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Students with disabilities need extra funds for college. - Grants are given by the states and federal government as well as some private businesses and foundations. Also, colleges and universities are sensitive to the needs of the disabled. In addition to general education grants from schools, grants also are available for technical and vocational education. (See Reference 1.)
- In addition to regular funding problems creating an educational hurdle for disabled students, accessibility and mobility are also issues. The federal government addressed many of those concerns through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which has retooled the way educators deal with students' special needs. (See Reference 2.)
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Colleges recognize the benefits of a diverse student population.Some colleges and universities actively seek out special needs students to help provide a diverse learning environment on campus. Some of those colleges include George Mason University in Virginia and George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Also located in Washington, D.C., is Gallaudet University, which is a college specifically for the deaf or hearing impaired. Some of the available grants are for the colleges and universities themselves, so that they obtain cutting-edge technology to help their special needs students. (See Reference 2.) - Some organizations offering grants for disabled students include the National Federation for the Blind and the National Association of the Deaf. (See Reference 2.) Many of the private grant and scholarship sources for financial aid for people with disabilities are highly competitive because of the increasing number of students with special needs. Other organizations include the Ann Ford Scholarship, for a high school senior with a learning disability who acts as a role model for others who also are faced with learning disabilities, as well as the P. Buckley Moss Society Scholarship which is given to high school seniors with language-related learning disabilities. (See Resource 1.) Additional private options include the Minnie Pearl program for deaf high school seniors that are in a mainstream school system. The Alexander Graham Bell Association also provides funds for hearing impaired-students wishing to attend college. The Cystic Fibrosis Scholarship Foundation provides funds for students with that syndrome. (See Resource 2.)
- Psychological disabilities are included, too. For instance, many autism groups provide college money to students who have been diagnosed with autism. For example, the Lilly Schizophrenia Reintegration Scholarship is one of several that help students diagnosed with schizophrenia. (See Resource 2.)
