Media

NEADS Accepting Applications to the Fall 2026 Financial Assistance Program

Deadline: Friday, October 16, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time

(Ottawa, Tuesday, September 8, 2026)

The National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) is now accepting applications for the Fall 2026 semester of the NEADS Financial Assistance Program. The NEADS Financial Assistance Program is a recent, exciting merger of the previous NEADS National Student Awards Program and Accessibility Resilience Program.

This program is intended to offset the high costs of education for students living with disabilities and encourage full access to post-secondary education for students living with disabilities enrolled in undergraduate, graduate or professional degree programs at recognized Canadian universities, or in certified diploma programs at Canadian colleges or CÉGEP.

Emphasis will be placed on students living with disabilities who belong to one or more systemically disadvantaged groups, including but not limited to: Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Metis, Inuit), Black Canadians, racialized communities, members of the 2SLGBTQI+ communities, Women and gender diverse people (in relation to STEM fields), or a first/second generation Canadian.

Important Update

The funding that previously supported NEADS’ $2,000 needs-based grants has ended. As a result, these grants are not currently available for the Fall 2026 semester. NEADS continues to actively seek new funding opportunities to reinstate this important stream of financial assistance for students with disabilities.

In addition, NEADS is running a CanadaHelps fundraising campaign to raise funds for the Financial Assistance Program. Any funds raised through the campaign before the Fall 2026 application deadline will be used to create additional $2,000 needs-based grants to be awarded as part of this application cycle.Applicants and members of the NEADS community are encouraged to share the campaign with family, friends, local businesses and their broader networks who may be interested in supporting financial assistance for post-secondary students with disabilities.

To learn more about the campaign, ways to donate, and information that can be shared with others, please visit: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/neads/campaign/neads-fap/

Partner-Funded Scholarships Still Available

While core needs-based grants are paused for the Fall 2026 semester, NEADS is pleased to offer the following scholarships and awards through the Financial Assistance Program. Available this semester are:

• AMI Robert Pearson Memorial Scholarship (2 scholarships of $5,000 — one for a Francophone and one for an Anglophone student)

Now in its 16th year, the AMI Sir Robert Pearson Memorial Scholarship is named in honour of Accessible Media Inc.’s former Accessibility Officer, Robert Pearson, a long-time advocate for accessibility in Canada and around the world.

• Connor Clark & Lunn Financial Group Scholarship (1 scholarship of $5,000) for a student with a disability studying Business, Economics, or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

• Holly Bartlett Memorial Award (1 award of $1,000), funded by NEADS in memory of its former Nova Scotia director, Holly Bartlett.

Additional awards not offered this semester, but available in other application periods, include:

• Canada Post Award ($10,000)

• Christine Nieder Memorial Award ($1,000)

 

You can apply for the available scholarships and awards through one central application on the NEADS website until Friday, October 16, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time at this link: NEADS Financial Assistance Program

For inquiries related to the application process, contact the NEADS’ Financial Assistance Programs Team at etes@neads.ca. For any other inquiries, contact:

Katja Newman (She/Her/Elle)

NEADS Financial Assistance Program Director | Directrice du programme d'assistance financière de NEADS

Co-Manager, Building Employment Pathways Program | Co-gestionnaire du programme Créer des parcours d’emploi

National Educational Association of Disabled Students | Association Nationale Des Étudiants Handicapés Au Niveau de L’education

RM 514 Nideyinàn, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6

katja.newman@neads.ca

www.neads.ca

https://www.disabilityawards.ca/

http://breakingitdown.neads.ca/

https://www.facebook.com/myNEADS/

https://www.canadahelps.org/dn/344