American Council of the Blind Scholarship

The American Council of the Blind’s (ACB) Scholarship Program was established in 1982.  The American Council of the Blind (ACB) and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) have now partnered together to offer educational scholarships ranging from $2,000 to $7,500 for those attending a technical college or as an entering freshman, undergraduate or a graduate student. 

This program awards students with scholarships to help with post-secondary education financial needs such as tuition, fees, room and board and other additional costs associated with adaptive technology.

To be eligible for a scholarship, applicants need to be legally blind, maintain a 3.0 GPA to be eligible for most scholarships, be a full-time student (as well as students who work 32 or more hours per week and attend college part time), and be involved in their school/local community.

Annual Amount

$2,000 to $7,500

Additional Selection Criteria

To be eligible for a scholarship, applicants need to be legally blind, maintain a 3.0 GPA to be eligible for most scholarships, be a full-time student (as well as students who work 32 or more hours per week and attend college part time), and be involved in their school/local community.

Application Process

Applications for the 2023-2024 school year can be submitted online from November 1, 2022 to February 14, 2023 11:59pm (CST). 

All interested candidates must register for a new ACB account prior to submitting a scholarship application online. Once you have created an account with ACB, please login and then you can access the scholarship application from the link at the top of the the site.  Visit this link to create an account or login:  https://members.acb.org/

You will need to include the following documents with your completed application:

1. Certification of legal blindness from an ophthalmologist, optometrist or physician. Legal blindness is defined as an individual who cannot see better than 20/200 in the best eye with glasses or contact lenses or whose visual field in the best eye is 20 degrees or less at the widest diameter with glasses or contact lenses.
2. A transcript(s) from the school you are currently attending. Entering freshmen will need to include their high school transcripts and graduate students will need to include undergraduate transcripts. Unless extenuating circumstances exist, a 3.0 cumulative grade point average is required.
3. Two letters of recommendation from a current or recent instructor, career counselor or employer.  Please submit each letter of recommendation separately.
4. Proof of acceptance from a post-secondary school. Entering and transferring students must submit a notice or letter from the admissions office certifying acceptance or consideration for admission. If this is not available when the application is submitted, it must be submitted as soon as it is available. Students continuing at the same school attended during 2022 will not need to submit this document.

For more information, please contact the ACB Office at (612) 332-3242 or (800) 866-3242 or send an email to:  scholarships@acb.org.  We look forward to receiving your application materials.

Deadline

February 14, 2023

For the application or more information go to:
https://www.acb.org/scholarships