2012 NFB Scholarship Program for Blind College-Bound Students
Are you legally blind and will you be a full-time college student attending the fall 2012 semester in the United States or Puerto Rico?

The National Federation of the Blind Scholarship Program application form is online at www.nfb.org/scholarships, along with all rules for eligibility, the list of requirements for a completed packet, and additional information. (A print application form is available upon request.)

Scholarships Include:
• 1 for $12,000
• 1 for $10,000
• 2 for $7,000 each
• 4 for $5,000 each
• 22 for $3,000 each
• Plus additional gifts for each winner

The deadline to submit the application form and all required supporting documents is March 31, 2012.

American Foundation for the Blind Scholarships
The American Foundation for the Blind, AFB, is offering 11 scholarships totaling $19,000 in 2012. Scholarships are in these amounts:

• 1 award for $500 – restricted to student in full-time graduate study, any field.
• 5 awards for $1,000 each – 4 different restrictions (graduate or undergraduate in rehabilitation field/teacher of the blind or visually impaired; graduate or undergraduate female in study of classical or religious music; graduate or undergraduate in study of engineering or computer, physical or life sciences; 2 awards restricted to undergraduate females in a four-year degree program for literature or music).
• 4 awards for $2,500 each – graduate or undergraduate in rehabilitation or education of the blind or visually impaired.
• 1 award for $3,500 – graduate or undergraduate, but preference given to new immigrants to the U.S. residing in the New York City metropolitan area.

Information and application forms are available at www.afb.org/scholarships.asp. The deadline to apply is April 30, 2012.

Join the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute for a free, forward-looking webinar on the changing world of educational video description on Tuesday, January 24, 2012.

This exciting and interactive presentation is perfect for teachers, administrators and parents who want to know all about the latest developments in video description technology and how it can help blind and visually impaired students in every educational setting.

Topics include: 1) A teachers’ guide to using video description; 2) A comprehensive overview of resources for obtaining described materials; and 3) A sneak peak at the description technologies of the future being developed at the Video Description Research and Development Center, VDRDC.

This innovative webinar is presented by the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP), in collaboration with the Video Description Research and Development Center (VDRDC) and the Description Leadership Network (DLN). Register now at http://webinars.dcmp.org/ to reserve your seat at the table.

Paul Grossman, Chief Regional Civil Rights Attorney for the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (San Francisco) and Disability Law Professor at UC Hastings College of the Law will address the accommodations and services available in higher education.

When: Tuesday, January 24, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Where: Ed Roberts Campus (Osher Room), 3075 Adeline St., Berkeley 94703

Sponsored by the Workers’ Rights Disability Law Clinic, a project of the Legal Aid Society-Employment Law Center (LAS-ELC) and the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF).

For more information, please call 415-864-8848 or email WRDLC@las-elc.org.

Listen in by conference call at 800-450-7156, passcode 5009434.

Nonprofit organization disABLEDperson Inc. announced its fall 2011 national scholarship competition for college students with disabilities. The competition ends on October 15, 2011, with an award of $1,000 going to one recipient.

In order to qualify, students must be enrolled in a 2- or 4-year accredited college or university in the United States. They must be a full-time student and U.S. citizen (minimum of 12 credits for undergraduate, 9 credits for graduate). High school students or college students who are not attending classes full-time are not eligible to apply.

To participate, go to https://www.disabledperson.com/ and click on the Fall 2011 National Scholarship Competition for College Students with Disabilities link at the top of the page.

The form on the registration page must be filled out completely; incomplete or fraudulent forms are unacceptable. Spelling and grammar are imperative, so please submit carefully edited drafts only.

Upon winning, the student will provide proof of disability through their disability student services department. Disability is defined as described under the ADA: “A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such an individual.”

The winner will be announced on https://www.disabledperson.com/ on October 31, 2011. All decisions made by disABLEDperson Inc. are final.