Introduction

Disability is a challenge, presented to those who can fight against the odds and find their way toward a bright future. Education imparts knowledge which enlightens the brain to continuously stay positive and progressive. People with disabilities many times tend to fall behind others in the race of grabbing the opportunities to go abroad or even plan for their higher studies. 

Not to worry, here in this blog, we will tell you about the scholarships and grants for physically disabled students, which you can avail yourself to carry on with your higher studies even abroad along with the different career options that have a good scope in future so that you can work hard and make yourself successful as per your definition of success.

1. Post-Matric Scholarship for Students with Disabilities

The scholarship is being offered by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Government of India. It is a scholarship scheme for physically disabled students from class 11 to the postgraduate level. It is aimed to motivate students with disabilities to earn their livelihood by getting employed after pursuing a quality education. Students selected for the scholarship will receive a book grant, disability allowance, maintenance allowance and reimbursement of compulsory non-refundable fees.

Amount - Up to INR 1.5 lac per annum for non-refundable fees

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, the applicant must - 

  • Be a student of or from Class11 to post graduation from any UGC/AICTE recognised university
  • Be an Indian national
  • Have an annual family income of less than INR 2.50 lakh
  • Have more than 40% disability certified by the competent authority

Selection Criteria

The following factors will be taken into consideration for selecting the scholars -

  • Availability of slots
  • Fulfilment of eligibility criteria
  • Recommendation of the State Education Department
  • Academic merit of the student

Important Dates

  • Scholarship Closing Date: 31st October 2022
  • Last Date for Defect Verification: 15th November 2022
  • Last Date for Institute Verification: 15th November 2022

Note - 

  • Employed students with income less than the scholarship amount are also eligible to apply for this post-matric scholarship.
  • Students pursuing their course through correspondence are also eligible
  • 50% of scholarships are reserved for female candidates.

2. AICTE Saksham scholarship scheme

AICTE Saksham Scholarship scheme is for differently-abled students who are already first-year students of technical degree/diploma courses in any of the AICTE-approved institutions. The scheme is being implemented by the All India Council for Technical Education AICTE to support and encourage specially-abled students to pursue technical education.

An amount of INR 50,000 will be awarded to the students annually for every year of study, which will cover their college fees, purchase of computers, stationery, books, equipment, software, etc.

Amount - Rs. 30000 for tuition fees.

Eligibility Criteria 

To be eligible, an applicant must - 

  • Have more than 40% disability certified by the competent authority
  • Be a student in the first year of degree/diploma level course or second year of degree/diploma level course through lateral entry in any of the AICTE-approved institutions.
  • Not have a family income of more than INR 8 lakh per annum

Documents

  • Class 10 and 12 mark sheets (as required)
  • Previous financial year’s annual family income certificate in the prescribed format issued by a Tahsildar or official of higher rank.
  • Proof of taking admission in a degree/diploma course issued by the Directorate of Technical Education
  • Disability certificate issued by the competent authority
  • Receipt of tuition fee
  • Bank account passbook seeded with applicant's photograph, account number, IFSC code along with the Aadhaar card
  • Caste certificate (applicable for SC, ST, or OBC candidates)
  • Duly signed declaration by the parents confirming the accuracy of information provided in the application form

Selection Criteria

The candidates will be selected based on the fulfilment of the eligibility criteria. 

Important Dates

  • Scholarship Closing Date: 31st October 2022
  • Last Date for Defect Verification: 15th November 2022
  • Last Date for Institute Verification: 15th November 2022

3. National overseas scholarship

The National overseas scholarship scheme is an initiative by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to facilitate the meritorious students belonging to socially oppressed classes, which hail from economically weaker backgrounds. So, they obtain higher education like master's or PhD courses by studying abroad at various universities in Canada, Germany, the US, etc, thereby improving their economic and social status. The scheme also gives a chance to the students who return to India after concluding their studies, that they serve the country in a government office for a minimum of 5 years.

Amount - Partial funding of up to 17000 USD is offered

Eligibility Criteria

  • For Masters: Minimum of 55% or its equivalent at the undergraduate level is required.
  • For Doctorate: Minimum of 55% or its equivalent at the master’s level is required.
  • Maximum Permissible Income Limit: Total family income should not be more than 6,00,000 INR.
  • Children Criteria: Only two children of the same parent can get the benefit of the National Overseas Scholarship.

Along with fulfilling these requirements, applicants need to achieve the minimum required score in tests like IELTS, GMAT, PTE, GRE, etc. 

How can you apply?

Students are required to fill and submit the application form along with necessary documents within the established deadline. As of now the deadline to submit the form is closed for the academic year 2022 intakes but it will surely be reopened for the intakes next year, so be ready to grab the deal as early as possible.

The Ministry requires all the students to submit self-attested copies of the following documents:

  • All Degree/ Diploma/ Certificate along with mark sheets
  • Proof of Date of Birth
  • Family Income Certificate
  • Offer Letter from College/ University

Field of Study covered by the National Overseas Scholarship:

  • 32 seats in Engineering and Management
  • 17 seats in Pure Sciences and Applied Sciences
  • 17 seats in Agricultural Sciences and Medicine
  • 17 seats in International Commerce Accounting and Finance
  • 17 seats in  Humanities and Social Sciences 

Note:

  • Bachelor's Degree courses are considered ineligible for the scholarship
  • Candidates already studying or settled abroad will not be considered for the scholarship
  • Preference for selection will be given to candidates with relevant experience. 

4. Scheme for Financial Assistance for Skill & Entrepreneurial Development

The main objective of the scheme is to train the specially-abled persons to make them self-dependent through proper technical training in the field of traditional and technical entrepreneurship and occupations. Financial assistance under this scheme for conducting the training is provided:

- Through the Bank implementing NHFDC schemes

- Through the State Channelising Agencies

- Through the training institute/ organisation, where the training is conducted by NHFDC 

Eligibility Criteria

The beneficiaries of this scheme should be in the age group of 15-50 years and fulfil the other eligibility criteria for availing loan from NHFDC because:

The scope of the scheme is limited to - 

  • Potential beneficiaries who wish to avail loan from NHFDC and fulfil the necessary conditions for availing loan.
  • Beneficiaries whose loans have been sanctioned but not yet received.
  • Beneficiaries who have already received loan amounts through the SCA/Bank implementing NHFDC schemes and are successfully pursuing their income-generating activity. 

Benefits  

The complete recurring cost of the training programme is provided by NHFDC under this scheme. 
The recurring training cost is given along with a stipend of Rs. 500/- per week per trainee to cover the cost of transportation and other incidental expenses. 
How can you apply?

  • Submit your training proposal to National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation run by the State Channelising Bank/Agency implementing NHFDC schemes
  • Reputed State/National level training organisations may also directly approach NHFDC with their training proposal. 

Note: The training proposal is to be prepared in alignment with the guidelines for the preparation of training proposals under the scheme. 

5. Scholarship for Top-class education

The Scholarship for Top-Class education scheme is an initiative by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India for Scheduled Caste students who have taken admitted at the postgraduate or undergraduate level to pursue higher education. The scheme aims to recognize and promote quality education among scheduled class students beyond Class 12.  On average, a total of 1,500 fresh scholarships are disbursed every year under this scheme.

Amount - Full funding of Rs 3.72 lakhs is offered

Eligibility

To be eligible, an applicant must - 

  • Belong to the Scheduled Caste category
  • Clear Class 12 successfully
  • Have taken admission into pre-notified institutions through general selection criteria.
  • Not have an annual income of more than INR 6 lakh from all the sources

Benefits

The selected scholars will receive -

  • INR 2.00 lakh per annum for full tuition fees and non-refundable charges in case of private sector institutions
  • INR 3.72 lakh per annum for private sector flying clubs for commercial pilot training.
  • INR 2,220 per month for Living expenses
  • INR 3,000 per annum for books and stationery
  • Computer/Laptop with UPS and Printer purchasing cost:  INR 45,000 (one-time assistance)

Documents

  • Caste Certificate
  • Bank account details of the student and the institution
  • Scorecard of entrance exam qualified (if applicable)
  • Proof of admission
  • Income Certificate
  • Fee structure of the program

In the modern world, amidst dynamic technological advancements, it has become easy for disabled students to find high-end paying jobs not just in their native country but abroad as well. Even though students with disabilities may feel anxious about searching for employment opportunities and revealing their disability when applying for a job, the times have changed now. Today, people with physical disabilities can pursue wide-ranging and growing career opportunities, especially with the increased reliance on remote work 

1. Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing or Hearing Loss Dental Hygienist/Dentist

Dentistry requires little to no talking, that’s why it could be a dream job for individuals with hearing loss. The average pay for this job role ranges between  $73,000 and $160,000, with both upper and lower limits set to grow much faster than the national average in the coming years, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS).

2. Visual Impairment Financial Analyst

Individuals with a knack for offering guidance to businesses about financial decisions keep this job role on their hit list. This high-powered job role does not require complete dependency on vision. Moreover, for any written portions of the job, braille text, audio or readers could be used to work smoothly.

3. Chronic Health Condition Real Estate Broker

The profession of a real estate broker allows them to mostly work from home and even schedule appointments as per their convenience. This could be a dream job for individuals with chronic health impairments, as there aren’t strict requirements on their time. The job typically pays a base salary of $46,400, with many opportunities for commissions and bonuses. 

4. Learning Disability School/Career Counsellor

It may seem implausible at first glance but think of it in this way: who could better counsel students and job-seekers than those who understand the challenges of living with learning disabilities? Creative professionals are required to work in this role, who is emphatic and can think outside the box to help every student. The job role is in demand right and is expected to offer a salary of nearly $55,000 per annum.

5. Mental Health Disorders Landscape Architect

The daily work of landscape architects requires them to explore the beauty of nature and harness their creativity to produce beautiful landscapes. In addition to offering a convenient and flexible work schedule, this job role serves as a motivation for employees with disabilities to stand out, meet new people and face the world. Positions in this job role offer a median annual salary of more than $63,000.

Conclusion

To empower specially-abled students, several scholarships and grants for physically disabled students have been launched by the Government of India. Not only this, various  NGOs and corporates along with renowned universities, have also turned up together in this collective effort to merge & mix differently-abled students into mainstream society. 

We hope the information provided to you in the above article was helpful for you to decide and choose the best scholarship scheme for yourself or anyone you know. Moreover, though we have already mentioned a few future career options for students with disabilities, don’t restrict yourself to just those options because you are capable of doing anything that you can think of and for you, the sky is the limit.

Still not sure which scholarship would be the greatest fit for you or if you’re qualified for which scholarship? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. You can click here and check the other scholarship opportunities for yourself. Also, you can get in touch with the team of WeMakeScholars to get assistance in processing your education loan.

Thanks for reading this blog on Scholarships & Grants for Physically Disabled students. If you are interested in learning more about studying abroad and student life abroad, then we highly recommend you to read: