Money makes the world go 'round and money is certainly an important factor for many when considering education and employment. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, One out of every five adults with disabilities has not graduated from high school, compared to less than one of 10 adults without disabilities. In addition, Unemployment rates for working-age adults with disabilities have hovered at the 70 percent level for at least the past 12 years, while rates are significantly lower for working-age adults without disabilities. Some people may find it difficult to go to work or school with a permanent physical disability, and it often has a lot to do with funding.
When people are born with physical disabilities or acquire a disability when they are young, funding problems often start with the parents. Parents of children with disabilities often have to take a lot of time off work, many times without pay, and the loss of income hurts even more with mounting medical bills. As a result, when parents cannot afford higher education for their children, their offspring may become stuck in a dead end cycle of receiving poor pay due to lack of education. People who acquire a physical disability later in life may find it difficult to find a good job – or a job at all – resulting in little income. And going back to work is not easy, either. They may not be able to perform the same job as they did before, sometimes resulting in less money. And many people may become too depressed to even try to work again.
Amputees entering education or the workforce may have many questions. “Will my application receive the same consideration as that of an able-bodied applicant?” “Will I be paid the same as an able-bodied person in my same position if I have to take excessive time off from work?” “Will I need assistance to help me complete my tasks, and will that assistance be available to me?” “Does the organization or institution have adequate sources of funding to accommodate my special needs?” “Are there programs or funding out there to assist me with my educational goals and career objectives?” Money has to do with every one of these concerns. An organization or institution cannot be adequately pre- pared to assist a person with a physical disability unless personnel receive proper training and programs and facilities can be made accessible. This all requires money, and, fortunately, funding sources are becoming more abundant.
Grants and scholarships are forms of financial aid that are based on demonstrated need and are not paid back to the supplier. Grants are given for a variety of reasons (including educational and vocational), but scholarships are generally given only for educational purposes.
More and more grants and scholarships are being created for and awarded to people with disabilities and the organizations and institutions that wish to accommodate them. Most grants are awarded to organizations and institutions that want to help break down the barriers to education and the workforce that exist for people who have disabilities. Even though grants generally do not award money to individuals, the funding provided to organizations does a great deal of good by enabling those organizations to create special programs to help people with disabilities in education and the workplace. For individual assistance, many scholarships are now available that specifically target people who have or whose parents have physical disabilities. The government has become a leading resource for information and assistance for people with disabilities who want to go to school or work. In 1998,President Bill Clinton signed into law Executive Order 13078,which established the Presidential Task Force on the Employment of Adults with Disabilities to evaluate federal programs to determine what can be done to remove barriers to employment for people with disabilities.
Most recently, President George W. Bush's New Freedom Initiative was developed. "I am committed to tearing down the remaining barriers to equality that face Americans with disabilities today," President Bush says in the foreword to his New Freedom Initiative.
"My New Freedom Initiative will help Americans with disabilities by increasing access to assistive technologies, expanding educational opportunities, increasing the ability of Americans with disabilities to integrate into the workforce, and promoting increased access into daily community life." A full-text version of the New Freedom Initiative can be found on the U.S. Department of Labor Web site ( www.dol.gov ).
In 2001,the U.S. Department of Labor announced $11 million in grants that were given to 33 recipients in support of President Bush's New Freedom Initiative. The recipients will work to develop or strengthen programs and initiatives to enhance opportunities for people with disabilities in Department of Labor work- related programs, and programs deemed to be successful will be imitated across the United States. This year,$6 million in grants is available, administered and funded through the Office of Disability Employment Policy, in two categories: Customized Employment and Innovative Demonstration Grants for Youth with Disabilities. Also in accordance with the New Freedom Initiative, the U.S. Department of Labor is offering $6 million under the Working for Freedom, Opportunity and Real Choice through Community Employment (Work- FORCE) Grant Initiative. Through this initiative, funding is provided to nonprofit organizations or groups of nonprofit organizations to assist with the organizations' development of community employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Applications for various U.S. Department of Labor grants for people with disabilities are now being accepted. For more information, visit the Web site at www.dol.gov/odep or see notices in the Federal Register.
Other government resources also provide funding information for people with disabilities. The disAbility Employment and Initiatives Unit is within the U.S. Department of Labor and provides a comprehensive list of grant programs, a state-by-state resource guide, and other information that can be accessed by visiting the disAbility Online Web site ( wdsc.doleta.gov/disability ).
The Clearinghouse on Disability Information, operated by The U.S. Department of Education, can be contacted by calling 202/205-8241 or writing to Clearinghouse on Disability Information, U.S. Department of Education,330 C. Street, SW, Room 3132,Washington, D.C.20202-2524.
There are other organizations and nongovernmental funders that specifically help people with disabilities through grants and scholarships. The HEATH Resource Center publishes "Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities," a guide that provides information about federal and other aid programs for students with disabilities. It also publishes a helpful guide entitled "Vocational Rehabilitation Services . A Postsecondary Student Consumer's Guide." For more information about either of these guides, contact the HEATH Resource Center at 800/544-3284.
Scholarships
For scholarships, perhaps the best place to start is by simply contacting your school's financial aid office or using the local public library. Another way is by using a free scholarship search site on the Internet, like the one operated by FastWeb,Inc. ( www.fastweb.com ), which allows 
customized searches to find scholarships that are individually tailored to suit each user. FinAid Page, LLC, provides information about all types of financial aid for students that can be accessed from the Web site ( www.finaid.com ).For veterans seeking to further their education or their children's, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs has information about educational benefits for veterans and their dependents.
Clearly, there are myriad funders that help people with disabilities get into the workplace or get an education. Actually finding the help may be the biggest obstacle. Besides the resources here, a simple Internet search will yield even more results; it just takes time to go through them all. However, the time spent on finding needed funding may well be worth it. The money is out there, so happy hunting, and good luck!
