Brenda Edel, Barrier Free Saskatchewan Vice President was asked to be one of three individuals with diverse accessibility and inclusion experiences and expertise to assist in the NEADS Scholarship interview and determining the scholarship applicants qualifications.
Brenda Edel was one of three Student Awards Selection Committee members to review 262 English applications for the 2022 NEADS (National Educational Association of Disabled Students) Student Awards Program Scholarship selection committee.
The NEADS National Student Awards Program is offered to encourage full access to post-secondary education for persons with disabilities, who often have greater barriers to participation in higher education, as well as extra costs because of their disabilities. Students must currently be registered in and continuing at post-secondary institution and provide documented proof of registration as part of the application and on receipt of the award. The award will be offered to outstanding applicants who meet the criteria of the program. The awards are paid directly to the post-secondary institution (in the students accounts) that the recipients are attending to defray the cost of tuition fees for post-secondary study.
Online information
Eligibility
NEADS Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada and , must have a permanent disability. And , currently enrolled at a post-secondary student institution as a full-time student
For the purpose of these awards, a permanent disability is a permanent functional limitation which affects the ability of the student to participate fully in post-secondary education.
Criteria to be considered for the NEADS award:
- Self-advocacy
- Strong commitment to your academic discipline
- Exemplary record of volunteerism and/or employment
- Demonstrated potential to be an outstanding participant in the community
There are different types of awards available
- NEADS National Student Awards ($3,000 each)
- NEADS Holly Bartlett Memorial Award ($1,000)
- NEADS Christine Nieder Memorial Award ($1,000)
- AMI Robert Pearson Memorial Scholarship (2 at a value of $5,000 each)
The number of awards given each year is subject to the amount of funding received.
Once a NEADS application has been submitted, it will be reviewed for completeness and adherence to the guidelines. Assuming all guidelines are met, selection committees review applications based on the selection criteria described above.
Due to the volume of applications received, only those selected to receive an award will be contacted.
It was with great honour to participate in this process. The applicants I reviewed were all very worthy of the scholarship and it was a very challenging task to narrow down the applicants.
Each NEADS applicant had a very special story and travelled unique journey’s in life and each one deserved the opportunity to receive the support of the NEADS Scholarship. This is a very worthwhile cause and I strongly support donations to NEADS to advance our young individuals with disabilities to make their education process smoother and become the future!