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Education

1. I want to go back to school? Who can help me?

1.1. Accessible College-Personal Student Guidance

New Services to Better Support Students 

Accessible College serves the unique needs of students with physical disabilities and health conditions and their families. Students and families have many tasks ahead of them during the process or preparing for college, including identifying college accommodations (academic, residential, and programmatic) and preparing the student to be able to self-advocate. Families may also have to hire a Personal Care Attendant (PCA), and/or navigate different aspects of the students’ care. These processes take a lot of time in order to make sure we can get it right!

We work with students across the country via Zoom starting in the 9th grade through graduate school to provide customized support in the following areas:

We know that consistency is key when working on college transition. For families that are interested in Physical Disability College Planning and Health Condition College Planning, we have created the College Access Pass! The College Access Pass is a monthly membership designed to support your student. We have found that meeting with students monthly allows us to create structure, comprehensively address needs, and measure success. 

We offer packages for Executive Function Coaching and Post Transition College Coaching, as well as hourly rates. We also offer consultation, training, public speaking for high school guidance counselors, IECs, schools, groups and healthcare providers.

Don't wait! Contact us for a FREE 30 minute consultation today! 

A limited number of free consultations have been made possible through a funding partnership with CDRF.




1.2. Education Department Eraseing Loans For Borrowers W/Disabilities

Education Department Will Erase $5.8 Billion In Loans For Borrowers With Disabilities


1.3. Vocational Rehabilitation Offices

By contacting your local vocational rehabilitation office, you will tap into a wealth of resources related to employment options for people with disabilities. Vocational rehabilitation (VR), a state-supported division of services, assists individuals with disabilities who are pursuing meaningful careers. VR assists those individuals to secure gainful employment commensurate with their abilities and capabilities through local job searches and awareness of self-employment and telecommuting opportunities. Policies for providing financial assistance to persons with disabilities who are attending postsecondary education vary among State VR agencies, depending in part on the resources available to the State VR agency. In many cases, even the most generous of financial assistance provided by VR agencies will not cover all of a student’s expected expenses, leaving a need for additional funding. In addition to VR, some states have separate agencies serving individuals who are blind and visually impaired.

2. Financial Aid

2.1. Federal Student Aid - An office of the U.S. Department of Education

Federal Student Aid

Many people are eligible for financial aid. Read about the types of financial aid available from the government and other sources: grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study. You can also learn about who qualifies for aid, how to apply for aid, how to stay eligible, and how to get eligibility back if you’ve lost it.

 

2.2. DisABLED Person

disABLEDperson, Inc. National Scholarship  

disABLEDperson, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to reduce the high unemployment rate of individuals and veterans with disabilities. disABLEDperson, Inc. conducts ongoing scholarship competitions. Their competitions are for those who are enrolled in school, and who can provide proof of enrollment. Check their website periodically, as they update their information intermittently.


2.3. Free-4U.com

The National Database of Scholarships

2.4. Apply for Scholarships

Scholarships are a great way to help pay for a college education. Please visit FastWeb to see what scholarships you may be eligible for. What are you waiting for? Get applying!

***Also visit the list of individual scholarships in the FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE knowledge book!

2.5. Disability and Student Debt Relief Program

Students with Disabilities debt-relief Program
If you’re totally and permanently disabled, you may qualify for a discharge of your federal student
loans and/or Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant service obligation.

Bureaucracy Jams Up Student Debt Relief for Disabled Borrowers

Recently announced student debt forgiveness for ‘totally and permanently disabled’ people leaves many at the mercy of a bureaucratic and somewhat random process.

On August 19, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it will automatically wipe out $5.8 billion in student debt for some borrowers with disabilities, removing a hurdle in the bureaucratic obstacle course that keeps Americans from accessing resources they’re owed. People who are “totally and permanently disabled” have been able to apply for loan discharge for decades. But the program is underused, since current rules make people undergo a three-year monitoring period to prove that they are poor. Approved beneficiaries have been bounced for failing to supply regular proof of low earnings. Others are deterred from applying altogether by the complicated rules.

The idea behind the new relief is simple: If you develop a work-limiting disability after taking on student loans, that debt should be automatically canceled. “This is going to be a smooth process for our borrowers,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a press call on the changes. “They’re not going to have to be applying for it or getting bogged down by paperwork.” But the automatic relief was confined to a small subgroup, leaving most disabled Americans still stuck in the bureaucratic morass. And even within the qualifying group, the long-delayed benefit may not reach all members.



3. Preparing for College

3.1. Wheels on Campus A Guide to Wheelchair-Friendly Higher Education

Wheels on Campus: A Guide to Wheelchair-Friendly Higher Education (2020)

New Mobility has released the most comprehensive college guide for wheelchair users ever created. Wheels on Campus identifies 20 schools that go beyond the letter of the law to create wheelchair-friendly campuses and cultures for a truly inclusive college experience. “We wanted to find those gems, those schools that really go above and beyond to say, ‘Your wheelchair is welcome here, your service dog is welcome here, you are welcome here,’” says project director Jean Dobbs.

3.2. Accredited Online Colleges

Accredited Online Colleges will help you find an accredited program should you choose to enroll in an online program.  Accredited Online Colleges lets you search through countless accredited schools, based on a variety of criteria, to find the accredited college that best meets your needs.

3.3. Online Colleges and Disability Education

Online colleges and disability education is an article that discusses the advantages of online education for someone living with a disability.  It provides helpful links as you choose the best direction for your higher education.

4. Internship Opportunities

5. Assistive and Adaptive Technology

6. Parent Resources for Children in School

6.1. National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHY)

NICHY provides you a wealth of information on disabilities!  It is a central source of information on disabilities in infants, toddlers, children, and youth.  The site offers easy-to-read information on IDEA, the law authorizing early intervention services and special education.  The State Resource Sheets will help you connect with the disability agencies and organizations in your state.

6.2. individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

The Department of Education’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) website, brings together IDEA information and resources from the Department and their grantees. Parents, students, educators, service providers, can find resources related to the education of children with disabilities. 


6.3. Yellow Pages for Kids

Yellow Pages for Kids

This site will help you find educational consultants, psychologists, diagnosticians, health care specialists, academic tutors, speech language therapists, advocates and attorneys.  It will also direct you to governmental programs, grassroots organizations and parent support groups by state.

7. Veteran and Military Education Resources

8. Other Education Resources

8.1. Class Action

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973's Section 504 and the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) require that no qualified person with a disability be excluded from postsecondary educational programs. A "qualified individual" meets the academic and technical standards required for admission to the school or program. After admission, accommodation must be made in a timely and effective manner to allow the qualified students to participate in the program. However, such accommodations can be made only if the student reports the disability to the institution's designated person or office, provides documentation of the disability to be kept confidentially on file with that person or office, and requests disability-related accommodations. Read the full article now!

8.2. AHEAD

AHEAD - The Association for Higher Education and Disability provides helpful information for parents and their children, living with a disability, who are ready to transition from high school to higher education.

8.3. Very Special Arts

VSA, the international organization on arts and disability, was founded more than 35 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to provide arts and education opportunities for people with disabilities and increase access to the arts for all.

8.4. The road back to school after spinal cord injury

The author, who has C-5 quadriplegia, writes about his journey from hospital bed back to college after his injury at age 19. Read the article

8.5. We Connect Now

We Connect is dedicated to uniting college students with disabilities in access to higher education and employment issues.

8.6. AMBUCS

National AMBUCS™, Inc. is a non-profit service organization consisting of a diverse group of men and women who are dedicated to creating mobility and independence for people with disabilities.

8.7. Education and Traning Programs

This is a listing of education and training programs related to SCI for individuals with SCI, their families, and rehabilitation/health care providers.

8.8. Online courses-free

Online Courses is a free University and will be slowly expanding our collection of open online courses, classes, lectures, podcasts and more along with introducing our new application to help structure your learning.