College scholarships for LD students?
Wednesday, January 5th, 2005
I get asked from time to time if there are college scholarships for students with learning disabilities.
There are assumptions built into this question that bother me. What is it about having a learning disability qualifies you for a free ride to college?
I can easily see a financial aid issue if it exists or an academic excellence issue, if it exists but singling out disability types for monetary support seems counter productive to the end where we’re all equal.
I have no problems with quotas as social engineering (affirmative action) but that’s not what most people who ask me are looking for: they don’t feel that LD students are under-represented in college and ought to be admitted to make the student body more diverse. The folks who ask me about this are looking for financial assistance, or, an award based on learning disabilities.
There’s something fishy here, does anyone else see it that way?
I don’t think the scholarship question is unreasonable. Many scholarships are awarded based on GPAs. However, there are specific other areas for scholarships, but there is such a vast amount of information that sifting through it is overwhelming.
Many people with LD have other qualities, but often this doesn’t show in their GPA. While all people with LD should not be handed scholarships, there are probably scholarships more reasonable for an LD person to apply for. Just because a person does not obviously excel academically doesn’t mean they don’t have great things to offer & may deserve assistance in their journey to get additional education.
My son has a learning disability. There isn’t a college in the area that can assist him. My family has visited quite a few colleges both private and public. The private schools seems to be the ideal situation for him. I can afford the cost of the private school but I can’t afford to pay the extra costs of the special LD program.
If my son was considered gifted schools would be throwing money at him no matter what the parents’ financial situation is. If you have a child with LD you’ve most probably been paying for private tutors and programs for the last 10 years, therefore you have very little saved for college. Is there any help for a kids who have worked harder than most but doesn’t have high enough ACT scores to qualify for any grants and did’t have time to join after school organizations because he was tutored every afternoon?
Try the local Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, under the Department of Labor. Depending on income, this agency provides financial support for post-secondary education.
Good luck
Fishy, what is so fishy about a student trying to take advantage of all the resources at hand? They give scholarships based on color, ethnicity and country of origin, so why not by disability? I was diagnosed with LD and ADD at the age of 10 and I am now 27 years old. I graduated from DePaul University in 2001 and now I want to go back to graduate school and I’m looking for a little help. For someone like me who has never been a strong test taker, as many LD students are, we are forced to rely on participation, projects, and other means to get satisfactory grades. I now find myself in a bind, but does that mean I am not entitled to scholarship money or aid? I have decided to go in to the design planning which will allow me to use my project based skills as a performance measure in this job profession. For a lot of students with LD’s their ability to be solely tested on project performance is not an option. We still have to take exams like the LSTAT, GRE, GMAT, SAT, ACT which is an integral measure for assisted funding for anybody looking at higher education. I’m not looking for a free ride, but some help would be nice. I understand that the study of LD’s is relatively new, but I would hope that those baby boomers who did go back and get tested would want to help. I know that I have, but my contributions were not monetary, I decided to devote my time to teaching outdoor education for a short period after graduating undergrad. All I have to say is that kids with LD’s have to work twice as hard to get half the results a regular student does, and if that is does not entitle someone for some assistance I don’t know what does.
Oh cbolding or the guy with the kid looking at colleges, DePaul was an excellent choice and the LD assistance was amazing. It is expensive, but well worth it, and culture that surrounds provides for a exciting learning environment.
So, the question is, are there scholarships that single out people based on disability? I’d be curious to read what’s involved in qualifying for one.
I guess the part I’m uncomfortable with is that scholarships that people ask me about tend to be financial, not academic. If, what we’re talking about here is a change in admission standards to allow people with learning disabilities into college who might not otherwise make it, that seems like a different question and issue to me.
What I don’t understand, is how having a learning disability, by itself, qualifies someone for financial assistance. Academic waivers are one thing, financial assistance is something else.
I was diagnosed with ADD a year ago. It has affected my education and many other aspects of my life. I’m abt to turn 24, have not yet graduated from the community college b/c I go on and off so much. I’m still have time though. I researched LD and ADD scholarships and the results said they were too far and too few. I’ve been struggling doing administrative work full time for most of my after high school life. A field that does not suit me at all and doesn’t naturally fit my brain wiring. ADD is not considered a learning disability although they are closely associated. Now I have to spend a large amt. of money to get tested for any specific learning disabilities. There is a discrepency between academic and intillectual achievment. For instance my friend Peter w/ ADD and LD has a very high IQ but his LD and problems w/ ADD make him “slow” compared to most. Once i get tested for LD, I’ll have the proper documentation (if I am LD) to at least be accomodated in certain ways at the community college. Examples would be having my own exam room, extra hour to take exam, etc. My bigger problem however, is that I was laid off a couple of days ago and I’m not too thrilled abt looking for yet another mentally frustrating admin position. I’m abt to finish a 2nd book ever called “ADD and Creativity” which goes in depth abt left brain vs. right brain, career, etc. I really want to persue an education on the vocational path which is more hands on and ideal for my success. I’m highly interested in Graphic Design and looking for financial aid. The bachelor’s degree would land me a job that pays less but I’d be much happier. These private art institutions are said to be pretty expensive. You ask what qualifies a person for a free ride to college? Well in response to that.. I look back at all the struggling I’ve been thru during school and different positions I held and all I can say is that I felt like a hampster on a wheel b/c it was so hard to keep up. I feel like “a child left behind” b/c none of my many teachers ever detected my problem. Not trying to make myself out to be a victim. I’m absolutely blessed that God answered my prayer and showed me why I was having such a difficult time getting ahead and being successful. I think a lot of ppl w/ LD deserve a break. Most of our traditional education systems aren’t designed to handle everyone’s different brain types. If you have a perfectly neurologically correct brain, and your chemical transmitters are connected all the way, then consider yourself lucky! Why are you so concerned w/ the rights of ppl who have LD? Obviously if we have a hard time learning b/c of conditions that exist in the brain, I think it’s only fair that some assistance be provided so that we can progress and have a decent chance at a good quality of life like many of the “normal” ppl in society who don’t have mental disorders. Peace be with you..
Michelle,
I guess you haven’t read some of the other articles by me at this (my) web site nor have you read the about page. I’m LD and I’ve spent the last 20 years advocating for people with learning disabilities as well as doing talks the world over on the right of people with LD as well as how we can become more independent through personal use of technology.
What exactly is a “perfectly neurologically correct brain”? I don’t think this kind of brain exists.
I do think, however that some “brains” seem better suited to traditional educational settings while others learn better in non-traditional settings. Figuring this out allows people who have a hard time with traditional schools to find other, more approriate places to get educated.
A sholarship doesn’t help you fit in at a traditional school so I’m a bit hard pressed to figure out why financial aid is needed in your scenario above. Money doesn’t make learning happen, does it?
You bet your ass money makes learning happen. Colleges require the money before they’ll even let you in the door, not to mention the cost of the supplies, time, effort, and environment to learn in. Besides, who says a scholarship doesn’t help you fit in at a traditional school? Michelle said most traditional education systems aren’t designed to handle different brain types, not ALL traditional education systems. Scholarships can help you get into the schools that
ARE designed that way. Michelle has a perfectly valid reason to be awarded a scholarship based upon her disability, and having both ADHD and Excessive Compulsive Disorder, I know exactly how she feels. She has worked her ass off to get through college, much more so than an average person has to, and she deserves a reward for it. It’s the same way with myself. It takes me sometimes 4 hours to do something it would take a normal person only 2, even when I’m working full tilt, and I believe that extra time and effort deserves to be recognized. That is the whole point with diagnosing us as having disabilites, so other people can recognize that it is harder for us to do things than other people. One more thing, if Michelle is 24 and still hasn’t graduated from community college, then she’s definetely worked at it long enough to deserve some compensation.(providing she has been in the college since right after graduating high school)
William,
I’m still not sure I understand. If I give you extra time, a tutor, a computer that reads to you and make an entire curriculum accessible, isn’t that what you want? THAT is what will make learning happen is it not?
How does giving someone a scholarship (tuition aide) figure into this?
Just because you or Michelle works your ass off (many students, with and without disabilities work their asses off) doesn’t necessarily mean you deserve financial aid or a special monetary dispensation.
Don’t forget, I’m LD too and struggled with high school and college, worked my way through, took many extra years, etc. but I never had the feeling that because I was LD I deserved money? Extra time, yes. A tutor, yes. Various accomodations, absolutely. Tuition help? Why? I don’t see the connection at all.
Everyone has to pay tuition to get in the door to make learning happen. Being LD has nothing to do with your parents’ or your ability to pay. Plenty of LD kids have parents who can afford to send them to $40,000 a year private schools. In what way are those students deserving of financial aid?
Richard, I understand where you are coming from. Right now I’m trying to get into a PhD program. I’m diagnosed w/ ADHD (pardon the spelling errors!) The programs I’ve looked into don’t offer tutors, or any other source of accomodations that require $ (all the programs that are in my region and will not require me to move away, about 5 different programs) . Therefore, I will have to sped quite a bit of money on special assistance to get through my program. As I see it, I would be happy to get the $ for the special assistance, or get some kind of help on tuition. I don’t qualify for many financial aid programs because since there are so little resources available to me in the program, I will have to be a part-time grad. student. Even if for me being a part-time student represents the same amount of workload that the full-time students will, I still can’t get financial aid because of the part-time status. It seems to me that I deserve some financial aid, in whatever shape it comes in…have a tutor provided for me or tuition help to offset the cost of getting a tutor myslef…or whatever.
Patricia,
Getting a tutor is not a scholarship or financial aid. In theory, a school provides that as an accomodation. If the school does not provide it then there are legal issues to be thought out to get them to provide it but again, that’s not financial aid, that’s accademic support.
Whether or not the school pays for the accademic support, there is a difference between that kind of assistance and a sholarship.
Of course, folks are going to have to single one out based on disability to get accademic support, but no one in this thread has yet made clear to me why having a disability qualifies you for a scholarship.
Thanks for your comment Patricia.
Therea are scholarships for people who are left-handed and people who have certain last names. There are scholarships based on race, religion, hometown, hobbies, and career plans. Why is it so unreasonable to think that there might be scholarships for people with LDs? One reason I can think of for offering such tuition assistance would be to increase the number of successful LD people in certain professions. Teaching is an obvious one, but there are others where the nonlinear creativity of some LD minds could be really helpful. I’m not suggessting that you just hand out money to anyone with a diagnosis, but there are committed students for whom a little help could make the difference between getting a degree or not. What’s the problem?
Nancy: your argument is the best I’ve heard so far. Here’s what’s different about it than the others:
1. You give reasons beyond “I’m LD, therefore I deserve assistance”
2. You make the excellent point that filling a school with a heterogenious population is something that some (enlightened) admissions directors want to do and having a different learning style is one of many differences that might qualify.
However, It’s one thing to change an addmission requirement to allow someone to attend a school they otherwise might not be able to get into, it’s another to give a financial reward to someone based on disability, whether or not their parents are millionares.
I’m all for changing admission requirements to fill schools with more diversity, I have questions about using “LD” or “left handedness” as an attribute to look at in giving a scholarship.
Financial aid and admissions requirements are two different things.
Here’s a scenario that may help illustrate my point.
Student A is LD, has poor grades and test scores and his parents cannot afford the tuition at BU.
Student B is LD, has poor grades and test scores and his parents can afford the tuition at BU.
Both students could handle the BU workload if admitted.
Both students would need the admissions requirements modified to gain admission.
Only student A needs financial assistance to go, student B could pay the tuition.
In all other respects, the students are identical.
Which student do you give a scholarship to?
Richard,
FYI: The Eli Lilly Corporation (manufacturer of either Adderall or Strattera) has given 20 scholarships to assist adults with ADHD age 25 and above for the exact reason you are arguing against. Why don’t you try making an educated argument? It is a fact that it takes people with learning disabilities much longer just to go through something such as a chapter in a text book. Couple that with the pressure of having to work for a living. If you are an adult returning to college like me, you will find that loans cannot begin to cover the cost of both tuition and supporting one’s self. $6,000 is the amount used to figure cost of “room and board” for an independant student for an entire year. Who can live on $6,000 a year and still pay rent, utilities, groceries, and car expenses? What I am saying is, it would be nice to have some kind of additional funds available, whether it be in the form of loans or grants, to those who cannot afford to pay for school because of a disability. If it were not for my learning disability, I probably would have time to both work and successfully complete my classes, but taking a 3/4-time course load leaves me with very little time. Next semester I student teach, which requires that we do not work at all. I am wondering how I am going to survive! I already have maxed out 2 credit cards supporting myself over a year and a half. Creditors will not raise my available credit… Student loans are already at the maximum. Do you see what I am saying? If I could manage to read and complete my assignments as quickly as my classmates, I too would have the time to work and perhaps money would not be as big of an issue. But sadly, here it is, Sunday night. I still have a pile of work to do… and a pile of bills to somehow pay.
So please stop with your smug attitude. Nobody is asking for cash to throw themself a pity party.
Amy, I’d appreciate if you’d not attack me, I’m not attacking anyone else I’m trying to discuss this with. Remember, I posed the question to elicit discussion, not argument.
My attitude is far from smug: I’m LD and worked to send myself both through undergrad and graduate school. I think that experience gives me the right to an opinion, whether it be the same or different from yours.
It seems to me that there are two parts to your argument and while I agree with both of them separately I don’t agree that they necessarily are interdependent.
1. ” It is a fact that it takes people with learning disabilities much longer just to go through something such as a chapter in a text book.”
I wouldn’t call it a fact but in many cases it’s true. Some kinds of LD are not all about language processing and so, getting through a chapter is no problem, it’s sitting in class and taking notes that is. But, that’s splitting hairs and I’ll grant you that people with LD of various kinds can have a difficult time with school the way it’s typically set up.
However, that’s an academic issue, not work related. Students who do not need to work for a living have this problem right along side people like you who do. You’re LD. They’re LD. Both of you may need extra time, a tutor, an admissions requirement lessened. Fine. Where’s the connection with money?
2. Your argument is excellent that an adult who has to work and go school might need financial assistance to help them go to school full time rather than have to work, but doesn’t it apply to any adult who works and can’t afford to go to school full time (and not work)?
Your argument (an adult has to work…) doesn’t apply to a younger student who does not have to work and who’s parents can afford the tuition. If it does, please explain.
What I am reacting to is the number of people who are asking for financial assistance purely because they are LD, not because they can’t afford college but because they feel that because they have a disability (or maybe their parents feel this) they are entitled.
“Nobody is asking for cash to throw themself a pity party.”
Really? Are you sure about that? Do you really presume to know everybody and every circumstance? I certainly don’t but I do see a pattern in the ones I do.
Ok let me clarify part of my argument. I do not think that any younger student who is supported by their parents, and therefore does not need to work while in school should receive financial assistance solely on the fact that they have a learning disability. I’m not saying it is still not hard work for them, but at least they have the time to pour their hearts into their studies. My first time through college my parents funded it and I do not feel that I should have received any financial assistance because we did not have financial need. What I am talking about are the adults who, after managing their learning disability, want to pursue a more fitting career or attend college in the first place, but are having trouble doing so because as an independent student, in order to actually survive it is assumed that they can work at least part time without a problem. When taking into consideration how much more time it takes someone with a learning disability to complete the requirements of college, it’s definitely a problem. Not to mention the hundreds of dollars in prescription expenses a person who is no longer covered by their parents’ insurance may have. So I guess my argument is twofold. Being an adult trying to fund one’s own tuition or having a learning disability alone may not qualify someone for any special aid. But coupling the two presents a bigger problem that not many schools seem to have considered. I think the Eli Lilly Company recognizes that, and therefore their scholarship is for people over the age of 25. In addition, only 20 of 150 applicants were chosen, to my understanding, based on need. I wish there were more scholarships or even loans out there for people who fall into this category.
That’s the only point I was trying to make.
Amy: I think you’re getting closer to making a clear argument, thank you for taking the time to clarify.
I’m still not sure why an adult with a learning disability who has to work deserves financial aid any more than an adult without. Most adults going to college who have not gone to college take longer to complete work than younger students who come to college with (some) study habbits.
Most adults who don’t have good insurance have to pay a lot of money for persciptions so I’m not sure being LD adds any more to the burden. Not all LD folks are are on medication for their LD and being LD, as far as I know, doesn’t come with a higher medication burden.
Where I agree with you is that being an adult going to college, either for the first time or again after many years of non-attendance is very different from being sent there by your parents.
But, there are assumed pieces of your argument that don’t hold.
Not all adults are poor. Not all LD adults are poor. Some are, some aren’t.
Some LD adults have high paying jobs, savings, and could, if they chose, take a leave of absense from work to attend college. This is rare, but it’s done.
Some LD adults go to night school while they continue work. This is quite hard, LD or no LD as it’s hard enough to do one or the other but both is terrifically hard. Of course night school might be a single class a term, stretching a degree program out over many years.
More recently online degree programs are popping up. Not all of them are any good, few are accessible to people with language based learning disabilities, but if this type of education and degree program evolves as I think it will, it would be a wonderful alternative to going to a physical classroom and would be a better way for a working adult to go back to school. Why? Because after a hard day of work you don’t have to go to a physcial campus, you can sit in your pajamas and do the work online, at home in your own time and at your own pace. Also, these programs are typically less expensive than on-campus programs.
I’m glad we got sorted out that you weren’t generalizing the scholarship issue for all people with LD. That I just can’t ever agree with.
If I had the financial resources, I’d endow a scholarship for someone who had an uneven track record because of LD–someone with exceptional strenghts in some areas but who had struggled with other things because of the LD and maybe didn’t make the good grades. There are merit-based scholarships out there for people with uniformly good grades, but I don’t know of any for people with uneven academic records.
Are you saying you’d change the admissions requirements to let a person with uneven academic records in if they showed the potential to do college level work? If so, I’m with you 100%.
A scholarship does not change admissions requirements, does it? If you give money to the person you’re talking about they might not be able to get in.
Don’t you have to change the admissions requirements to allow a person with uneven academic history into college? I think so and I’m all for that. I just don’t see, unless there is also financial need that requires a monetary scholarship.
Why would the dyslexic son of a millionaire need financial aid to get into college. Money is not what’s preventing him from getting in, it’s his “uneven academic past.” So, waive admissions requirements and let him in, but no need to give him a financial boost too.
Seems like Richard goes from making some very good points to being devil’s advocate to bring about debate. Either way, I’ve learned a lot.
I’m a parent of a daughter with some pretty strong learning disabilities. She’s a senior in HS and we are now beginning our college search. We transferred to PA from the very destroyed CA school system during the summer before her 10th grade year and the resource assistance here has been phenomenal. Unfortunately, she still spells at a 5th grade level, is a slow reader and cannot take standardized tests. However, thanks to the extra test time and the ability to have her textbooks read to her on tape while she reads along and some other features of her resource program, she is an honors student in a college prep program at one of the best high schools in the state. And she is dilligent about her homework and studying. But because of her disability with standardized tests, the SAT and ACT are out of reach for her, and her extra curriculars have been minimal because of the time she has to devote to homework and studying.
So Richard, as I look at the many scholarships out there, she doesn’t even qualify to apply - no SAT, minimal extra curriculars. We’re going to start putting together her admissions essay and looking at scholarships, but isn’t there something out there for kids who have been putting every ounce of energy they have into competing with the kids who can do it with half the effort? And succeeding? Those other kids get to apply for twice as many scholarships because they have twice as much time for the extra curriculars plus the high test scores. If my daughter could take the test, she could get an academic scholarship, but the test is beyond her reach.
And in this thread, you haven’t answered the question. Is there financial aid specifically for LD college bound people that you know of?
Tracee: trust me, I’m not trying to be provocative, I’m mostly trying to clarify my point of view which it seems few understand or, if they do, don’t agree with. Good thing we’re not all in the same room; I’d be clobbered for sure!
I agree with you that someone with a learning disability who works hard yet can’t show the traditionally accepted signs of achievement is in a bind when the only way to qualify for a scholarship is to prove one’s mettle academically.
I’m with you there.
Where I have a hard time is with the generalization that having a learning disability automatically qualifies you for a scholarship.
As you state, your daughter works hard and is studious. If you can demonstrate that to an admissions officer of a college (sans-SAT and GPA) they may want her to attend and change their admissions requirements for her. This happens all the time. It has not one thing to do with getting a scholarship, it has to do with working around the traditional means of proving that you can handle college-level work.
Here’s my question for you: suppose I’m the head of admissions at a college your daughter would like to attend but can’t because of her grades and SATs. She comes in for an interview and impresses me and demonstrates her maturity and ability to self-advocate and we come up with a plan for her to get tutoring and help if she needs it. In short, I admit her. No financial aid, no scholarship, but I allow her to side-step the admissions requirements.
I think, and you can correct me if I’m wrong, that this puts you in exactly the same place as any parent who’s child is accepted to college and has to come up with a way to pay for it.
So, let’s parse this out. What are you after? Financial aid or a softening of entrance requirements or both?
The part I have problems with is the conflating of the two which assumes that having a learning disability automatically qualifies you for financial aid. For that matter, I don’t think having a learning disability ought to automatically qualify one for a softening of admissions requirements either.
I know this sounds like I’m trying to be a hard-ass or reactionary for the sake of being reactionary but in fact, I have a learning disability and had a hard time with all of this stuff myself. I’m just reacting to a social trend I see happening in the LD world. Maybe it could be called “label abuse.”
“And in this thread, you haven‚Äôt answered the question. Is there financial aid specifically for LD college bound people that you know of?”
I’m sure there is. That’s not my question. My question is should there be.
I think there should be.
There are many scholarships that are not need based and these are really prizes. They are self esteem raising prizes for a student to compete for against their peers who have attained a high GPAs while doing many other things at the same time.
I want my daughter to be able to compete her peers for a scholarship, a prize so she can feel that she is participating in paying for college and yes, I need help paying for it too. But even if I didn’t, why shouldn’t she be able to compete against her own peer group of kids who have to spend their extra time on school work who do not have all of the extra time for volunteerism. So again I say, yes, there should be scholarships for the LD population.
As for the entrance requirements, I sincerely hope they are softened for her. She has been in college prep, but not at the level of a lot of kids. No AP courses, only got as high as Algebra 2 and no Chemistry or Physics. So while her classes were all in the CP program, they are not the same as the kids she will be applying with.
Thanks to your list of colleges, I found a couple that we will be applying to, but now see there is an additional $4000+ fee for those services. WOW! I had no idea that was going to be a part of the picture.
I’ve heard the term “academic waiver”. Is that addressed on your site somewhere? I’d like to learn what that refers to.
And by the way, I don’t think money should just be thrown at a person who has a learning disability. Just think there should be a scholarship category, or even a financial aid category just for those students who have been identified as LD, to compete for financial aid or scholarship. What you have accomplished with your disability in school says something about your character. If you accompished a C average in a single parent working household with LD, that says something about how you are able to guide your own self. Even if you had the resource help. If you failed all of your classes with resource help, that says, to me, that school is not the place for you. Maybe some time off is best. I’m sure I’ll get nailed with that one, but a lot of kids just need time out there to find themselves for a while in my opinion - LD or not. I’m lucky in the sense that we’ll have a tiny bit easier of a time gaining admission to a college - my daughter has a high honors GPA, but only could have done it with the fabulous resource help we’ve gotten in PA because CA schools failed her miserably. They watched movies and did really stupid stuff in her resource classes and are probably the reason she is still spelling at a 5th grade level. It took 3 years here to bring her up one grade level with that.
Tracee: “academic waiver” generally refers to waiving a requirement. For instance, if students with LD have a hard time with foreign language, some schools will provide a foreign language waiver to allow them to take something else instead.
This is actually another discussion topic at this site:
http://www.ldresources.org/?p=929
where I, again, seem to be in a minority and get beaten up. Check it out, it’s an interesting thread.
I really have no problems with academic waivers but what I have a problem with is with parents and students not doing their homework on which schools offer them and which don’t, then getting all bent when a school, which never said it offered them won’t bend when pushed.
Bottom line: it’s very important for you and your daughter to read the college or university’s academic requirements carefully including the particular academic requirements for a degree in the majors she might be interested in (each is different). Then, once you’re familiar with what it will take to graduate, spend some time talking with admissions folks, and teachers in the various departments to make sure you correctly understand what’s required.
Oh, not all colleges have extra fees for academic support, some colleges build it into the regular tuition (which may be astronomical by itself).
For what it’s worth, I went to a community college for a year because I didn’t have the grades or maturity to go to a four year college. For me it was like what is now called a “post graduate” high school year but unlike high school (my experience) I actually learned how to learn in community college. I was lucky to have great teachers and I was anxious to do the work to stay afloat in their classes. There was no LD support in those days at any level but I took a reduced load and in a year transferred to the University of Oregon where I did pretty well. Had I not done community college first I’d have flunked out for sure.
And, since it was so inexpensive as to be almost free, it gave me some cheaper credits toward my eventual degree(s). Something to consider.
Thanks Richard for the added info. Yes, community college is definitely in our plans. There’s about an 80% chance that’s where she’ll be for the first two years, both for the cost reasons and also because it’s nice and local. I did community college before I transferred and there’s no shame in it. We’re still applying to the Universities that have LD programs and depending on the financial assistance, she may end up there, because it really is a different experience and one that I really want her to have. It would have to end up equaling the cost of the community college for me. One great thing about CA is the community college system and the pricing thereof. But here in PA, it’s quite expensive - about $3000/year. Compared to say, Edinboro, a school with a great LD program (without added cost it seems) at $11K with housing, financial aid could make that attainable for me and the LD support could make that attainabe for her. So again, I have to say that it sure would be nice if she could compete against her own peer group for some financial aid or scholarship money for college.
Here is a thought - I’m a teacher have 2 kids in high school - work my butt off to pay their school tution - husband is disabled and will never work again - husband has become a basket of emotional problems - I have very little extra income and any money goes to my kids for their activities (and no they don’t get everything) - I am at the top of my salary ladder - cost of living going up and my salary is not - one son has LD’s, i HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS of dollars to keep him on task and passing ( before high school was in public). I have very little money saved for COLLEGE. public education here is a mess so both go to a small private catholic school
You bet I think it would stink if the kid whose parents have money gets money and my kid does not. I am not and never have asked for assistance although THIS YEAR I cannot afford to just teach and will have to get another part time job. I am doing the best I can but little did I know this would all happen as I got in my midyears.
And some of you write you should get money from colleges just because you have LD - please think of the BIG PICTURE for some people.
Jean: thanks for helping me try to clarify the difference between financial aid and academic waivers or assistance.
My polnt is that the LD label alone ought not be a flag for financial assistance.
Tracee: I realize that the cost of community college has gone up and that it is different in each state, however, it is generally cheaper with more accessible academic requirements than a state university or a private college.
I think the reason many parents don’t choose this route has to do with cache and spin: they want to be able to say that their child is attending BU or another expensive college or university. Nothing wrong with BU but it’s not the only game in town and there are cheaper, high-quality, more academically accessible schools around that should be considered first.
Richard wrote:
I think the reason many parents don’t choose this route has to do with cache and spin: they want to be able to say that their child is attending BU or another expensive college or university. Nothing wrong with BU but it’s not the only game in town and there are cheaper, high-quality, more academically accessible schools around that should be considered first.
This is 100% accurate -
Jean: thanks for the support, I know there are many sides to this issue but I see a lot of that stuff. I started noticing it a while back and wrote about it here:
Spinning Learning Disabilities
Gifted Dyslexics
Is Dyslexia a Learning Disability?
Reading all of those back to back would paint a bit too cynical a picture of me and my ideas, but they are the back-story for my last comment here. My thinking (and writing) has matured in the years since I wrote these essays, however, the world of LD has become much more complex and difficult.
By the way, I am what they call a twice-exceptional student, meaning that I am not only learning disabled, but also gifted. I don’t need a tutor and in fact I tutor others myself, and my parents are fully able to pay for my college education, WAY ABLE TO !! the problem is, da da daaaa, they are not WILLING TO!!!! that is why I need an LD scholarship so bad, I am royally schrewed when it comes to financial aid. Because my parents are so wealthy, financial aid scholarships automatically blow me off, ignoring the fact that my parents aren’t willing to pay any more than about 1/3 of the tuition for college. Those type of scholarships, not to mention federal aid, account for about 90% of scholarships in existence.
Richard, it is interesting that you bring up the point in your September 23rd post about the son of a millionare. I personally know a son of not only a millionare but also the OWNER OF A COLLEGE
(sorry, pressed enter) …. that still received nothing short of a foot up the ASSHOLE in terms of money for college. By the way, he works as a pizza delivery driver now in the restuarant that I work in. It seems that everyone, especially you, are flagrantly steriotyping students with wealthy parents as being wealthy themselves. You keep mentioning students with parents who “can” pay for college while ignoring whether or not they actually “will” pay. As I have previously stated, my family has well over the amount needed for my college education, but that does not mean they are going to give me it. Rich people (though I’m not exactly rich)aren’t all steriotypically like moviestars who blow untold millions on their family members. They still want their children to work for themselves. My dad started in a low income family in England and made every penny of his money himself and expects me and my 2 brothers and 1 sister to do the same. By the way, Bill Gates is more or less doing the same thing, supplying I think 0.02% of his wealth to his family and 99.98% of it to charities and such when he dies, which is still a few million for his sons, but out of 70 BILLION, you see what I mean. The point is, don’t think in terms of what parents CAN supply, think in terms of what they WILL supply. I pretty much know I am going to have college loans to pay off for decades after I finish school, without help from my parents, and I just wish there was some way I could get out of it. I understand that you probably hadn’t considered the fact that parents with money won’t give it to their children, but they don’t want us getting spoiled. Oh yeah, and I disagree with what you said about lowering academic levels for acceptance into college. Learning disabilities don’t automatically mean you will get low gradesin school, even if you have to overcome them. I am ADHD and OCD and I still managed a 1440 out of 1600 SAT score and got into college very easily.+
“I want my daughter to be able to compete her peers for a scholarship”-
so do I Tracee, so do I. The problem is not competing with your peers. It doesn’t work that way. It is competing with unamiginably awesome essay writers from all over the United States, or a specific state, that is the hard part. Don’t think your daughter would really be able to do that even if she wasn’t LD. To have any chance at all against the entire country, you need to at least be in the top 20 smartest student in your own school. So don’t feel like you are missing out.
By the way, there are most definately learning disability scholarships out there. I know of one that I would have signed up for, but according to them OCD/ADHD isn’t good enough as a learning disability. It is called the Anne Ford scholarship for College Bound Students with Learning Disabilities. By the way, in terms of the SAT, don’t give me that “the SAT/ ACT are out of reach for her” crap, you just have to be willing to fight dirty with the college board to get the tests read to her. I got extended time for mine and I saw another kid who had the test blown out into a much larger sized text size, so he could read it better. They should accomidate you, you just my have to hit below the belt. AND DON’T ACCEPT NO FOR AN ANSWER. Also your daughter should really look into those Chemistry and Physics courses, now that we are blessed with the internet. There are a multide of interactive science/ math lessons where you just sit and watch movie/lessons over and over until it sticks in the brain.
sorry for the atrocious grammer, it is late
My college is about
$35,000 per year
NOT including:
Books, room and board, food plan, extra expenses, lab fees, transportation, and equipment costs.
I managed to get the 100% of(comparable) tuition Florida Bright Futures Scholarship, which subtracted an entire $2,000 off of this. The college gave me $12,500
thank God, and combined itself with the aformentioned 2,000 and some other thing to give me a total assistance of $19,500 per year. For tuition only, that leaves 35,000-19,500 which = 15,500 for me, plus maybe 10,000+ for all the other crap, giving me a bill of maybe 25,000 dollars a year, so I’ll be about 100 Grand in the hole at the end of 4 years.
^_^ ooh, one more thing. A good trick for helping out with studies in high school if you are LD is to have your teacher’s phone numbers on speed dial. I have both my Physics teacher’s and Calculus teacher’s numbers.
I have a son that has a language based learning disability and attends a local college prep Catholic High school. has always been a horrible test taker but has a 2,3 average due to on time assignments,projects,participation, etc. He is an Eagle Scout, pole vaulter, won a Point of Lights award for volunteerism from Governor Bush, he has got a great college well-rounded portfolio going on however his test scores will always hold him back. In addition to his testing problems, in Florida you must pass the FCAT in order to receive a high school diploma , that is why we have Paul attend aprivate high school. Are there any colleges that utilize non written tets to assess kids? Also, do LD colleges such as Beacon College in Leesburg, Florida offer scholarships? Paul really wants to attend college, so I am sure that it will be our local community college… THere are tests there as well so we know we will have to have to have Paul take some core classes online to avoid him being in remedial classes forever and to keep the GPA up so as to avoid taking a post test like the CLAST. Any thoughts or help would b most appreciated.. I am an LD teacher and wish I knew of more ways to help kids like Paul become successful without alot of stress in high school and college. Help!!
I just happened upon this site in sreach of a college suitable for my 17 year old son who has been id w/ a LD. I started to read some of the comments, and like everything, you agree with some, and you don’t agree with some. I am going to go back to finish reading the rest of the comments, however! I do not believe that people how has been ID w/ LD are lookin g a free ride of any kind. But that are looking for a fair one. If all of the scholarships are desige w/ high GPA’s in mind (no pon intended)and my son’s mind and others w/LD are not eqipped for that ,but are gifted in other areas, than why should they not be included. Maybe have their own scholarship fund to compete w other people w/LD. Is there such a scholarship out there you know of? Please let me know, I am a single mother w/three children, and bearly receive child support from my EX, so every little bit helps, and my son does want to go to college. THANZ!!!
I am ld,and dyslexic I am an adult, I live in fl, and I want to go back to college and get a BA ( failed out yrs. back) I have compensated a lot since.
Money is what is holding me back, don’t want to take out student loans
looking for scholarships for adults, vs right out of highschool
any info would forever be apprecaited
Richard, I’ve also noticed the disturbing trend in the LD community that seems to believe that students with LD should receive privleges rather than accomodations. From both of our life experiences, I’m sure we can empathize with the motivations for this understandable sentiment, even if it isn’t rational. Whether they are diagnosed early and pathologized, or undiagnosed until higher education, there is a high probability that their academic difficulties have affected their self-image and identity development aversely, to some degree. This foments anger and frustration at the education system, where it often feels like the diagnosis should have been made earlier, and/or that educators are willfully blind to diagnosis and resistant to (especially non-standard) accomodations, due to the financial implications of acknowledging an LD. An unfortunate side-effect, however, is that people often feel they are owed reparations. Another is that the student internalizes their pathologization, and stops taking responsibility for making the requisite effort required of all students.
There is also an incredibly frustrating trend in students to self-diagnose, then ask a professor for accomodations, or seek a false (or weak) diagnosis of ADD for an amphetamine prescription. This undermines the efforts of legit ADD/LD students to gain the sympathy and cooperation of instructors in working with them so they can learn well and be assessed fairly. In this regard, faculty members seem much more able to spot lies than discern truth.
As a student who was repeatedly flagged as gifted during K-8, the possibility that I might have ADD/LD wasn’t even considered when I went from a straight A to a D student in middle school, as the methods of assessment changed. For example, I was placed in conceptual algebra in 1st and 3rd grades (I was the only student and the instructional style didn’t suit me), then again in standard algebra in 8th, then held back because, despite the fact that I got A’s on my tests, I neither showed my work or turned in homework. It frustrated me that I was struggling to meet a mediocre standard, and not striving to reach my potential. It wasn’t until I got detailed testing at 19 that it was discovered that despite my exceptional verbal, matrix, and abstract reasoning, I was well below average in the working memory index, in addition to having severe ADHD and dysgraphia.
During high school, I transferred to alternative independent study (reading, papers, weekly intensive oral exams, self-paced math), and graduated at 16. I went dirctly into the CA community college system, for 8 years, full-time. Since the majority of my problems relate to executive functioning (time management, organization, transitions) or my idiosyncratic learning style, the standard accomodations (time x1,5, notetaker, remedial instruction, etc) were useless, and the accomodations I required (coaching, one-on-one tutoring, alternative assessment) were considered personal in nature, and therefore not mandated by section 504 of the ADA. This has been the source of great personal expense, as has my protracted college career and inability to work full-time. As I am now considering Landmark College (46k a year) for two-years before even getting to a university, since CC is obviously not viable, I could really use some financial assistance.
In my opinion, as there are more and more people with ADD/LD who are aware of it than ever before, over time the more successful ones will begin to endow scholarships for LD students. What I think would be most appropriate is merit-based scholarships that require ADD/LD for eligibility, and assess merit in a more holistic fashion, incorporating motivation, drive, and extra-academic talents and ability. While it would be nice for the state or federal government to provide SOME, it’s likely the majority will have to be endowed privately. I also think that state K-12 systems should have the burden to at least administer a not-exceedingly-detailed (for cost) screening program to identify ADD/LD students early, and should be held liable for any expenses incurred by a student for accomodations not covered by the ADA that they are found to have been “reasonably able” to identify with their testing. (self-interest? *wink*) The argument for this latter program is that if ADD/LDs are identified early enough in a child’s education, especially in children with at least average cognitive ability, then their academic development should be able to be shaped and molded in such a way as to eliminate, or at least mitigate, discrepencies in assessment and ability deriving from the LD, thus saving the expense of non-ADA mandated accomodations.
Austin. Wow, what can I say? I agree with almost everything you say, and you say it beautifully.
Are you hopefull that things will move in this direction? I’m not hopeful that many will take a holistic view of much in our current culture.
I have a recent high school graduate that could benefit to help us cover from expense that it will take to cover for tutorial in all language and math subjects in order to be sucessful.
I have to more boys to follow him.
Check out the amazing progam at the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville Ark. The Jones Learning Center is the most indepth program for an LD college student that I have ever seen. We searched all over the ocuntry for a program that would meet the needs of our Gifted/Ld son and this is it! If you have not heard about it, check it out. Our son will attend there next year as a freshman. The program is costly but they have a lot of different scholarships available.
is there a good site listing scholarship information for dyslexic high school seniors who are college bound?
thanks
I think you have to ask the college or university directly. My guess is that each one offers a different range of financial aid.
Ooooh, i posted this question before reading all of this. Sorry, let me ask a different question (s). Ok, so I have a daughter who is clinically diagnosed with dyslexia, has 2 deviations on the bell graph within her intelligence testing, visual, written, and oral expression disabilities, reading and writing fluency rates on the 5th grade level. So, as you can imagine, she works harder than most. That is the key phrase here. She is in a private, church affiliated, college-prep high school. Has taken 1 AP class and will take 2 or 3 more next year, her senior year. We have tried to get multiple accomodations for her just to help her take tests that would put her at equal with her non-LD peers. But, this i don’t believe is still possible. Her intelligence is, in a few areas, off the chart-the good end! So, we can see that she has great potential in life. She needs to spend more time and more energy just to compete with the children that God blessed with “normal” intelligence with. “Normal” meaning that way that teachers teach, they learn with somewhat minimal effort IN COMPARISON. So, when giving out academic scholarships, aren’t schools giving away money to some perceived effort? Isn’t it actually effort they are trying to reward with money? Isn’t a high GPA/SAT number actually perceived effort? IF this is the case, then my daughter should be considered along side them with different measures. She does work hard, and perhaps even harder. She will not be able to achieve the 1440 on her SAT, not achieve the 4.8 GPA, but her 1150 SAT and 3.4 GPA from her school with her disabilities (not student diagnosed) I would hope would get her in line for something. Scholarships for someone like her, whose effort is great would be a real motivator and a real leveler. Maybe she should be rewarded for her efforts like those with “normal” brains and their high scores. But, maybe I have misunderstood the scholarship purpose. If it is only based on financial need, then why are we talking about GPA’s and SAT’s?
thanks
Robin: great questions, all and I’m no expert, just another person with opinions.
Scholarships are given for many reasons: financial need, rewarding high grades, effort, or acheivement, or, social engineering as in trying to build a more diverse student body beyond what typical admissions policies might bring in.
My concern, as stated beautifully by Austin above, is that things will get generalized (they generally do) to: “I’m LD, I deserve support because of that.”
Want evidence of it? Have you heard about the number of parents who pay to have an LD label put on their kid so those kids, who are not LD, can have extended time on the SAT? Well, that goes on.
So, what I typically react to is folks wanting to make the simple equation: “I’m LD therefore I deserve support.”
You daughter’s situation is different in that, as you’ve stated, there’s an effort and participation piece to it and I would think that the way to build a “case” is to try to have her current teachers document that so that college admissions folks can see it.
If, for instance, Yale said we want her and we’ll change our admissions requirements to get her, would you be willing to pony up the tuition? Or, are you saying that if Yale wants her they have to pay her way or part of her way?
In other words, are you simply trying to get Yale to do the social engineering piece of admissions to diversify their student body with your daughter, or, are you saying that if your daughter gets in someplace (Yale or anyplace else) she deserves financial aid because of her LD, whether or not you can afford to send her there?
I’m all for diversifying student bodies and I don’t want your daughter penalized for being LD, but, again, there’s a difference between Yale admitting her and Yale giving her a free ride.
See my point?
Thanks for your comments, Richard. My main point here is if there are some scholarships for students who are legitimately LD, then I want my daughter to apply for any that suit her needs. Not everyone who goes to college gets a scholarship. “They” do give scholarships for all kinds of reasons: duck callers, certain races or ethnicities, etc. I just want to make sure we don’t miss any opportunities. I do think that offering scholarships to students who prove worthy, in spite of their LD, is a noble cause. It is always a shame when people muddy the waters when they try to cheat the system. This happens everywhere in all scenarios and therefore, in my honest opinion, should not even be brought up in legitimate conversations. It is sad though. I understand your point. My daughter will go to her college of choice from those she is accepted to. She and we, her parents, will figure out how to pay for it. If there are scholarships available to her, then great. I don’t feel like she is owed anything ever from anybody. Her parents are responsible until she becomes of age to take care of herself. I don’t think colleges owe her anything, just a chance, I hope. So, if anyone knows of any scholarships specific to dyslexia, assorted expression disabilities, I would appreciate the heads up. Thanks
I also believe that there should be more scholarships for students with learning disabilities. I have a son, who is dyslexic and dysgraphic, who has worked very hard in HS and as a result has been very sucessful. However, in order for him to continue being sucessful he needs several support services.The only schools that provide these services are very expensive. It would be nice if there was help to defray some of the cost. In addition, these students should be recognized for their efforts and hard work. Perhaps the parents of LD students should set up a fund that would provide scholarships for these students.
Who ever posted the original comment on scholarships for LD students obviously doesn’t have a learning disablity or know anyone who does. LD is something that has to be overcome by all diagnosed if they hope to further their education and they should be given all the help they can. I am going to be a senior in high school this year and I really working on my college search. I also have a learning disablity. Those offering scholarships based on Academic achievement look at the numbers. They should know that the SAT scores and GPA doesn’t always show how hard students work. I have As and Bs but it is because I work 10 times harder that students with similar grades. If a scholarship is to go to a student with a 3.5 GPA and one has LD and one does not the the student with LD is 9 times out of 10 more deserving. If the scholarship is based on financial need and you are choosing between an LD student and a none LD student with similar financial needs, then 9 times out of 10 the LD student will have more expenses. I agree with achievement scholarships for LD students and I can see how families with LD students would have very excessive expenses for higher education and be in need of financial aid.
Whoever posted the origional comment needs to get a life and stop worrying about what other peeople get help with. If this person were at all happy and content with his or her own life they would be happy other people could get financial help to better themselves through education no matter what they are getting scolarship for. Bottom line I agree that scolarships are about money and getting financial help more than help for the actual learning disorder or what ever reasion they are granted it but regardless be happy people are getting money for education not for having babies out of wed lock, or for not working and taking advantage of welfare and medicare. You should really search inside yourself and find out why you are so unhappy you cannot be happy for other people.
I have a son with an anxiety disorder. In order for him to have a normal experience in HS he had to take medication. the meds caused him to have poor performance because it really calmed him and he has become relaxed in follow through. He must have help even in college. But we have had difficulty finding any type of scholarship that would help him get through college.
He’s a very musically talented young man, creates music, plays guitar like I’ve never seen before…and he has a very poor gpa. I am sad…I cant do anything for him financially. and I am scared for him. Where are the scholarships for those with emotional disorders?
Ahhh! Jld has brought up a subject that hasn’t been touched yet…the different forms of giftedness. If you belive Gardner, there are many forms of giftedness:
Linguistic intelligence (”word smart”):
Logical-mathematical intelligence (”number/reasoning smart”)
Spatial intelligence (”picture smart”)
Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence (”body smart”)
Musical intelligence (”music smart”)
Interpersonal intelligence (”people smart”)
Intrapersonal intelligence (”self smart”)
Naturalist intelligence (”nature smart”)
There is a lot of controversy over these ideas, but in my 15 years of experience as a teacher, I have seen shining examples of them all and I wish each could be acknowledged with a scholarship competition.
Look at #4…the physical giftedness….. Every university in the country that has a football team is giving out scholarships for that one! No SATs or ACTs required. So, just because a person is physically gifted, they should be offered a scholarship?
My daughter is musically gifted: she plays piano, sings, plays in the percussion pit of the second best marching band in the state, is the soprano section leader of one of the premier Illinois High School Choirs, as well as section leader of her soprano Madrigal singers, too…(and she’s just a junior.) She is in honors and AP classes and thinks she’s a…failure. Why? Because she can’t keep up more than a 3.20 average due to her OCD/ADD.
We can’t afford her college schooling and have told her she will have to take out student loans. She wants to go into music education and is highly recommended by her HS music faculty. BUT….her SAT’s and ACT’s are not nearly as high as most schools want because of her OCD. (We have never requested accommodations because she was too embarassed.) So, we don’t have a shot at the those big sports or acedemic scholarships.
Soooo….here’s the big question…Why do we give scholarships to kids who are great running backs, even though they have very little hope of doing anything with their education, but
we can’t give scholarships to kids who are great musicians, or mathemeticians, or writers, etc…kids who have much greater hopes of achieving wonderful things at school but can’t hit those high ACT scores either because of LD’s?
I am the Community Scholarship Administrator for the LEAD (Learning and Educating About Disabilities)Foundation. As our mission is to support and educate individuals and families dealing with learning disabilities and AD/HD, it is only natural that we should choose to offer scholarships to students in Colorado with learning disabilities. These students often receive little or no recognition for tremendous amounts of hard work.
There is a long list of successful adults with learning disabilities who have graduated from college and gone on to meaningful professions; including doctors, lawyers, teachers, politicians, business administrators, and so on. They have overcome the obstacles of a “traditional” learning environment” and should be applauded.
There are many scholarships available to a variety of people who have overcome obstacles…..epilepsy, cancer survivors, the hearing and visually impaired. LD is another obstacle that needs to be recognized, and those people who have learned to overcome their LD through self-knowledge, self advocacy and hard work and have been a role model to others with learning disabilities, also deserve recognition. Students with LD and AD/HD often test poorly on college entrance exams, but are still intelligent, hard working and deserving students.
There needs to be more scholarships that look past test scores. Any non-profit that is willing to provide funds for a scholarship for an LD student will expect appropriate documentation of a disability.
Any high school senior who is a Colorado resident with a documented learning disability or AD/HD may find an application for the LEAD Foundation Community Scholarship at
http://www.leadcolorado.org. I very much wish we could provide more scholarships for students with LD and AD/HD across the country.
Salle: how do you choose between all the people who apply? What are the criteria for awarding a scholarship?
The ideal candidate for the LEAD Foundation community scholarship is a student who has faced the challenges of having a learning disability, understands the importance of self-advocacy and self-knowledge in overcoming these challenges, works to educate and help others understand the challenges of having a learning disability, and will serve as a role model for others with learning disabilities. Letters of recommendation from teachers and/or other appropriate professionals, answers to essay questions, and documentation of a disability help us determine the most qualified candidate. We look at G.P.A’s but not at college entrance exam scores.
The criteria is based on students who have gone through the LEAD (Learning and Educating About Disabilities) program at a local high school. LEAD is a four year accredited class that teaches self-knowledge and self advocacy to students with learning disabilities and AD/HD. LEAD students mentor younger students at elementary schools who have learning disabilities. They also travel across the state and the country giving formal presentations on the social, academic and emotional aspects of having a learning disability. They have presented at LDA conferences in New York, Washington D.C., Denver, Atlanta and Florida as well as schools in California and North Carolina. LEAD students are exempt from this particular scholarship as we hope to reward a hard working student who does not have the advantages of LEAD.
My son attends community college with a 100% scholarship (includes books) from the Florida Vocational Rehab. He has ADHD, plus LD in Math and Language, plus another disability called Dysgraphia. He’s bright and makes average grades in low classes. We own our own business and on paper we look pretty wealthy, but truly live on a very tight budget. I have a 5-year old car and discount shop for anything we need. If it weren’t for the FL Voc Rehab, our sons college would be very difficult for us. He has no idea of what he wants to do in the future, is good with mechanics and computers, but refuses to consider these as careers. It’s frustrating as the parent to see free college and him with no direction. I wish for all of you students to get the big picture and attain your goals. A clear goal makes hard work more tolerable when you have a dream to reach for.
My daughter is attending a Community College at this time and will be transfering to a 4 year University in the Fall of 2007. We need information on scholarships available for students with epilepsy. She has had epilepsy since age 12 and does really well with it. Please let me know what is available to apply for. Donnie Ricketts
Donnie:
Pfizer offers a one year, $3000.00 scholarship to 25 students with epilepsy. Go to
http://www.epilepsy-scholarship.com/
Good Luck.
Scholarships to college are primarily based on GPA and SAT scores. Students with disabilities often have an obvious disadvantage in meeting the standards set to receive college scholarships. Does this mean then in addition to the academic struggle to succeed they should also have a built-in financial struggle? Many students with disabilities are already discouraged enough to end their education after High School. We as a society can not afford not to encourage learning disabled thinkers to share their ideas and vision . We reward althetes…We have no shortage of them on college campuses receiving college scholarships.
I’m a 40 year old mother of 3 4.0 GPA teenagers. My parents are both college professors, my bro a famous musician, a former TAG student. Ok, get this. I have recently diagnosed ADHD. Only after many severe car accidents, bombing out of college 2 times, a life time of high-risk behavior, frustration, anxiety, divorce.
Not being able to retain information, I could never really learn any skill. I have the H (hyperactivity) which I used to work, work, work. Cleaning, painting, as hard as I tried, I just couldn’t retain or stick w/learning. I alienated much of my family & friends. Not until I was pennyless could I recieve help. Counseling, (the diaganosis at 40) Concerta. I’ve been reborn! I CAN & WANT to be a Physical Therapy Assistant! Need $. I’m a 4.O student too! Do you see? My life had to fall apart to get this. I have a lifetime of learning to make up for, but have to take care of my kids working a non-skilled job.
Do you think I deserve help? Hey many ADHD kids grow up and end up in prison, killed in car recks, HIV, depression.
Help is out there. Help is prevention. Help is money. No one wants to fail.
Laura, I saw this online and it may be of interest to you. It’s aid specifically for adults with AD/HD: http://www.lifewithadhd.com There’s info on a scholarship from Eli Lilly.
Why are colleges for dyslexic adults or (LD)students with financial aid or scholarships or grants so hard to find?
hi?I’m Uyanga.I’m from in Mongolia.I’m a junior.I’m 18.So i want to study in USA scholarship.what should i do first?pelease tell me!I want to learn more.
I was stunned at the comment that asking for a scholarship is fishy?
If a scholarship request for a LD person is fishy then expecting one for being able to throw a football isn’t? An LD person has expensive technology needs etc. It is not unreasonable to reward a person who is motivated and ernest to achieve. LD persons have had to struggle through most of the educational process. Ones attempting to go to college are hard working. They have to be. Studies have shown that LD students are more likely to work hard. I would be thrilled see funds go to a C average student who is going to work hard. Too many people treat college and university as a 2-4 yr party. LD persons can’t.
Well, I’m the person who made the remark and I stand by it. I’m not saying that no person with a learning disability should get a scholarship, I’m saying that having a learning disability should not be the sole reason for making a scholarship award.
I don’t like the way many athletic scholarships are awarded either so I’m not just singling out people with LD.
The idea is to allow the great football player who could otherwise not afford to go to college a way to go, not just award tuition money to a great football player who otherwise has the recources to pay the tuition.
Same with the person with a learning disability: just being LD isn’t enough in my mind, there also ought to be financial need. Not all people who are LD can’t afford to go to college.
The other related isssue is admissions requirements and I’ve not heard of scholarships changing those things. If a person with LD can’t meet Yale’s admissions requirements and also can’t afford to go, how is giving them a scholarship going to help? They can now afford to go to a school they can’t get into, and, if allowed, in, may not make it through.
My point is that just tossing money at folks who are LD or black or great athletes solely because of their one, distinquishiing characteristic isn’t a great idea.
And, folks with LD can and do party and flunk out of school, just like folks without LD.
i have a huge issue with that comment! that was a very bold statement, needless to say you probably dont have a dissability, well let me tell you that I have ADD, ADHA, bipolar depression, OCD, And an autoimmune disease called lupus. I have recieved no scholorships and no grats there fore I will never be able to attend college. You try and do it!
Angela and Erika: Actually, I do have a disability, a learning disability. If you browse around this web site you’ll find that most of the personal essays written about having a learning disability were written by me. If you browse around the web in general you’ll find my name all over the place, generally on articles dealing with learning disabilities. I’ve been consulting in this area for well over 20 years.
The statement I made is a bold statement and not a popular one. But, I think there is an epidemic, in and outside of the LD community of something that Richard LaVoie calls “learned helplessness” and which I call “professional victimhood.” Whether or not you or people you know abuse the label “LD,” it is abused and used to get accommodations and support where it isn’t needed.
There is a difference between academic support and financial support. If one can’t get into college for academic reasons, tossing money at the situation doesn’t help that. If one needs financial aid, that’s a different matter and both scholarships and loans can make that happen.
I can easily see using a learning disability to waive a Spanish class or get support to pay for a tutor or a note-taker, but I can’t see where having a learning disability alone qualifies one for a financial aid-type scholarship.
I am a mother of a son with Dysgraphia who will be graduating this year. It is not so much that I think “we” have a right to scholarship funds but that it would be a great relief to have funds available. Because of my son’s learning disability we have paid countless tutors while in public school and eventually in high school had to resort to costly small private institutions. On top of private schooling and tutoring there is the costs incurred with testing for learning disabilities and getting it diagnosed so you know how to proceed with your child’s education. Whether it was SYLVAN LEARNING CENTERS or lap tops for class assignments there have been many expenses incurred over the years and will most likely continue through college. Now, my son, Tyler has been a mentor, a role model and other things to his schools but never an over achiever in academics, so what makes it fair “just because” some kids have an easier time of it learning in high school to be HANDED a scholarship, verses someone like my son who has contributed in other ways not to be eligible to even apply for some form of scholarship. When a child receives a scholarship it is the word that brings satisfaction to the family. The parents because it is financial aid of some form and to the kid it is the word scholarship that brings them a feeling of worth to some degree…even if it is a learning disability scholarship. They feel better about wanting to go to college after all the expenses that have incurred on their behalf over the years.
There are many reasons folks get help, why not encourage those who might not continue to struggle academically and possibly financially because of the academics to move forward in the education process. Maybe guideline expectations for scholarships should be rewritten so that they are more accessible by all who work hard, instead of such intense worth being put on a GPA! It is a discrimination in “my book”, one that we have lived with for years now in the education process. If I ran a college I would much rather accept a hard working student with a learning disability scholarship that was a role model in the high school years than some kid with an over achiever scholarship whose character may be questionable. Again, there are so many reasons out there that woman and men alike get scholarships, some because they are in pageants and they win on beauty and go to college, some because they are of a certain ethnic background, why, why not give a scholarship for someone working hard at education. Maybe they can be a teacher one day and work with kids with disabilities or like my son, become a Pastor and give back a little of what they have been given! If politicians can get countless dollars in funding to run for office, if we can give aid to foreign countries, if we can pay movie stars incredible amounts of money to act in a movie…than for god sakes what is so wrong with a fund or two to help folks make their goals attainable! Thanks for listening.
Michelle,
I agree with almost everything you say. But, having a learning disability doesn’t mean that one is a hard worker. I’d award a scholarship in a minute to someone who had a learning disability AND was a hard worker AND who could handle college-level work AND who showed a need for support.
My argument is that having a learning disability alone ought not qualify one for a scholarship. And, having a learning disability AND working hard isn’t enough either. One has to be able to handle the college-level work at the school one wants to get into as well and this is not always the case.
So what if I get a scholarship to to go a school that’s too hard for me and doesn’t have adequate support services to keep me enrolled. I’ll flunk out in my first year.
Richard,
The problem with your argument is you are categorizing the Learning Disabled into a single group of those whom are failing. There are such cases however which a LD is defined as a deficit of one attribute of intelligence while another may be gifted. For instance, you may have a person with LD whom learns information more slowly than others, however once they have learned that information or process are much more adept at applying it.
Case in point, intelligence can not be measured purely by academics and testing. The real proof is in the certain areas which one thrives. If an LD child whom thrives on computational sciences but lacks in all other areas (because of difficiencies in reading or writing) gets a scholarship in the cooresponding science field, than I think the right scholarship has gone to the right candidate.
Chris: I agree with your statement about people with LD being multi-faceted; weak in some areas and strong in others. What I’m not clear on is what that has to do with getting scholarships. Are you saying that a person with LD might receive a scholarship based on academic merit in his or her strong area? If so, of course, that’s what I’m arguing for. That’s the way many academic scholarships are given. Let me know if I’m misunderstanding you. Thanks.
Richard, Thank you for your reply. I guess what I can say here is that when you have a disability it is good to know and work within your limits. By being realistic my son has chosen a very small and again private institution. My son realizes that a college like Baylor or University of Texas would not be be a wise choice for his success. He is not willing to start of his higher education by setting himself up for failure. We have also been very honest with the school administration about his disability and possible accommodations.
I agree with you, just because one has a disability does not mean they are a hard worker. However “if” they show the grades and work to get into a college of any sort then it would be nice for scholarship options to be available for merits other than GPA or SAT achievement
Richard, there are a lot of students without learning disabilities that attempt college and find out that they are unable to handle it, some with scholarships. The thought here is having resources in place to make the goals attainable and then it is up to the student to attain them.
It may be a risk for “ANY” student any way you look at it. It is not up to society to prejudge who will rise to the challenge but up to society to have whatever resources that can be created in place to help “all’ those eager to attempt the challenge! =)
Thanks again for listening!
Michelle,
Well said. Society ought not pre-judge kids with LD as unable to achieve in college. But, I would also argue that society ought not pre-judge these same kids in any other way, including that they can do well in college if just allowed in.
Here’s another stab at what makes me uncomfortable with this:
I’m LD but I would never want my LD to be my defining characteristic, even in an academic context. If I were in a position to get a scholarship, I’d want the award for my creativity or originality, not a label given to an aspect of my learning profile that has traditionally been called a disability.
If you think of a scholarship as an award given for outstanding achievement, it’s the achievement, not the fact that the person was LD that gets the award. Yes, it’s meaningful that that a person with LD achieved something but singling out “LD” as the reason for the scholarship seems to leave out the achievement.
As you say, LD AND hard work = scholarship.
But then we go back to splitting hairs on how to define hard work and one person’s hard work is another person’s easy work. Of course, for people with LD most kinds of academic work are hard so when we actually do the work, it’s an achievement. But, somehow this rings false to me as a reason for an award.
If I ever got recognition for academic work, I’d want to get it relative to my peers, not because I achieved more than some think is possible for someone with LD. Like with Stephen Hawking, I want the disability to be an afterthought, not my defining characteristic.
Thank you for posting and listening. It’s a fascinating discussion that I’ve been having for many years, here and elsewhere.
ARKANSAS - Consider this. I have a Daughter that qualified and received an ARKANSAS ACADEMIC CHALLENGE SCHOLARSHIP (AACS) to attend the University of Arkansas. This $1300.00 per semester was based on our family income and her High School academic performance. This was a great relief to know that a small protion of her continuing education would be covered (about 1/5th of the costs).
The problem with this type scholarship is they do not take into consideration young people with LD’s. My Daughter suffers from ADHD and has to put more than twice as much time into a “B” as a non LD student would to get the same grade. The ARKANSAS CATCH - To continue receiveing the scholarship, the student must complete 30 credit hours each year (15 per semester) AND maintain a 2.75.
My Daughter sucessfully juggled lightweight courses with hard courses and was able to maintain the 2.75 until the last semester of her sopohomore year. Her couses increased in difficulty and she ended up with a 2.65. For this effort, she lost her support.
I believe the biggest system flaw is there is no relief for financially based scholarships if the LD student cannot keep up with the expectations of the non-LD students. There just seems to be something wrong with that formula.
We were not looking for a free ride for our Daughter. We were just looking for some assistance. I do know my Daughter does have something to offer this world in the future. Many LD students have doors closed in their face. They can succeed, just not at the level of many non-LD students.
We are VERY GRATEFUL for the finiancial assistance my daughter received from the State of Arkansas. We are obviously disappointed the State does not see the difference. If she were allowed to take 12 hours per semester she would have had no problem keeping the State award. It comes down to UNDERSTANDING and RECOGNIZING the students with LD’s have something to offer, but they are fighting a HUGE uphill battle.
We will not let her down. We will find a way to cover the costs. Maybe someday, those controlling the awards will recognize the playing field is not level. ARKANSAS (of all State) needs its youth to continue their education. They are the future of our State.
Reggie: Thanks for posting this, it’s exactly the kind of situation I’m trying to put into sharper relief.
It seems to me that you are saying that students with learning disabilities who apply for scholarships and are competing with non-LD students need to have their LD taken into account in the award process.
How would this work, exactly? Is there a formula to determine how fewer classes your daughter would need to take to make up for her ADD? This is where I think this entire area is a slippery slope as all people with learning issues, classifiable or not, are different. Some might not benefit at all from fewer classes and more time.
There is one thing that seems to be missing from this debate. It seems that most of the argument centers around how hard people work, or how deserving they are. What make you think that universities grant scholarships based on either of these. A commenter recently noted scholarships fro those that are athletically gifted. They don’t give these scholarships because the students “deserve’ them )although they might, nor because they work hare (although they most likely do). Universities give these and other scholarships because it benefits the university in some way. All the arguments about adults having to work, or putting in more time are meaningless. That is not what decides scholarships. Also, before anyone attacks me on the basis of my personal experience, I have two LD kids. The oldest just graduated from law school. I got my education as a working adult, and yes it was hard, both financially and in terms of time for family and other things. As long as the argument is focused on what students “deserve”, it will go nowhere. Shift the discussion to how LD students will benefit the university, and you might make some progress.
My son is a rising senior who achieved a 1480 SAT and a 3.6 weighted GPA (3.5 unweighted. from a very academically stringent private school.) He is an athlete who has played sports all 3 seasons throughout highschool and hopes to run track in college. He works as an Aid helping learning diabled students in religous school, and is ceritfied as a class 8 soccer coach. He spends inordinate amounts of time on homework, as he has dysgraphia and ADD, and some social anxiety as well. My son works very hard on his studies and his grades, which, while good are not great. He has never been recognized for his efforts in his very academic private school. He has never received a prize or aard for his achievemnt or hard work. Most colleges which require SATs in the 1480 range also want 3.8 to 5.0 weighted GPAs. We believe he would do well in an Ivy League environment, as he is quite intellectual and motivated. The question is whether he should include in h is application the fact that he has had to work twice as hard as the other brillant kids in his grade to get a GPA, which doesn’t reflect the level of understanding he has in his courses or the time and effort he expended. Is there any college admissions officer out there who could shed light on whether he should explain just how difficult it is to achieve all that he has achieved, despite that his GPA isn’t quite high enough. We don’t want him to appear as he is making excuses for himself and using his disability as a crutch. Yet explaining his disability would explain why he hasn’t excelled in school academically( Not that a B+ average is bad.) and socillay (He has avoided school clubs or activities which rely in part upon social skills. Clearly, he will be accepted to college, but we don’t want to damage his chances at a 1st or 2nd tier college which may not want a LD student using up their resources. I can’t help but believe that there are some enlighted admissions officers who would embrace a student, like my son, if they only knew what it took to achieve all that he has. Perhaps the colleges don’t want to announce it, as they might be bombarded with sobb stories and loads of excuses for poor grades and board scores. Anyone out there have the inside scoop?
I am a High schooler with A.D.H.D and my G.p.a is really low because of it which Eliminate most scholarships for me because of my learning disability I learn Much differently but many high schools don’t recognize that mine sure doesn’t
I don’t believe there is anything wrong with getting any monetary support for college if you have a LD. My husband has had LDS all his life. Yes his mother could have received disability monies for him as a child but she refused to get it and also did not want him to be stigmatized. She also refused to put him in special ed because of the same reason. He did receive speech therapy up until his freshman yr in High School, but then it stopped because they said he was fine. All through High school he struggled and the education system didn’t help they just passed him through. After High School he tried to go into the army but he couldn’t passed the test. He even took the test 3 times. When He entered into college, he got f’s and D’s and then decided to quit because he was so fustrated. It wasn’t until last year that he finally decided to be tested for any LDs and finally received any help through the student service department. He now is doing better, even though he still struggles. It is getting to the point where he won’t be able to work because the class load is going to require too much time. We are now faced with trying to make it financially because he has already cut back tremendously from his 9 dollar an hour paying job.
I think that there should be some grants and awards out there to help students such as my husband. I mean, I see soo many college students get soo much money just because their parents don’t make enough or they are children of immigrants or because their family consist of more than 2 people. I also couldn’t believe that EOPS
(a program at our community college to help educationally challenged and low income students) deny my husband any benefits when he is at an educational disadvantage. I see students who are immigrants from all countries and students who have had drug addictions get to be qualified for EOPS and grants so why shouldn’t my husband and students in the same situation not be considered for monetary help. Not to mention that he was working 37 hrs a week plus taking 3 classes(10units) last spring semester, and then financial aid awarded him work study. Why should he have to work more on top of his already many work hours and go to school full time with him having learning disabilities?
If you (the writer of this topic above)
have learning disabilities why wouldn’t you want help? As someone else said in there response, if a someone is gifted(academic or sports) they have a chance to earn a free ride to college, why should they have better privilages?Because they are so called “Smarter.”
The reason I came across this webpage was because I did a search for “scholarships for students with learning disabilities. I think there is a gray line to cross regarding money for students with disabilites. It is called short-term memory processing deficit. This was diagnosed late in his Sophmore year of high school. Therefore, his grade point average is not high enough for most scholarships. He needs extra accommodations and assistance which many colleges do not offer. My son wants to be an engineer. WE have found a school that can accommodate everything he needs and has smaller class sizes. The problem we are having is that it is $38,000 a year compared to the Public University at $11,500 per year. So, my point is that there should be some kind of assistance when it comes to services not being offered. Or, all colleges should be required to offer services for students with disabilities. This would mean that they would have to cover every disability out there. So, why wouldn’t there be more scholarships out there based on the well-rounded individiual. Did I mention, my son made Eagle Scout at age 15 without any accommodations. He’s also a 3rd year Camp Counselor. So, although he does not have a great grade point average, he is a great person who deserves a chance to go to a good college that can accommodate him. We cannot afford his tuition at the best college for him. So, I hope we can find help somewhere. He also student teaches at his high school for engineering classes. What a great kid.
Michele, great that you found the right school. Do they offer financial aide for your son and you? If you quality for financial aid you should be able to get it in spite of his disability.
Ironically enough I have come upon this discussion while searching for scholarships related to my learning disabilities. I understand why at first glance monetary support for students with learning disabilities may not make logical sence.
However, most scholarships I have found are awarded to students on the bases of their merit with respect to their learning disabilities. There are trials of self advocasy, internalized/institutional/interpersonal discrimination, and self image that deserve to be comended. There is a characteristic experience of hopelessness that is typical to both LD students and minorities. I am a hispanic women in the sciences with dislexia and ADD. I would go so far as to say that I am more deserving of a scholarship because of my LD status than my gender or ethnicity. I have never cried because of my gender or ethnicity. While they will inevitably affect my success, the impact they have on individuals is recognized. There are stronger programs in place (however faulty) to adress their importance. Society would frown on someone telling me that my gender and ethnicity are not real. As an LD student people with no background knowledge or experience feel entitled to explain my disorder to me -a feat that I still don’t pretend to have mastered. This in turn affects policy decisions and creates internal confussion.
I want to tranfer to an institution where I can focus more on my studies and less on self advocacy. As a student I don’t think it is too much to ask for a scholarship that will allow me to get the support I need to narrow the gap between my potential and my actual performance. I’ve always assumed that was the purpose of scholarships.
Cristina: Are you talking about financial aid or a scholarship?
Look up “scholarship” in the dictionary. Here’s how my dictionary defines it:
“a grant or payment made to support a student’s education, awarded on the basis of academic or other achievement.”
Are you saying that folks with LD are all deserving of scholarships because they have LD? If so, in what way does that fit the idea that scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic achievement?
Anyone can apply for financial aid to help them pay for school. However, even if they got the financial aid