Back-to-School: Scholarships and Grants for Students with Disabilities

As the back-to-school season begins, many students are looking for scholarship opportunities. As part of our Back-to-School series, we want to highlight foundations that offer scholarships for students with disabilities.

Scholarships for Students with Disabilities

• The 180 Medical Scholarship Program helps young adults with spinal cord injuries, transverse myelitis, spina bifida, neurogenic bladder, or an ostomy who are pursuing higher education.
• 1800Wheelchair.com Scholarships help individuals who have mobility impairments, are currently enrolled in a U.S. high school or college/university, and are 16 years of age or older.
• ACPA Family Services offers college scholarships to people born with cleft or craniofacial conditions.
• The American Association on Health and Disability has a scholarship program for undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities. Applicants must have already completed at least one year of college.
• The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association offers financial aid and scholarship opportunities to those with speech-language and hearing needs.
• The AWM Foundation and Loreen Arbus Foundation Focus on Disability Scholarship is for women with disabilities who are studying communications, journalism, English, or related fields.
• The Baer Reintegration Scholarship is offered by the Center for Reintegration for individuals in active recovery from mental illness and pursuing academic goals.
• The DisABLEDperson, Inc. Scholarship is a spring scholarship competition for college students with disabilities.
• The Foundation for Science and Disability Grant is a grant awarded to fourth-year undergraduate or graduate students who have a disability and are studying in a STEM field.
• Gabriel’s Foundation of Hope Scholarships and Grants offers college scholarships for people with disabilities, as well as grants for necessary equipment and assistive technologies.
• Google Lime Scholarships helps students with disabilities who are studying computer science.
• The National Amputation Foundation offers a scholarship to college students with major limb amputations who will be attending an accredited university full-time.
• The National Multiple Sclerosis Society supports students living with MS, or who have a parent with MS, in their educational goals.
• Think College offers resources regarding college options, college financing, and other tools for people with intellectual disabilities.
• Through the Looking Glass awards scholarships to students who have a disabled parent.

Scholarships for Students on the Autism Spectrum

• The Autistic Self Advocacy Network offers an Autistic Scholars Fellowship Program, which is an ongoing college scholarship for autistic students who are involved in a disability-related student organization on a college campus.
• The Avonte Oquendo Memorial Scholarship is awarded to select students who are enrolled in accredited universities or colleges and face unique challenges due to autism.
• The Organization for Autism Research offers the Schwallie Family Scholarship, which is awarded to full-time undergraduate students or vocational-technical training students with autism.

Scholarships for Students with Learning Disabilities

• The National Center for Learning Disabilities offers several scholarship opportunities for high school students with attention and learning issues, as well as for teachers, schools, or school-related programs that support students with attention and learning issues.
• The RiSE Scholarship Foundation is a scholarship opportunity for U.S. high school seniors with learning disabilities.

Scholarships for Students with Cystic Fibrosis

• The Cystic Fibrosis Scholarship Foundation awards scholarships to young people with cystic fibrosis.
• The Sacks for CF Scholarship is a scholarship for college students who have cystic fibrosis

Scholarships for Students with Hearing or Visual Impairments (Deaf/Blind)

• The AG Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing offers scholarships to individuals with bilateral hearing loss (diagnosed before age four) who use Listening and Spoken Language as their primary communication mode, and who are enrolled in or plan to attend an accredited university.
• The American Council of the Blind (ACB) has a scholarship program which helps blind or visually-impaired students attend colleges or universities, lessen the need to work during school, and purchase necessary equipment.
• The Blinded Veterans Association awards scholarships for higher education to dependent children, grandchildren, and spouses of blinded veterans.
• The TPA Scholarship Trust for the Hearing Impaired is an aid-trust that helps those with hearing deficiencies acquire necessary resources, treatments, hearing devices, classes, and more.

Area-Specific Scholarships

• The Alice Chavez Pardini Education Advancement Grant is a grant offered by the California Council of the Blind that goes to a legally blind, Bay Area student enrolled in grades 6-12, college, a certificate program, or graduate school.
• CAPED Scholarships are for individuals with disabilities who are attending or plan to attend a California college or university.
• California State University Long Beach Scholarship for Visually Impaired Students: A scholarship for current undergraduate or graduate students with visual impairments.
• INCIGHT Scholarships are for students with disabilities pursuing higher education and residing in Oregon or SW Washington.
• The JCS Newhoff Scholarship is awarded to a Jewish student from the Baltimore, MD area diagnosed with a learning disability.
• The Kristofer Robinson Scholarship Fund is offered to students who are paraplegic or quadriplegic and living in Texas.
• The University of Florida offers many scholarships to students currently registered with its Disability Resource Center.
• The University of Wisconsin-Madison offers scholarships through its McBurney Disability Resource Center.

Michigan Scholarships, Grants, and Loans

• The John Weir Scholarship is awarded by the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living to high school seniors with disabilities living in Washtenaw or Monroe Counties in Michigan.
• Michigan Assistive Technology Loan Funds provide various loan opportunities for individuals in need of assistive technologies in Michigan.
• The Michigan Children with Special Needs Fund offers financial support opportunities for children with special healthcare needs in Michigan.
• The Michigan Disability Rights Coalition Cookie Gant Fund is a supportive fund for individuals with disabilities who are committed to the MDRC mission and vision.
• Michigan Elks Association offers the Gold Key Scholarship, which provides a post-secondary education scholarship for students with disabilities.
• Michigan Scholarships and Grants for Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired comprises various scholarship opportunities for individuals with visual impairments in Michigan.
• The Michigan State University Samaritan Scholar Award is an MSU scholarship awarded through the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities to a sophomore, junior, or senior with disabilities. For other MSU scholarships for students with disabilities, click here.
• The University of Michigan Springboard Foundation Scholarships are for undergraduate students with disabilities. For other U of M scholarships through the Services for Students with Disabilities department, click here.

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Do you know of a scholarship for students with disabilities that isn’t on our list? Let us know what we forgot in the comments below!

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Related Reading:

• Education Assistance
• Special Education

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