KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) is encouraging young persons with disabilities to take advantage of scholarships being offered at both the secondary and tertiary levels.

Executive Director of the JCPD, Dr Christine Hendricks, told JIS News that scholarships available to persons with disabilities include the Margaret Moody Scholarship, the Jamaica Society for the Blind Scholarship and the Marlon King Memorial Scholarship.

The Margaret Moody Scholarship, administered by the JCPD, is open to persons pursuing studies at the diploma, associate degree or bachelor’s degree level.

Hendricks said the scholarship scheme was established with the objective to provide financial assistance to persons with disabilities to enable access to tertiary education and courses for specialist qualification, and to encourage academic excellence among persons with disabilities.

She further said that the scholarship aims to impact the ability of disabled persons to integrate into the employment sector and to strengthen the sector through improved self-advocacy; leadership for community development; and the stimulation of a more positive attitude for self-actualisation among persons with disabilities.

The Margaret Moody Scholarship is named in honour of a former nurse, who bequeathed a grant of $582,392 to the community of disabled persons when she died in 1985. The money was invested on behalf of the sector and the interest from the investment is used to finance the scholarship annually.

Scholarship grants do not exceed $150,000 per student per annum and can be used for tuition, boarding and other academic material.

Hendricks said the Jamaica Society for the Blind (JSB) Scholarship is for persons who are blind or visually impaired, while the Marlon King Memorial Scholarship is for persons with all types of disabilities, except blindness or visual impairment.

Scholarships are valued at $50,000 at the secondary level and $100,000 at the tertiary level.

The deadline for application to the three scholarships is July 31, and applicants must be registered with the JCPD to be eligible.

All application forms are available on the JCPD’s website at www.jcpdja.com and at the JCPD’s office at 18 Ripon Road in St. Andrew. The application forms for the JSB Scholarship and the Marlon King Memorial Scholarship are also available at the Jamaica Society for the Blind at 111½ Old Hope Road.

Interested persons may also contact the JCPD at 968-8373, 968-0623 or 926-9374-6.

 “We want to encourage persons with disabilities, some who may never have heard about [these scholarships], to apply. We know that from time to time persons have challenges finding money for tuition, particularly at the higher level. So, we want them to know assistance is available,” Hendricks said.

She added that the scholarships are particularly important to the disabled community, as they give a fair opportunity for access, without the possibility of discrimination.

Hendricks also encouraged persons with disabilities to check with the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Office, for Special Student Services; and the UWI Centre for Disability Studies for additional scholarship options.