Are you a student with disabilities at college in the US ? Perhaps you are thinking of applying for college next year? If so, you may be interested to learn more about the grants for students with disabilities available to those studying at college in the US. College can be a more challenging and expensive experience for students with disabilities due to the additional time, energy, perseverance and equipment/support systems required to provide the same learning opportunities as others receive.
Luckily there are a range of grants for students with disabilities to apply for while studying in the US to make learning more accessible. Let’s have a look at the options available and how you can get started with your applications!
Federal Pell Grant
The Pell Grant is a form of non-repayable funding which students at college in the US can apply for to support their studies. The Pell Grant is not solely for students with disabilities and it is issued based on a financial assessment so you must meet the financial requirements in order to receive the funding. If eligible, this can be a great method of learning support to fund medical bills, specialised equipment, assistive technology software (such as a Jamworks Pro subscription) and much more. You can apply for a maximum of $7,395 per year, for a total of 6 academic years (as of 2023/24).
Grants for Students with Disabilities
In terms of funding support solely for students with disabilities at college in the US, scholarships are available to apply for, but most are tailored towards specific disabilities as opposed to being a generic grant for all eligible disabilities such as the Disabled Students’ Allowance in the UK. The US government does not offer funding to students with disabilities, so each scholarship/bursary/grant is offered by various organisations and groups and are usually for specific conditions/locations. Let’s have a look at the different scholarships available to apply for below!
Grants for students with specific learning difficulties
Dyslexia
- Joseph James Morelli Scholarship (between $500 to $2,500, must be studying a STEM subject, multiple available)
- Karina Eide Memorial College Scholarships ($1,000 x 5 students)
- David Staenberg Dyslexia Scholarship ($1,000 x 1 student)
- Gemm Learning Dyslexia/Auditory Processing Disorder Scholarship ($1,000 x 1 student)
Autism
- Autism Delaware – The Adult With Autism Scholarship ($1,000, multiple available)
- Avonte Oquendo Memorial Scholarship ($1,000 x 1 student)
- The Schwallie Family Scholarship ($3,000, multiple available)
ADHD
- The Anne Ford Scholarship ($10,000 scholarship, $2,500/year over four years)
- Shire ADHD scholarship programme ($2,000 tuition fee assistance & 1 year of ADHD coaching services x 55 students)
Grants for students with physical disabilities
General Physical Disabilities
- Marianjoy Scholarship (Up to $5,000, multiple available)
Mobility Disabilities
- Frederick J. Krause Scholarship ($1,000, multiple available)
- Ameriglide Achiever Scholarship ($2,500 & swimming pool lift x 1 student)
Cystic Fibrosis
- Cystic Fibrosis Standard Scholarship ($5,500, multiple available)
Cerebral Palsy
- MCPA Achievements and Abilities Scholarship ($1,500 x 1 student)
Dwarfism
- Little People of America Scholarship (From $250 – $1,000 x 2 students)
Loss of limbs
- Amputee Coalition College Scholarships ($1,000 x 1 student)
- Bud Sanders Memorial Scholarship ($500 renewable scholarship for 4 years x 2 students)
- Christina Skoski M.D. Scholarship ($1,000 x 1 student)
Grants for students with mental health conditions
General Mental Health Conditions
- The Quell Foundation Survivor Scholarship ($7,500 – $10,000 x 1 student)
- The Quell Foundation Fighter Scholarship (Up to $1,500, multiple available)
- The Jack Scura Fund ($7,500 x 1 student)
Bipolar Disorder
- The Center for Reintegration Scholarship (Scholarship money directly pays for costs of tuition, books, laboratory supplies and mandatory fees on behalf of winning candidates. Remaining funds must be returned to the scholarship fund)
- The Jared Monroe Foundation Scholarship (From $500 to $2300, multiple available)
Eating Disorders
- The Looking Glass Foundation Scholarship ($10,000 split among several applicants)
- EDucate for Eating Disorders Survivor Scholarship ($500, multiple available)
Grants for students with sensory disabilities
Hearing Impairment
- AG Bell College Scholarship ($5,000 x 3 students)
- George H. Nofer Scholarship ($5,000 x 3 students studying Law, Public Policy or Public Administration at college)
- Anders Tjellstrom Scholarship ($2,000 per year for 4 years of study x 6 students)
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation ($5,000 x 9 students)
Visual Impairment
- American Foundation for the Blind Scholarship (From $2,000 to $7,500, multiple available)
- Lighthouse Guild Scholarship ($10,000 x 15 students)
- ACB Scholarship Program (From $2,000 to $7,500, multiple available)
Grants for students with long term health conditions
Asthma
- Texas Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Memorial Foundation Asthma Scholarship (From $3,000 – $10,000 x 1 student)
Diabetes
- The Scott and Kim Verplank Foundation Scholarship (up to $10,000 to be used toward tuition, student fees, and books, renewable for 4 years of study. Multiple available)
Epilepsy
- Frederick J. Krause Scholarship ($1,000, multiple available)
Cancer
- Cancer for College Scholarship Program ($5,000, multiple available)
- Patient Advocate Foundation Scholarship for Survivors ($3,000 per school year, $1500 per semester for 4 years of study, multiple available)
- Sophie Malaviya Memorial Scholarship ($1,000 x 2 students female)
Course-specific grants for students with disabilities
Computer Science/Computer Engineering
- Google Lime Scholarship ($10,000, multiple available)
Engineering, computer science, computer information systems, law, business, or a related field
- Microsoft Disability Scholarship ($5,000 per year for 4 years of study, multiple available)
Location-specific grants for students with disabilities
New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
- The John Lepping Memorial Scholarship: Disabled Youth (£5,000 x 1 student)
Iowa
- Learning Disabilities Association of Iowa Scholarship ($500 x 3 students)
Washington, Oregon and California
- Incight Scholarship ($500, multiple available)
These are just a few of the hundreds of different scholarships and grants for students with disabilities available to apply for in the US. If you don’t see anything on the above list that is relevant to your disability, do not worry! Feel free to get in touch with the Jamworks team here where we can assist you in finding a potential funding scheme for you to apply for.
Eligibility Requirements
All scholarships, bursaries and grants for students with disabilities have their own individual eligibility requirements outlined, but typically these are the key details you will need to provide in order to receive funding:
- Are a college student in a qualified program (undergraduate/postgraduate/PHD)
- Are a student with a disability recognised by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Can provide documented evidence of your diagnosis/condition approved by a medical professional
- Have a diagnosis relevant to the specific scholarship/grant/bursary you are applying for
- Meet the financial requirements if relevant/necessary
- Live/study in the correct state/area for the funding you are applying for
How can I provide evidence of my eligibility?
Forms of evidence for your disability which you can use to apply for the scholarships/grants/bursaries mentioned above are:
- A doctor’s letter
- Psychiatrist review
- Medical form confirming diagnosis
- Letter of confirmation from relevant medical professional
If you don’t have access to any of the following, get in touch with your doctor to discuss your situation and plans for applying for disabled funding and hopefully they will be able to provide you with necessary documents. If you think you have a disability but are yet to be diagnosed, we advise you to discuss this with a medical professional.
What can I use the grants for students with disabilities funding to pay for?
The amount of funding you can receive from each scholarship/grant/bursary will vary, typically from anything between $250-$25,000. This means that what you choose to spend your funding on will be subject to how much you are awarded.
Here is a list of some learning support options you could spend your funding on:
- Tutors
- Note takers
- Interpreters
- Readers
- Assistive technology (computer/software such as Jamworks)
- Specialised transportation (to and from campus)
- Reimbursements for learning disability assessments
Certain awards may have a limit on what you can spend the funding on, such as excluding non study-related purchases like medical costs. Make sure to check the terms and conditions of your funding so that you use it correctly.
Jamworks – Study support for students with disabilities at university
A form of assistive technology software which you could purchase with your funding from the grants for students with disabilities is a Jamworks Pro subscription. Jamworks is an app available on both mobile and desktop devices which enables college students to record their lecture content and automatically note down the important information through the use of AI technology.
AI generated features such as a lecture transcript, highlight summaries, revision quizzes and key points can make study more accessible for disabled students as they now have access to multiple forms of revision without having to engage in writing any notes by hand. Lecture recordings can easily be accessed on any device and all revision content is stored in the cloud which is convenient and accessible, reducing the need to carry heavy folders and notebooks around campus.
The accessibility profiles stand out as a prominent feature in supporting the learning of disabled students as they can adapt the dashboard to be more visually engaging for their individual needs.
The Jamworks DSA Community
Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) is the UK version of a student with disabilities support grant for UK university students. The Jamworks team have developed a community for students with disabilities who are going through the DSA application process to join where they can ask experts and fellow students any questions they may have, as well as provide advice to others. US students applying for grants for students with disabilities in the US are welcome to join the Jamworks DSA Community here. It’s a great way to connect with other students who are going through the same process and helps to normalise being a student with disabilities at college.
Support your learning at college with a Jamworks Pro subscription – click here to get started!
