Post-secondary institutions nationwide have made great strides in accommodating people with disabilities, understanding that a college or university education is extremely important to all people. From wheelchair ramps to special services in and out of classes to entire departments dedicated to people with disabilities, a post-secondary education is more available than ever.

That said, we all know education costs a pretty penny; books, courses, and living expenses quickly add up. For people with disabilities, extra expenses are often a factor, meaning more money with more barriers.

Luckily, there are several financial resources available for students with disabilities.

An organization dedicated to this pursuit is the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS), which has the mandate to support full access to education and employment for post-secondary students and graduates with disabilities across Canada. They offer a database of resources, employment workshops, conferences, and special projects, all focused on access to education.

“We address all aspects of post-secondary access and services, and we’re a cross-disability organization,” says Frank Smith, national coordinator. “It covers the gamut from physical disabilities to students who are deaf and hard of hearing to those with learning disabilities.” They also represent students with mental health issues and blind or visually impaired, and everyone in between.

NEADS partners with a number of organizations to strengthen its reach, such as theCouncil of Canadians with Disabilities, the Canadian Federation of Students, and theCanadian Alliance of Students Association, among others.

In the last decade, the organization has developed two financial awards programs: The NEADS National Student Awards Program, worth $3,000, and the Holly Barlett Memorial Award, worth $1,000.

“The NEADS student program started first and is moving into its eighth year,” says Smith, “and the Holly Bartlett award began four years ago, honouring a former NEADS board member who passed.” Through partnerships with various companies, private sector funding, and individual donors, NEADS has given out 67 tuition scholarships.

“We consider them to be tuition scholarships, as they are primarily set up to support the cost of feed that students would have to incur, so the scholarships are not paid to the students directly; they’re paid to the university of the college awards office.”

To be eligible, NEADS looks at a variety of factors to select recipients. “We look at the balanced student who is both good in their studies and also an outstanding, well-rounded person,” says Smith.

Chelsea Mohler was the recipient of the NEADS National Student Award in 2010 and 2011, partially funding her master’s degree in rehabilitation science.

Mohler has congenital glaucoma and was born with no vision, although through corrective surgeries, she now has partial vision. She went on to complete two degrees and has been employed in roles doing important work for people with disabilities.

“I completed an eight-month contract where I worked on a project looking at how to make science laboratories and practical spaces within courses that are comfortable for students with disabilities,” she says. She spent her time conducting interviews with professionals in the community, looking at methods and best practices for practical learning environments outside the science lab context. “A lab in a physical therapy school or an occupational therapy school and, of course, we were responsible for retrieving and synthesizing literature as well.”

Her funding helped her develop the skills and research in her master’s necessary to excel in these roles. “I had a research assistant so it helped me cover some of the costs for her and, in my last year as a graduate, I didn’t live in London, Ontario where I did my master’s—I commuted when I had to be on campus from Toronto—so it helped with that.”

Mohler was chosen because of her reference letters, her answers in her personal essay, and her extensive involvement in the community. In the future, she hopes to continue to help others and find solutions.

“My interests are inclusion and higher education,” she says. “I also have a vested interest in the area of employment of people with vision loss.”

To find out more about NEADS and their funding initiatives, check out neads.ca.

Photos: John Gomez/Thinkstock