Scholarships for Disabled Parents
Paying for college can be difficult, particularly for those students who face certain barriers to higher education including disability. With the cost of college tuition steadily increasing, more and more students are turning to scholarship funding to help relieve some of the financial burden. If you're a parent with a disability or the child of a disabled parent, there are numerous scholarships available that can help to make a college education more affordable and attainable.
Through the Looking Glass Scholarship Program
Through the Looking Glass is a non-profit organization that specializes in helping families with disabilities. As part of their efforts, Through the Looking Glass sponsors a scholarship program designed to help the children of disabled parents complete their college education. The scholarship program is open to graduating high school seniors and currently enrolled college students under the age of 21 who have at least one disabled parent. Up to ten $1,000 awards are granted annually to selected students.
Through the Looking Glass 2198 Sixth Street, Suite 100 Berkeley, CA 94710 800-644-2666 lookingglass.org
National Federation of the Blind Scholarship Program
The National Federation of the Blind offers a scholarship program for parents who are legally blind to help with higher education expenses. To qualify for an award, applicants must be legally blind in both eyes and be residents of the United States or Puerto Rico. The scholarship is open to parents who are planning to enroll full-time in an accredited undergraduate or graduate degree program. One scholarship is set aside annually for a qualifying student who plans to work full-time while attending school part-time. Scholarship award amounts range from $3,000 to $12,000.
National Federation of the Blind 200 East Wells Street Baltimore, MD 21230 410-659-9314 nfg.org
National MS Society Scholarships
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society sponsors scholarship awards for students of parents with MS as well as parents with MS who are enrolling in college for the first time. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and be planning to enroll full- or part-time at an accredited two- or four-year college. Awards range from $1,000 to $3,000 and may be renewed for up to four years of study, depending on available funding and satisfactory academic progress.
National MS Society 733 Third Avenue 3rd Floor New York, NY 10017 800-344-4867 nationalmssociety.org
Paralyzed Veterans of America Scholarship Program
The Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) offers a scholarship program for dependent children of paralyzed veterans or parents who are members of the PVA. Children of paralyzed veterans must be under age 24 and have a dependent status as defined by the Internal Revenue Service to qualify. All applicants must be U.S. citizens and be enrolled or planning to enroll in an accredited two- or four-year undergraduate degree program. Individual award amounts vary.
Paralyzed Veterans of America 801 Eighteenth Street, NW Washington, DC 20006 800-555-9140 pva.org
