Top Scholarships for People with Glasses or Contacts

With so many different types of scholarships out there, students often search for any scholarship category that they might fall into. So, it makes perfect sense that many scholarship seekers end up searching for scholarships for people with glasses or contact lenses. However, while there may have existed some scholarships for students with impaired vision in the past, they are no longer available.

If you are legally blind, jump to the end of our article for a few scholarships you might qualify for; however, the majority of glasses and contact wearers are not. For anyone out there who is not legally, blind, we’ve assembled a collection of resources to help you on your scholarship hunt.

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Start local

One of the most underutilized tools in searching for scholarships is the ability to seek out local opportunities. While it may be more convenient to search the internet for scholarships all around the nation, these competitions typically have far more submissions, making success less likely for each applicant.

On the flipside, local scholarships only allow applicants from a specific region, meaning they typically receive far fewer applications. While they may not offer awards as big as nationwide competitions, they can often be a better use of your time.

When it comes to finding local scholarships, you have a few options. A great place to start is your high school guidance counselor – they are usually plugged in to many of the best opportunities in your area. Next, you can investigate some local community organizations. Many of them offer their own scholarships, and others compile lists of local scholarships for the benefit of students. You can also show up at a local community center and see if there is any literature there about local opportunities

Also see: How to find local scholarships

Your parents’ employers

Here’s another one that many people don’t take advantage of – checking for scholarships through their parents’ (or other family members’) employers. Many employers offer scholarship opportunities to the families of their employees; whether this is a guaranteed award or access to a scholarship application, this is definitely worth your time investigating. 

Make sure to ask as early as possible, as sometimes, companies have yearly budgets for educational benefits, and once they run out, they stop offering them for the year.

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Use scholarship lists

If you’re searching for this list, you’ve already got the right idea. Every aspect about you could qualify you for a scholarship – your cultural identity, your geographic location, your academic interests, your extracurricular activities, and more. Try to identify everything about yourself that might qualify you for scholarships and seek out a list of scholarships in that classification.

To start off, try our lists of scholarships by state, by academic interest, and our list of exclusive scholarships. Also check out our list of easy scholarships, our list of essay scholarships, and our list of no-essay scholarships.

Check in with your college

Once you’ve been accepted into a school, try checking on their website or contacting financial aid officers to find scholarship opportunities! Oftentimes, they will either offer scholarships or know about opportunities that would fit you well. 

For example, there are some state-wide endowed scholarships that universities may be able to help connect students with, such as the Austin E. Knowlton Memorial Scholarship for math majors all across Ohio. These schools want you to attend – that’s why you were accepted! So, they will do whatever they can to make it a financially viable option for you.

Try our scholarship search tool

Scholarship lists are great, but how great would it be if instead of searching for scholarships, you let them come to you? With our custom-matched scholarship search tool, you’ll just have to input your interests and other information one time, and from then on, we will bring you custom-matched, vetted, and daily-updated scholarship opportunities.

This is one of the best ways to find scholarships; every time you log on, you’ll be met with a new host of opportunities and any scholarships that have already closed their deadlines will automatically disappear from your view. To use your time efficiently and reserve your energy for putting together strong applications, try out our free scholarship search tool today.

Scholarships for legally blind students

Now that we’ve gone over some of the best ways to find scholarships, let’s get into the scholarship opportunities that exist for students who are legally blind.

American Council for the Blind Scholarship

• Eligibility: Certified legal blindness and admittance to an accredited post-secondary institution
• Amount: $2,000 – $7,500
• Deadline: February 2023 (Expected to open November 2022)

AER William and Dorothy Ferrell Scholarship

• Eligibility: Legally blind students who are studying in a field to provide education to other legally blind people
• Amount: Varies
• Deadline: April of every even year

Lighthouse Guild Scholarship

• Eligibility: Students who are blind or visually impaired
• Amount: Varies
• Deadline: March 31

National Federation of the Blind Scholarship

• Eligibility: Legally blind students pursuing full-time post-secondary education
• Amount: Up to $8,000
• Deadline: March 31

These scholarships are all specifically for legally blind students, but remember – if you are legally blind, you should also be sure to check out scholarships for students with disabilities. There are many more of these available, and as a legally blind student, you will qualify for them.