The need for financial support for families with special needs children is only recently being recognized.
Contact a school guidance counselor about scholarships. Also, check with a reference librarian in a public library for publications listing scholarships. Most colleges have offices to assist students with disabilities. Check with the colleges you’re interested in to see what they can offer.
Several web sites offer information. FinAid has excellent information on finding scholarships and fellowships for students with disabilities. The International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet has even more listings of resources for paying for college.
There also may be some state monies available to help with college expenses. Every state in the U.S. should have an Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. (They are sometimes titled differently.) To locate the office in your state go to the Council of Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation site.
The Council for Exceptional Children offers awards through the Yes I Can! Foundation.
Also, the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities has a parent information center that may be able to help you locate foundations and grants.
LD Online’s LD Resources provides lists of national, state and regional organizations that may be of assistance, as well as parent advocacy organizations.
Finally, visit LD OnLine’s discussion boards to exchange ideas with other parents on how to obtain scholarship money.
Topic
Working with Families