Easter Seals Ontario Post-Secondary Scholarship Applications for 2025 are now closed!
Easter Seals Ontario has proudly supported over 300 students with physical disabilities achieve their academic goals since 1996 through our Scholarship Program, totaling over $600,000!
Families of children with physical disabilities often incur significant additional expenses, making it challenging to send their child to post-secondary school. This is why we are so grateful to the donors, volunteers, and staff who generously provide financial support to allow these students to pursue their academic dreams through the Easter Seals Ontario Scholarship Program.
To be eligible for a scholarship, all candidates must:
- have a permanent physical disability that impacts their mobility;
- be a current or past client of Easter Seals Ontario or are able to provide a letter confirming diagnosis from a health care professional;
- have applied or been accepted to an accredited university or college and will be attending full-time or part-time (classes taken in person, virtually or a combination are acceptable);
- and be a resident of Ontario
To learn more about available scholarships and requirements, please check out these FAQ links below. We look forward to receiving your application and learning more about your academic, personal and leadership experiences and advocacy skills!
Scholarship Requirements
To be eligible for a scholarship, candidates must:
- have a permanent physical disability that impacts their mobility;
- be a current or past client of Easter Seals Ontario or are able to provide a letter confirming diagnosis from a health care professional;
- have applied or been accepted to an accredited university or college and will be attending full-time or part-time (classes taken in person, virtually or a combination are acceptable); and
- be a resident of Ontario
The number of scholarships available range from 10-20 each year
- amounts range from $500 – $5,000 per scholarship
- you may apply for more than one scholarship, even if you have received one or more in the past.
- applicants may apply for multiple scholarships within ONE application (check all that apply).
- some scholarships indicate a preference for students in a specific field of study
Applications must be completed in full, otherwise they will not be considered. Please ensure that you:
- answer ALL questions on the online application;
- prepare to provide details and examples when completing the long-answer questions on the application. Your answers to the questions below will be taken into consideration during the scoring process.
- Q. 24. Describe any of your academic successes or achievements.
- Q. 25. Share information on your participation or achievements outside of school (e.g. sports, activities, or clubs).
- Q. 26. Provide specific examples of times when you demonstrated leadership and/or advocacy.
- Q. 27. Describe a specific challenge or situation you faced relating to your disability and how it was handled and/or overcome?
A Scholarship Selection Committee will review all applications and reserves the right to offer alternate scholarships based on the number of applications received.
All applicants will be notified once final decisions are made by mid-May, early June.
Visit our online application here
If you have any questions, please contact us at scholarships@easterseals.org or by phone at 416-421-8778 or toll-free at 1-800-668-6252, extension 367.
- All applicants will be notified once final decisions are made.
- Once an award letter has been sent, applicants must respond to confirm their acceptance of the scholarship
- Acceptance by the recipient indicates your permission for Easter Seals Ontario to (possibly) share your photo and approved profile on our website, social media, and Annual Report.
- Scholarship payments are conditional on Easter Seals Ontario receiving:
- Satisfactory evidence that the recipient has been accepted to an accredited university or college (as indicated on the scholarship application).
- A thank you letter from the recipient to the donor by August 1, 2025, as an acknowledgement and recognition of the scholarship.
- Easter Seals Ontario scholarship funds must be applied for tuition in the 2025/2026 academic year; any requests for deferral of funds must be submitted in writing and approved by an Easter Seals Ontario administrator or designate.
- Annual General Meeting (AGM): All successful recipients will be invited to attend the Easter Seals Ontario AGM in June 2025, in person or virtually, to acknowledge receipt of their scholarship(s). This is entirely voluntary, and recognition can be done in person or by written statement.
If you would like to donate to our Scholarship Program or find out more – contact us!
Other Scholarships For Students with Physical Disabilities
Scholarship applications are usually due in the early spring of the year which the student is commencing their studies in September. Contact the individual scholarship organizations to obtain the application criteria and deadline submission dates.
In addition to the scholarships listed below, contact the university or community college directly to obtain information about other scholarships that might be available.
Preparing for Post Secondary Education
RBC Student Budget Calculator – Use the RBC Student Budget Calculator to help you figure out how much money you’ll need to get through the school year. When you don’t have an exact amount to work with, estimate on the high side. You can always go back and rework the figures later.
