Scholarships for Students with Disabilities, Chronic Illness

Whether you’ve lived with a hearing problem all your life or overcome a life-threatening disease, there are scholarships for students with chronic illness or disabilities to provide every educational advantage. Typically, students with disabilities have mounting bills for therapy, hospitalization, and treatment, which means an education has to be put on the back burner. Fortunately, the Fastweb database contains a multitude of scholarships for students with disabilities and illnesses. These scholarship opportunities give students with a disability or illness a fighting chance to achieve their educational and career pursuits without adding to the already daunting pile of bills. Below is a sampling of the scholarships for students with disabilities and illnesses that exist in our database—filling out a profile may match you to scholarships for students with disabilities and illnesses at your school of choice. The more detailed you are with your profile, the better we are able to match you to relevant scholarship opportunities.

Randall/LaRossa College Scholarship

The Randall/LaRossa College Scholarship is available to full- time students with craniofacial anomalies. You must be accepted or attending a college or university and demonstrate academic success and leadership skills. Preference is given to rising first-year students in any field, and first-year graduate students in a field of study related to the management of craniofacial anomalies.

Kaela Anderson Memorial Foundation Scholarship

The Kaela Anderson Memorial Foundation Scholarship is available to high school seniors and current undergraduate students who are afflicted with Moebius syndrome. To be considered, you must submit a maximum two-page essay that describes your educational goals including the degree to which your physical disability has influenced your life.

Barbara J. Brenner Tremble Memorial Scholarship

The Barbara J. Brenner Tremble Memorial Scholarship is open to students at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire who have a physical disability with preference for students who have cystic fibrosis. Preference is also given to juniors and seniors who demonstrate financial need.

Robby Baker Memorial Scholarship

The Robby Baker Memorial Scholarship is available to graduating seniors at LCHS who are coping with dyslexia or other reading disabilities. You must attend a nonprofit or public educational institute, or nonprofit technical school, minimum GPA of 2.0 and submit a personal essay that includes a brief description of how you are coping with dyslexia or other reading disabilities to be eligible for this award.

AG Bell College Scholarship

The AG Bell College Scholarship is available to full-time students with bilateral, moderate to profound hearing loss. To be eligible, you must have an unaided pure - tone average (PTA) of 60dB or greater in the better hearing ear in the speech frequencies of 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz; have been diagnosed prior to age four; and use listening and spoken language as your primary mode of communication. A minimum GPA of 3.25 is also required.

California Council of the Blind

The California Council of the Blind Scholarship is available to full-time students who are legally blind. You must be a resident of California to be eligible for this award.

Beth Carew Memorial Scholarship

The Beth Carew Memorial Scholarship is available to graduating high school seniors and full-time undergraduate students. You must be living with hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, or another related inherited bleeding disorder to be considered for this award.

CSU Dale M. Schoettler Scholarship for Visually Impaired Students

The CSU Dale M. Schoettler Scholarship for Visually Impaired Students is available to undergraduate and graduate students who have a who have a documented visual disability at CSUN. You must have a minimum GPA of 2.8 and submit a personal statement to be eligible for this award.

Incight Scholarship

The Incight Scholarship is available to full-time students who are living with disabilities. You must be a resident of Oregon, Washington, or California to be eligible for this award.

Jennifer Leigh Soper Scholarship

The Jennifer Leigh Soper Scholarship Fund is available to college - bound students living with cystic fibrosis. You must be a resident of Kentucky to be eligible for this award.

Powering Education Scholarship

The Powering Education Scholarship is available to undergraduate and graduate students who are living with disabilities. You must have attended high school in the state of Maine and have at least a "B" average GPA to be eligible for this award.

Rheumatoid Patient Foundation Scholarship

The Rheumatoid Patient Foundation Scholarship is open students who have a confirmed diagnosis of RA or JRA or have a parent with such a diagnosis. You must be a U.S. resident and submit a short essay in order to be considered for this award.

Mansfield Noon Lions Club Scholarship

The Mansfield Noon Lions Club Scholarship is available to students from Richland County. You must be living with a visual handicap or be a junior or senior college student training to assist and/or educate the visually handicapped to qualify for this award.

SCTPN Undergraduate Scholarship

The SCTPN Undergraduate Scholarship is available to high school seniors and current full-time college students who are living with sickle cell/thalassemia. You must have a minimum 2.75 GPA to be eligible for this award.

Soozie Courter Hemophilia Scholarship

The Soozie Courter Hemophilia Scholarship is open to students living with hemophilia A or hemophilia B. You must present the best combination of a creative and persuasive essay, excellent recommendations, and superior academic standing in order to be considered for this award.

Fastweb Scholarships and Financial Aid

Again, remember that in order to view more scholarships for students with chronic illness and disability to update your Fastweb profile. Also, keep in mind that scholarships have seasons. While some of the above awards may not be available currently, they will be as soon as their particular application season opens. For that reason, you should check your Fastweb profile frequently. Your Scholarship Matches are updated on a weekly basis. You will also need to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) in order to become eligible for financial aid from the federal government or your particular institution. The FAFSA becomes available on October 1 of each year and must be filed every year while you are enrolled in order to receive financial aid. It’s best to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible in order to maximize your aid eligibility. Though the federal deadline is not until June 30, and has an 18-month application cycle, most states have deadlines that fall earlier. Many states also distribute financial aid on a first-come, first-serve basis, so it’s better for students to fill out the FAFSA sooner rather than later.