ChairScholars Foundation - About Us
About Us
The ChairScholars Foundation, Inc. is a Florida-based charity with 501c (3) status. Our sole mission is to transform the lives of financially challenged young people with serious physical disabilities by providing scholarships for college or vocational school.
We believe higher education is the most vital link to economic stability and self-sufficiency. Yet, an astonishing 3 out of every 4 children with a physical disability can’t go to college or vocational school due to the financial burden of their disabilityi. The results of this are alarmingii:
- 4 out of every 5 working-age Americans with a disability are unemployed.
- 28% of working-age Americans with a disability live below poverty level, compared to 9% of their non-disabled peers.
- On average, the household income of working-age Americans with a disability is 53% lower than that of their non-disabled peers.
The ChairScholars Foundation is one of just a few organizations to recognize the educational needs of this forgotten minority, specifically their need for viable workforce skills.
In just 18 years ChairScholars Foundation has closed this achievement gap for 702 American students with disabilities. It all began with a single act of kindness.
61 scholarships awarded in 2010!
iFrieden, Lex, (2005, September 15). People with Disabilities and Postsecondary Education. National Council on Disability. Retrieved June 27,2008 from www.ncd.gov
iiHoutenville, A. J., Erickson, W. A., Lee, C. G. (2005, April 4). Disability Statistics from the Current Population Survey (CPS). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Demographics and Statistics (StatsRRTC). Retrieved June 27, 2008 from www.disabilitystatistics.org