask if you are matching up to the scholarship award being presented!
Below, are many awards for many disabilities and some you may have seen or heard about a hundred times; but it’s always good to be reminded about them because you may have a chance to apply with a change in their applying requirements. Many organizations tend to ‘tweek’ their qualifying requirements and you may then qualify to apply with a better chance of winning.
Disability Scholarships for Graduate Students
The very first place to look for disability scholarships for graduate students are the very same ones that disability UNDERGRADUATE students receive awards from. Many of them have programs for graduate students to apply to as well; or they are also for graduate students to apply to. You may have to ask them to find out by sending them an email inquiring about this; if it’s not easily seen on their website – as is mostly the case.
For instance; The American Council of the Blind (ACB), the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), and the Blind Veterans Association (BVA), all have graduate disability scholarships for visually impaired graduate students ranging from $1,000 to $6,000 for those students who have a visual impairment.
AAHD Disabilities Scholarship Program for Graduate Students
The American Association on Health and Disability motto is “dedicated to improve overall health and reduce health disparities for people with disabilities through health promotion and wellness” They sponsor a scholarship program called the AAHD Frederick J. Krause Scholarship on Health & Disability.
This scholarship program is typically awarded on an annual basis to students who show promise in their academics; but suffer some form of disability.
Student who apply should either be going through an undergraduate program, or a graduate program in an accredited university. Students should also be pursuing an education in a course RELATED to health & disability, which can be anything from health promotion, public health, disability studies, disability research, rehabilitation engineering along with any other course that impacts on the lives of those with disabilities.
The scholarship award is no larger then $1,000, and is only awarded to students who are legal residents in the US, or those who have been enrolled in a US university that is accredited. It is important to note that when you apply for the AAHD scholarship, you are granting permission to AAHD in using your name, picture, or story for future use in reference materials they distribute. If this is not you would want, then students should not apply.
Some other WELL KNOWN disability organizations offering disability graduate student scholarships, (but there are many, many more) are:
Lighthouse Guild & Learning Ally
Google Lime Scholarship Program
Insight Scholarships
Foundation for Science & Disability
American Association of People with Disabilities
American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation
Anders Tjellstrom Scholarship is for Baha System
Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation Scholarship
Keaton K. Walker Scholarship Fund for University of Utah
Michigan Cerebral Palsy Attorneys
Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing
The National Educational Association of Disabled Students
General Disability Scholarships
The Ability Center of Greater Toledo (ACT) runs a scholarship program in conjunction with other communities and partners who work to make sure that everyone has a shot at a good education. Through these scholarships for disabled students, disabled students are able to get a higher education, and eventually compete for some of the top jobs with their counterparts.
The Ability Center provides scholarships for college going students within the confines of the county, with $20,000 offered in scholarships, for disabled students who apply and are chosen. The Ability Center awards scholarships every year during the springtime.
To be eligible to win applicants you must be an individual with a disability and have a permanent address in Lucas, Wood, Fulton, Henry, Ottawa, Defiance, Williams county in Ohio,or in Monroe or Lenawee county in Michigan, along with at least a 3.0 GPA.
Disability Scholarships for Students whose Parents are Disabled
Through the Looking Glass Scholarships are for students with disabled parents and is directed specifically at students whose parents are disabled in one way or the other and also confronted with financial challenges towards a standard college education. There are fifteen various $1,000 disability scholarships awarded each & every year. The scholarships are presented by ‘Through the Looking Glass’ National Center for Parents with Disabilities & their Families’. There are normally various scholarship requirements possible for college students & also for high school seniors.
For high school seniors, students have to be a high school graduate, or can be graduating seniors. Students must be planing to attend a 2-4 year college system in the fall semester either under an AA, BS or BA degree. Along with this, at least one of your parents must be disabled to qualify.
College students need to be enrolled in a 2-4 college degree, and pursuing a BA, BS or an AA degree. When applying on March 11th of the year you are applying, you must be (21) years of age or younger, and also have at least one parent disabled to qualify.
