If you are a disabled individual with aspirations of obtaining a higher education, you have options you can take advantage of to help with the funds you will need to attend college. Some of these options are the more-traditional sources such as grants and scholarships, which are awarded by your state, fellowships, federal grants or loans, scholarships and fellowships from professional organizations, grants awarded by the college of your choice and private loans from lending institutions.
The 1975 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, was signed into law to give the disabled a more equal opportunity to access admission to a college or university and obtain the needed funding. According to CollegeScholarships.org, more than 40 million people in the United States have some kind of mental or physical disability. Since this act was amended in 2004, it has helped to change the way educational institutions and administrations work with students who have exceptional or special education requirements.
Students with disabilities follow the same application process for grants, loans and scholarships. They must start by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Once they have submitted this application, they will be informed of their family's expected financial contribution, or EFC, and how much aid they can expect to qualify for. Once they have this, they can begin applying for every grant and scholarship they think they might qualify for. After they have done this and been told which grants or scholarships they have been awarded, they can print out their educational institution's award letter. Those looking for financial aid should seek out the nontraditional funding sources as well as the more traditional scholarship associations.
Because the IDEA made it illegal for educational institutions to deny disabled applicants a spot or to segregate disabled students, you have a better advantage in seeking and winning scholarship awards and grants. Organizations that assist the disabled are well aware of this and are looking for eligible students who want to pursue a higher education. The National Federation for the Blind awards funds to blind students while the Jewish Guild for the Blind provides grants for undergraduate students. The National Association of the Deaf awards grants and scholarships (not loans) for graduate students. This last organization is especially important for graduate students who have likely exhausted federal grant funds but who wish to pursue graduate studies.
The traditional Pell grant is an option one can consider if seeking to become an undergraduate student. More than 5,000 colleges and universities accept the Pell grant to cover educational needs. This is a grant aimed at low-income students and their families so a post-secondary education is more within reach for those who seek this opportunity. The Pell grant is also open to disabled students wishing to obtain a university or college education.