Find College Grant Programs for Disabled and Special Needs Students
Unlike the average student, disabled students often require special needs assistance to attend college, which comes at a cost. Financial aid is available to both disabled students and those with specific learning difficulties in the form of college grants and scholarships. These grant programs assist students with paying education fees and other kinds of support that students with physical and learning difficulties may require in order to make education accessible.

Sources of grants for disabled students derive from federal and state government funding initiatives as well as colleges and universities. Educational grants and financial assistance is also available from organizations that support individuals with particular types of disabilities, these include Speech and Language impairments, Hearing and Visual impairments, Orthopedic impairments, Autism, Deaf-blindness, Emotional Disturbance and Developmental Delay.

Usually programs are awarded to students based on financial need; however, some may be awarded on academic merit or a combination of both.

Government Funded Grants for Students with Disabilities

Grants and financial assistance to students with disabilities is often available by state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Agencies. The goal of state VR agencies is to help individuals with disabilities to become employed. Support is awarded to disabled students who require financial assistance in order to complete an educational plan that will eventually lead to employment. Services available to eligible disabled students include financial assistance and help with:

  • Tuition expenses
  • Room and board
  • Transportation/ commuting expenses
  • Books and supplies
  • Out of class reader services for people who are blind or who have learning disabilities; interpreter services for people who are hearing impaired; and/or individually prescribed aids and devices
  • Telecommunications, sensory, and other technological aids and devices
  • Other goods and services that help an individual with a disability become employed

Associations and Organizations

Disability associations and organizations exist to support individuals of particular disabilities they are associated with; this support often extends to students who may need financial help to overcome the barriers to accessing education presented by their disability. Help often comes in the form of small scholarship or grant packages as annual or onetime awards to disabled individuals who are members or affiliated with organizations that support their disability

  • National Federation for the Blind – a variety of scholarship and grant awards for blind students
  • Jewish Guild for the Blind – grants available for undergraduate students
  • National Association of the Deaf – scholarships and grants for graduate students

Colleges and Universities

Colleges and universities have a legal obligation under the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Act” to make education accessible to everybody. This means that students who have a disability have equal access to grant programs made available though post-secondary education institutions. In addition, many colleges have created funding initiatives specifically to support disabled students who enroll onto their degree programs.

As you can imagine, too many colleges offer financial support to disabled students to list here. Therefore, student planning or thinking of attending a post-secondary education setting should contact or visit the on campus Disability Support Services office to enquire about “financial aid for disabled students”.