Better Hearing & Speech Month is observed each May. In honor and recognition, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) encourages students who are blind, deaf, or have a visual or hearing impairment to apply for scholarships through the Blind or Deaf Beneficiary Grant Program.
The state-funded Blind or Deaf Beneficiary Grant Program is administered by PHEAA on behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The grant program is available to eligible Pennsylvania students who are blind, deaf, or have a visual or hearing impairment, attend a postsecondary school on at least a half-time basis and maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the postsecondary institution.
“Blind and deaf students face unique challenges when pursuing their dream of higher education,” said Senator Wayne Fontana, Chairman of the PHEAA Board of Directors. “The Blind or Deaf Beneficiary Grant Program was established and funded by the General Assembly to help reduce the cost of their education and, hopefully, ease that burden for them.”
In addition to the previously mentioned eligibility requirements, applicants must supply written documentation to PHEAA showing they have been evaluated and are eligible to receive benefits from the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) or supply documentation from their physician regarding their visual and/or hearing impairment. They must also file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) for the academic year for which the grant funds are being requested.
Scholarships up to $500 are available to blind or deaf students enrolled in postsecondary institutions for the 2025-26 academic year.
“At PHEAA, it is our mission to provide affordable access to higher education to everyone who wishes to pursue it,” said James Steeley, PHEAA President & CEO. “We encourage all blind or deaf students who are Pennsylvania residents and enrolled in an eligible institution of higher education to take advantage of the Blind or Deaf Beneficiary Grant Program to help make higher education a more affordable option for them.”
Interested students must download and complete the Blind or Deaf Higher Education Beneficiary Grant Application found at https://www.pheaa.org/funding-opportunities/other-educational-aid/blind-deaf.
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