Is it Friday yet??

One of the greatest challenges for college attendance is how to pay for it, and this can be particularly true for students with intellectual disabilities. Believing we are all life-long learners, and people with Down syndrome no different, was one of the driving forces in starting Ruby’s Rainbow. Most of these programs for people with ID are just as expensive, if not more, than someone obtaining a traditional degree. In the past four years alone, Ruby’s Rainbow has been able to grant 185k in scholarships to 74 amazing Rockin’ Recipients (OMG!) going for their dreams of higher education. As we grow as an organization, our hope is to continue to raise scholarship amounts to make a more significant difference. So what are other ways to help make this dream of higher education for your loved one with Down syndrome a reality?

Many parents never imagined their child would have the chance to pursue higher education if they had an intellectual disability, so saving for these programs was never a priority for most people. Parents of younger children with ID, however, not only have the foresight that their child could attend one of these programs after high school, but they also have great tools for doing it. 529 College Savings Plans allow parents to save money on a tax-free basis for their child, and soon ABLE Accounts will expand those parameters outside of education. This will allow parents to not only save for their child’s education, but also for living expenses, assistive technology, transportation, and much more.

Federal financial aid in the form of Pell Grants, Supplemental Education Grants, and Work Study, are also available to students with ID who are attending an approved Comprehensive Transition Program (CTP). There are only about 40 approved programs today, but Think College has hopes to assist many other programs to apply and be approved so that financial aid is more available. Looking into local DSAs and similar organizations is another great resource, as some of them have scholarship funds available.

We will continue to do our best on our end to help as many individuals as we can!! Our application will open in the New Year, so please check back if you or someone you know who is rockin’ that extra chromosome may be seeking financial assistance for post-secondary education!