Scholarships and Financial Assistance
DASS Scholarships and Financial Assistance
SMU has two scholarships that are designated specifically for disabled populations:
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The Peggy R. and Constance Harrison scholarship for students with disabilities who demonstrate financial need, with preference given to those with speech, language, or hearing problems; and,
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The James A. Sutton scholarship for students with disabilities, with priority given to those with a physical limitation.
Please email dass@smu.edu for specific deadlines and application requirements. The Harrison and Sutton scholarships typically have a mid-May deadline.
State Agencies
Programs and services previously provided by the Texas Department of Rehabilitation Services (DARS) have been transferred to the Texas Workforce Commission and Health (TWC) and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC).
Students should contact their local TWC and HHSC offices to determine eligibility for services. Note that the goal of these agencies is to help people become employed. Financial assistance can come in several forms, including: tuition expenses, books and supplies, tutoring expenses, and technological aids.
Internet Resources
Scholarships.com disability scholarships
College Grant disability scholarships
A Student Guide to Financial Aid
Funding Strategies for Students with Disabilities from DO-IT
Search the US News and World Report Education section for disability scholarships
Jim Lubin's Makoa site contains lists of disability scholarships
The Incight Disability Schoalrship for residents of Washington, Oregon, and Califormia.
Exceptional Children award programs
The Horatio Alger Association's Scholarships
Lime Connect offers distinct scholarships with our corporate partners that support the education of current students with disabilities.
Vitality Medical Disability Scholarship Program
Marc Whitehead and Associates' Flora Marie Jenkins Memorial Disabilty Scholarship
National Federation of the Blind scholarship programs
National Federation of the Blind, Texas offers Texas-specific scholarships.
American Foundation for the Blind lists their current scholarships and application details.
The Mary P. Oenslager Achievement Awards from Learning Ally.
Scholarships.com maintains a list Deaf/Hard of Hearing scholarships, award amounts, and due dates.
Karmen Healthcare maintains the Mobility Scholarship Program, awarding two scholarships each year.
Mays Mission for the Handicapped offers scholarships to students with physical and/or mental disabilities. "It's ability, not disability that counts." E.W. Mays, 1967.
The Amputee Coalition is proud to offer two scholarships each providing $1,000 toward tuition for the academic year to a full-time undergraduate student who has a congenital limb difference or has had an amputation.
1800Wheelchair has been awarding one or two scholarships each year for well over a decade.
Kerry Magro, a young man on the autism spectrum, started the KFM Making a Difference Scholarship program to help others who have autism.
John’s Crazy Socks along with the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation for Autism co-sponsor the Autism Can Do Scholarship. The program offers three scholarship prizes ranging from $1000-$5000.
The Organization for Autism Research’s scholarship program awards $3,000 scholarships to students across the autism spectrum.
The National Bleeding Disorders Foundation offers scholarships for women and men with Hemophilia or von Willebrand Disease.
The Patient Advocate Foundation offers scholarships for students under 25 that are or have been diagnosed with cancer or a critical or life-threatening disease
Scholarships and financial aid are available through the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
A scholarship program is offered by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
UCB, Inc. is a major pharmaceutical company that has been offering scholarships to students with epilepsy for over 10 years.
The Spina Bifida Association's Scholarship Program offers several scholarships for students with Spina Bifida, spinal cord injuries, and other conditions.