One of the biggest challenges faced by blind and visually impaired students is finding funding for higher education. Here is a list of nationally-available scholarships for the blind and visually impaired.
American Council of the Blind
The ACB Scholarship Program, established in 1982, offers scholarships ranging from $2,000 to $7,500 for legally blind students pursuing post-secondary education (including technical college) in the US. To be eligible, applicants must maintain a 3.0 GPA, be full-time students or part-time students working 32+ hours per week, and demonstrate community involvement. The program helps with tuition, fees, living expenses, and even assistive technology costs. In 2023, they awarded over $100,000 to 21 recipients.
Link: https://www.acb.org/scholarships
Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired
The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) currently offers one scholarship, the William and Dorothy Ferrell Scholarship, specifically aimed at individuals pursuing careers in the field of vision rehabilitation or those who have demonstrated exceptional service to the visually impaired community.
Link: https://www.aerbvi.org/aer-scholarships
Blind Veterans Association
The Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) offers merit-based scholarships called the Kathern F. Gruber awards to help spouses, children, and grandchildren of blind or low vision veterans with their college tuition. These scholarships are for $2,000 and can be renewed for up to four years. No BVA membership is required for family members to apply.
Link: https://bva.org/programs/scholarships-awards/
Christian Record Services for the Blind
Christian Record Services for the Blind offers a generous scholarship program for legally blind undergraduate students pursuing their academic dreams in the United States.
Link: https://christianrecord.org/member-services/scholarship/application-inactive.html
Learning Ally
Learning Ally's Excellence in Education award honors dedicated educators promoting literacy, while their student scholarships recognize academic and personal achievements in select honorees who demonstrate exceptional effort in classrooms and communities. Both awards are chosen by a national committee dedicated to student success.
Link: https://learningally.org/NAA
Lighthouse Guild
Lighthouse Guild removes the financial barrier to higher education for students with vision loss through merit-based scholarships. We award up to 20 annually to outstanding high school seniors and one to a qualifying graduate student. Cover anything from tuition to living expenses with this unrestricted award. Apply by March 31st to access the advanced education you deserve!
Link: https://lighthouseguild.org/support-services/academic-and-career-services/scholarships/
National Federation of the Blind (NFB)
Boasting the nation's largest scholarship program for the blind, National Federation of the Blind awards over $250,000 annually. Recognizing student achievements and aspirations, they offer 30 $8,000 scholarships based on academic prowess, community service, and leadership. Finalists attend July's national convention, where individual scholarship recipients are chosen. From tech giants to civil rights lawyers, past winners showcase the impactful careers made possible by these awards.
Link: https://nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/scholarship-program
