Disabilities can be either mental or physical.
There are many private and government grants available to those with disabilities who are looking for assistance. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides a comprehensive list of government grants that are available to the disabled. Grants are available in a variety of forms such as direct compensation (money), resources, tools and special equipment. Grants are available to those with mental and physical disabilities and also for those who are involved with the disabled such as their families and organizations that cater to disabled clients.
College Grants
College grants are very similar to special needs scholarships and help the disabled student pay for the costs associated with attending a post secondary institution. The National Federation for the Blind and the National Association of the Deaf offer grants for those specific disabilities. These grants can come in the form of educational scholarships for partial or full tuition or specific resources designed to make living with the disability easier. Many organizations similar to the aforementioned ones for different disabilities have their own educational grants.
Scholarships
Scholarships are almost identical to educational grants and are primarily offered by the post secondary institution. Universities such as George Mason University, George Washington University and Western Michigan University are known for their generous disability scholarships. These scholarships are full scholarships; they cover tuition, room, board and may even include an allowance for meals. Almost every college has some form of special needs scholarship.
Mental
Mental disabilities are are more common than physical ones, but they receive less attention, because it can be hard to notice a mental disability at first glance. Students with mental disabilities are eligible for many of the same grants that students with physical disabilities are. However, students with mental disabilities may have to submit to additional testing to receive their grant, something that many special interest groups are fighting.
Physical
Students with physical disabilities may not only qualify for normal disability grants--such as those offered by College Funding for Students with Disabilities--but they may also qualify for accessibility grants. Education accessibility grants are almost always approved for students who demonstrate a need. Accessibility grants are offered to help students access the learning environment. For example, if a disabled student's class is inaccessible due to her disability, an accessibility grant may provide funding for constructing a ramp or elevator, or it may provide teleconferencing equipment, so the student may participate in the lecture remotely.
Accessibility grants vary, as there are many grants for the physically disabled. Some offer assistance to live, as it can be difficult for a disabled person to work and study at the same time. Other grants are designed to improve the life of the disabled person, by providing equipment that may enable him to access his learning environment easier.
Private Institutions
For some students with unique disabilities, attending college is simply too difficult. Their disability makes it impossible for them to access the learning environment. For example, a quadriplegia or someone with extreme agoraphobia would be unable to attend classes on campus. Students with severe learning disabilities may also not be able to learn in the lecture format of most colleges. Grants like the ones offered by the Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) provide students with tutors and instructors, who are able to teach students with special needs. Grants can help students attend private tutors or special learning centers that function differently from typical college classrooms.
Housing
Grants to make buildings more accessible for disabled people are also readily available. These grants can be used for home or business locations. The grant can be acquired by both disabled people for their homes or for others looking for make their homes or businesses more accessible for the disabled. Typical home improvement grants are between $20,000 and $30,000.
Aids and Equipment
Grants are also available to help disabled people purchase or upgrade equipment that aids them with their disability. The grants can help disabled people who are using old equipment upgrade to current technology. These grants are almost always approved, and the application often only requires a doctor to sign off on the application. Grants for equipment and aids are generally offered by the organizations associated with the disability.
Tags: disabled people, students with, Students with, access learning, access learning environment