Professional Disability Studies Scholarships

Disability Studies Scholarships

Professional disability studies scholarships are available largely to students who are planning to make a career out of working for those with debilitating physical or mental conditions. There are a number of national organizations which offer professional disability studies scholarships and a number of colleges offer similar awards through their own programs. Students who are interested in getting access to disability studies scholarships should look both at these national programs and then consult with their universities applicable department to get a more complete listing of programs which they may be able to apply to.

It is important to know that professional disability studies scholarships are available for a wide array of disability oriented studies, and that students entering the field have a wide range of things they may study or professionally become involved in. There are programs for working with the blind, deaf, and those people who may be handicapped in other ways. Beyond these programs there are also very common professional disability studies scholarships available for students who are working at the graduate level looking to enter the field at the masters or PhD level, or working actively to expand scholarly understanding regarding disabilities. In the end, students should be more than able to find programs to apply to which fit their needs.

The American Association on Health and Disabilities (AAHD) provides professional disability scholarships every year to deserving students in the field. This program provides a varying number of $1,000 scholarships depending on both the number of chosen applicants and the amount of funds available in a given academic year. In order to be eligible for this disability studies scholarship students will need to be studying at either the undergraduate or graduate levels while going to school full time. All applicants will need to have a formally diagnosed disability, be a United States citizen and be studying health, disability studies, or a related field. Application materials must be received no later than November 15, 2011.

Another good source of financial aid with regards to professional disabilities studies scholarships would be the Sertoma Communicative Disorders Scholarship. This annual program awards varying number of $1,000 awards to students depending on availability of funds from year to year. Students will be eligible for this professional disability studies scholarship if they are US citizens, be accepted into a graduate program and have at least a 3.2 grade point average for their undergraduate or graduate course work. The deadline for this program is March 30.

Not all professional disabilities study scholarships are available nationally or even to all people. The Bethesda Lutheran Communities Scholarship is a great example of an organization which limits its scholarships to members. This organization provides three different professional disability studies scholarships all of which award differing amounts of money. The highest award they give out comes from an unnamed program which rewards $3,000 for up to two different students every year. All applicants will need to be members of Bethesda Lutheran Communities, be at least a sophomore in college, and have maintained at least a 3.0 gpa while in college. Applicants will also need to be entering the field of professional disability studies. The deadline for this program is April 15 of every year. Another program provides two $500 professional disability studies scholarships to high school students who are interested in the field of disability studies. These students will need to be high school seniors, have at least a 3.0 gpa, and have interest in a career in disability work.

Looking at other membership-only professional disability studies scholarships, an organization known as Jobs Daughters provides such a program every year. This program awards multiple $1,500 scholarships to selected students who are working towards a degree in dentistry with some formal training regarding handicapped individuals. Students will need to have high scholastic marks, be actively involved in the organization, and have a clear dedication to participating in events outside of Jobs Daughters. All applications will also need to show financial need. Applications for these disability studies scholarships are due no later than August 1, 2011.