Deaf Scholarships for Disabled Students and their Families

Deaf scholarships for disabled students allow current or college-bound students who are deaf or who have hearing loss obtain the funding they need to pursue their academic goals. There are actually many scholarships for hearing impaired that are awarded each year specifically for students with hearing loss.

The AC Bell Scholarship is just one of the many deaf scholarships for disabled students that are awarded each year. The goal of this hearing scholarship is to recognize families with a child who is hard of hearing or who is deaf who may also have financial difficulties.

Through this scholarship program, funding is provided for such families to attend an AG Bell Convention. Seven families received assistance to offset the cost of attending the convention in 2010 alone. The number of deaf scholarships awarded each year is based on funding. Each family who is awarded a scholarship will receive a full convention registration and up to two children’s program registrations. The family will also receive a hotel room for up to four nights for the convention dates.

To qualify for the convention scholarship, the family must have at least one child who is under the age of 18 and who has a bilateral hearing loss or Auditory Neuropathy diagnosis prior to the child’s 4th birthday. The hearing loss must be in the moderate to profound range in order to qualify for the scholarship. The deadline to apply is February 29, 2012.

There are also other deaf scholarships which help disabled students pursue their education. One scholarship is the Millie Brother Scholarship for Hearing Children of Deaf Adults, sponsored by Coda International. These hearing impaired scholarships may be used for pursuing undergraduate or graduate study. Two disability scholarships are to be awarded in 2012. Each one will be worth $3,000 each. These hard of hearing scholarships are one-time scholarships, but recipients may re-apply in the future. To be eligible, applicants must be the child of deaf parents. The deadline to apply is the first Friday in April. First-time recipients will be preference for this disability scholarship program.

The Sertoma Scholarship for the Hard of Hearing or Deaf is considered to be among the leading disability scholarships for students who are hard of hearing or deaf. The program was originally established in 1994.

Graduating high school seniors who have been diagnosed with clinical significant bilateral hearing loss as well as undergraduate students who are pursuing a four year degree within any discipline may be eligible for this scholarship.

Sertoma also sponsor the Communicative Disorders Scholarship Program. This scholarship is specifically for graduate students who are in pursuit of an advanced degree in speech-language pathology or audiology. Students must be enrolled in a college or university in the United States. Each scholarship is worth $1,000 each. The purpose of the scholarship is to help in offsetting the cost of tuition as well as books and fees that may be incurred throughout the school year.

The Sertoma Communicative Disorders Scholarships Program offers more funds on a national level for graduate study within the field of communicative disorders than any other organization. The goal of Sertoma is to assist the more than 50 million individuals who live with hearing health issues, while also educating the public on issues related to hearing health. As a way of achieving these goals, Sertoma utilizes a multi-prong approach through a variety of programs meant to address the treatment as well as the prevention of hearing health problems.

In addition, Sertoma sponsors community projections with the goal of promoting democracy and freedom and by assisting youth and benefitting a number of local community needs.

The Linda Cowden Memorial Scholarship is another of many deaf scholarships for disabled students that are offered each year. This disability scholarship is given in memory of Linda Cowden, who passed away in July of 2004 of cancer. Linda served as the administrative assistant as well as liaison to local deaf clubs for more than a decade.

This scholarship is worth $1,000. It is awarded to an individual who is deaf or who has hearing loss and who has been accepted into a program in order to continue their education beyond the high school level. This program may be either academic or vocational. The scholarship may also be awarded to a hearing person who has been accepted into a program that will lead to a professional career serving the hard of hearing or deaf communities. To further qualify for it, applicants must live within one of 16 counties in Tennessee that is served by Bridges.

The Minnie Pearl Scholarship Program is a four-year undergrad disability scholarship program that is open to students who are deaf or hard of hearing and who have been accepted into a four-year university or college within the U.S.

The scholarship will pay up to $1,000 per year for a period of four years. Recipients of the scholarship will receive a total of $4,000 per person over the total four year period. The scholarship is paid directly to the school. One scholarship is offered each year. This scholarship program was originally established in 1986 through the assistance of Henry and Sarah Cannon. Sarah is better known as Minnie Pearl.

The Trust for the Hearing Impaired  established the Scholarship Trust for the Hearing Impaired in 1975 as a way of providing financial assistance to adults and children with hearing impairment or deafness. The disability scholarship program helps to provide funding for the attainment of mechanical devices, specialized or medical treatment or specialized education.

The program also assists with providing note takers, speech classes, interpreters and other areas of need associated with hearing impairment. This program is supported through bequests and gifts from individuals, members, businesses, local posts, foundations and other entities. Applications for this program must be returned by no later than March 1st of each year. Since the program’s inception, nearly $2 million has been distributed to recipients. Applicants who demonstrate the greatest financial need will be given preference for this program.

The wide array of deaf scholarships for disabled students offered around the country work to provide educational opportunities to students and families living with hearing impairment.