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If you have a disability, there's a layer of funding — scholarships, grants, and state vocational-rehabilitation support — built specifically for you, on top of all the scholarships everyone else can pursue. Here's where to look and how to make the most of it.
National disability-focused scholarships
Several national awards support students with disabilities broadly — among them the Google Lime Scholarship (for students in computing), the AAHD Frederick J. Krause Scholarship, and Incight. Search "scholarships for students with disabilities" and filter by your field and disability type.
Condition-specific organizations
Many nonprofits tied to a specific condition (autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, blindness/low vision, deafness, epilepsy, diabetes, and more) offer scholarships to students they serve. The National Federation of the Blind, for example, runs a large scholarship program. Look up the organizations connected to your condition.
Your state and local vocational rehabilitation
State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies can fund college, training, and assistive technology for eligible students with disabilities as part of an employment plan. In Arizona, this runs through the Rehabilitation Services Administration. It's not a scholarship exactly, but it can pay for substantial costs.
General scholarships you also qualify for
Don't limit yourself to disability-specific awards. You're eligible for the same merit, need-based, local, and identity-based scholarships as everyone else. Disability awards are an addition to — not a replacement for — your broader scholarship search.
Vocational Rehabilitation is underused
State VR agencies can cover tuition, training, and assistive technology for eligible students with disabilities pursuing employment goals — often a much larger source of support than any single scholarship. Many families never learn it exists. In Arizona, ask about Vocational Rehabilitation through the state.
Document and disclose on your terms
Disability scholarships usually ask for documentation of your disability. You decide how much to share and where. Disclosing for a scholarship is your choice — and separate from registering with a college's disability services for accommodations.
Connect with your disability services office early
Your high school case manager and your college's disability services office often know about scholarships, and they can help with documentation. Start these conversations early — both for funding and to set up accommodations.
Pair it with assistive-technology funding
Beyond tuition, look for grants and VR funding for assistive technology, note-takers, and other supports. Lowering those out-of-pocket costs is its own form of financial aid.
The biggest mistake is treating disability scholarships as your whole search. They're a bonus layer — you should still apply for local, need-based, merit, and field-specific scholarships like every other student. Stack all of it.
Build the full picture: keep your accommodations in college, run a broad scholarship search, and find aid you might be missing in the aid finder.