Re: LPA Scholarships, travel and medical grants

[Guest guest]

I've been thinking about this issue. Some people have stated (on the

AdultLP List) that individuals who are not members of the LPA

shouldn't be allowed to apply for scholarships or grants through the

LPA.

Because LPA states that they are a non-profit organization that their

grants are open to anyone.

As many of you may know I work for a non-profit disability

organization. This organization provides grant money according to

what the grant's guidelines are.

Individuals do not have to be a member of the organization, but they

must be a resident of this state, have a disability and be eligible

financially.

Although I understand why people would feel frustrated that people

who are not members of the LPA are eligible to apply, I would

encourage the LPA to reconsider the guidelines to restrict to

individuals with dwarfism because this is an organization for people

with dwarfism (even if they are a member or not).

The LPA may want to look into other non-profit organizations to see

how they allocate their funds and what criteria they need to follow.

Funding is very hard to get, especially for someone with dwarfism

because it's not a major disability group. Also by limiting who is

eligible to apply, the LPA would be able to stretch the dollars

further during this time when grants and funding are already cut back

and limited, mostly due to the government.

If I need hearing aids, health insurance will not pay for these.

Therefore, I need to find other ways to pay for them, which

financially it is a hardship for me. Because of my dwarfism, there

are only a few places I'm eligible to apply for grants.

Now, I'm not saying that the LPA should consider opening a grant for

durable medical equipment when a person with dwarfism find their

insurance doesn't cover it… I'm encouraging that the college

scholarship program's criteria should be gone over to consider

changes if possible.

~ a

(not a member of the LPA, but an adult with dwarfism)

>

> LPA scholarship applications are now available for the 2008-2009

> school year. Please go to the LPA website (www.lpaonline.org) to

> download the application (in PDF format). Instructions are posted

on

> the website. You do not have to be a member to apply for a

scholarship

> (but you should get to know one of the LPA officers since it will

> require a reference from them).

>

> Kitchen's First-Time Travel Grant applications for the 2008 Detroit

> National conference are also available online. These grants are

> awarded to families or individuals with current paid membership, who

> have never attended a national conference. Priority is given to

> families with LP children who need to see a member of the medical

> advisory board, or attend a workshop.

>

> If you cannot download and print PDF files, please contact your

> district director. The national office can email the application

to

> you as a last resort.

>

> Thank you,

> Bill Bradford

> LPA VP of Programs

>

[Guest guest]

Hi a and all,

I have to disagree, LPA is not a big organization like

others out there, it takes a lot of volunteers,

donation, and membership dues to keep it running. What

money they can give back such as scholarships should

go to the members who qualify. If LPA was a big

organization like others then I would support it

giving money to those not members, but as of right now

no. When applying for scholarships the forms ask you

if you are active and basically what have you given

back to LPA? I think that is wonderful and really gets

the applicants to think what they can do for LPA.

Yes, not everyone wants to join for whatever reason,

but I would encourage those not members to make a

contribution or donation at least once in their life.

This list is not a reflection of LPA, it is a

reflection of a small population of LP's with an

opinion. I encourage those who criticize LPA to

instead help it become the big organization it can

become and then we will have more resources to help

those who are not members.

-

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Never miss a thing. Make your home page.

http://www./r/hs

[Guest guest]

I agree with the logic there. There can be twists, though. Let me throw out

our own personal situation to see if there's any reaction.

We joined LPA shortly after my achon son was born, Cincinnati chapter (Dan

Okenfuss, are you there?), attended some local meetings and a regional meeting,

were glad for the experience. We continued to pay dues and remained members but

stopped attending meetings, not because we didn't like the LPA, but because my

son was too young to get much out of it, we had other children (including an

autistic one), and several other reasons/excuses/whatever you want to call them.

Fast forward a few years. When he was about 12, I started enocuraging my son to

get involved with the LPA with me, but he was not interested. Then teenagehood

arrived and his rock band and his friendships were more important to him than

anything else. Since then, he has matured and become an exceptional student,

and, now 18, he is currently in the process of applying for financial aid for

college next year. He has shown a renewed interest in the LPA, but his focus is

more on his studies and getting his license and getting ready for college next

year. We rejoined the LPA so he would be eligible, but the part about

references from officers and so forth at this point is problematic.

I think my question boils down to this -- I'm an AH parent who was a paying

member for years, and in many cases scholarships provide financial relief first

and primarily to, yup, the parents. Should my son be ineligible if he doesn't

happen to personally know an LPA officer or whatnot? Possibly. I don't have a

good answer, and I am truly not biased one way or the other. I just thought I'd

throw that out there.

Re: Re: LPA Scholarships, travel and medical grants

Hi a and all,

I have to disagree, LPA is not a big organization like

others out there, it takes a lot of volunteers,

donation, and membership dues to keep it running. What

money they can give back such as scholarships should

go to the members who qualify. If LPA was a big

organization like others then I would support it

giving money to those not members, but as of right now

no. When applying for scholarships the forms ask you

if you are active and basically what have you given

back to LPA? I think that is wonderful and really gets

the applicants to think what they can do for LPA.

Yes, not everyone wants to join for whatever reason,

but I would encourage those not members to make a

contribution or donation at least once in their life.

This list is not a reflection of LPA, it is a

reflection of a small population of LP's with an

opinion. I encourage those who criticize LPA to

instead help it become the big organization it can

become and then we will have more resources to help

those who are not members.

-

__________________________________________________________

Never miss a thing. Make your home page.

http://www./r/hs

[Guest guest]

According to the scholarship criteria on the website it states:

If your intent is to attend college starting in Fall of 2008, then

you would need to apply by April of 2008.

Scholarships are given, in order of preference to:

members of LPA who have a medically diagnosed form of dwarfism

immediate family members of dwarfs who are also paid members of LPA

people with dwarfism who are not members of LPA

disabled students in general

non-disabled students who can demonstrate a need for financial

educational assistance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Personally, I would eliminate the last two criteria because I feel

that people without dwarfism or affiliated with the LPA should not be

eligible to apply. My reason is because of the fact that here in New

Hampshire, people with other types of disabilities have MORE options

than individuals with dwarfism. I would imagine this is the case for

many other states.

Scholarships and grants are money awarded for a specific purpose for

those who financial qualify and they are not expected to pay it back.

There are several LOANS out there for durable medical equipment or

college tuitions for people with disabilities that they would need to

pay back, but fit the criteria!

One argument I have with a person being told to join the LPA to

qualify for the scholarships and grants, what's to prevent the person

to become a member for that one year and never reinstate their

membership? Another one is what if it really is a financial burden to

become a member or the person really doesn't feel the need to become

a member?

But these are important questions to explore if the LPA actually

considers the idea of restricting people on the eligibility criteria.

Even though I'm not a member of the LPA, I advocate for the LPA and

give this contact as a resource. Also I am available to families in

my area who have people with dwarfism who want resources, contacts or

just to meet with an adult with dwarfism. I try to volunteer my time

in other ways, but not in means of paying an annual due to become a

member of the LPA. (for my own personal reasons)

I agree that if it's bad enough to complain about it's bad enough to

do something about. I offer my services to District One, when ever I

can. I cannot help on a national level, but I try to be available

when the director of my district or other affiliates of the LPA

contacts me.

~ a

>

> Hi a and all,

>

> I have to disagree, LPA is not a big organization like

> others out there, it takes a lot of volunteers,

> donation, and membership dues to keep it running. What

> money they can give back such as scholarships should

> go to the members who qualify. If LPA was a big

> organization like others then I would support it

> giving money to those not members, but as of right now

> no. When applying for scholarships the forms ask you

> if you are active and basically what have you given

> back to LPA? I think that is wonderful and really gets

> the applicants to think what they can do for LPA.

>

> Yes, not everyone wants to join for whatever reason,

> but I would encourage those not members to make a

> contribution or donation at least once in their life.

> This list is not a reflection of LPA, it is a

> reflection of a small population of LP's with an

> opinion. I encourage those who criticize LPA to

> instead help it become the big organization it can

> become and then we will have more resources to help

> those who are not members.

>

> -

>

[Guest guest]

a and all,

To answer earlier scholarship questions, LPA cannot restrict its offer

of scholarships to members only. This is one of the rules for the

non-profits.

However, there are restrictions we can place on scholarship

applications (as many non-profits do). One is that the applicant must

get a letter of reference from an LPA officer. This serves a

three-fold purpose. First, it allows non-members who have been of

service to LPA and is friends with an officer, such as yourself, an

opportunity to apply for a scholarship. It also allows parents (like

) whose son is not currently a member, to get some return on his

('s) membership with LPA (, presumably can get the officer

recommendation for his son). Second, it weeds out the gold-diggers

who would come to LPA with an open hand, and once they got their

money, vanish never to be heard again (it won't stop the most

determined, but is fairly effective). Third, it is a great recruiting

tool. LPA is always looking for a fresh infusion of new members, and

by encouraging students to contact a local officer, they feel more

comfortable attending events, and might be more inclined to join the

organization.

Now, one might ask, but what purpose does it serve to give a

scholarship to a non-dwarf, non-member? It all boils down to " I

scratch your back, you scratch mine. " You never know what future

return you may get on investing in a young person's future. We ask

each applicant to write a statement indicating how they intend to do

something on behalf of LPA (volunteer their time, etc.). We had

anonymous donations, and some bequeaths to our organization, and it

may have been because of a scholarship given to someone the donor was

related to. Plus, it never hurts to be a good citizen. Giving a

scholarship to a disabled (but non-dwarf) student enhances our ability

to network with other disability organizations. Truth be told,

non-member, non-dwarfs rarely apply for a scholarship.

LPA scholarships are typically in the $500 dollar range, so we're not

financing someone entire education. Only helping out a little. We

are fully aware of the various financial support a student can get,

and we try to remind students to seek those sources as well.

Bill

On Jan 15, 2008 3:18 PM, a <quartznh@...> wrote:

>

>

>

>

>

>

> According to the scholarship criteria on the website it states:

>

> If your intent is to attend college starting in Fall of 2008, then

> you would need to apply by April of 2008.

>

> Scholarships are given, in order of preference to:

>

> members of LPA who have a medically diagnosed form of dwarfism

>

> immediate family members of dwarfs who are also paid members of LPA

>

> people with dwarfism who are not members of LPA

>

> disabled students in general

>

> non-disabled students who can demonstrate a need for financial

> educational assistance

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>

> Personally, I would eliminate the last two criteria because I feel

> that people without dwarfism or affiliated with the LPA should not be

> eligible to apply. My reason is because of the fact that here in New

> Hampshire, people with other types of disabilities have MORE options

> than individuals with dwarfism. I would imagine this is the case for

> many other states.

>

> Scholarships and grants are money awarded for a specific purpose for

> those who financial qualify and they are not expected to pay it back.

> There are several LOANS out there for durable medical equipment or

> college tuitions for people with disabilities that they would need to

> pay back, but fit the criteria!

>

> One argument I have with a person being told to join the LPA to

> qualify for the scholarships and grants, what's to prevent the person

> to become a member for that one year and never reinstate their

> membership? Another one is what if it really is a financial burden to

> become a member or the person really doesn't feel the need to become

> a member?

>

> But these are important questions to explore if the LPA actually

> considers the idea of restricting people on the eligibility criteria.

>

> Even though I'm not a member of the LPA, I advocate for the LPA and

> give this contact as a resource. Also I am available to families in

> my area who have people with dwarfism who want resources, contacts or

> just to meet with an adult with dwarfism. I try to volunteer my time

> in other ways, but not in means of paying an annual due to become a

> member of the LPA. (for my own personal reasons)

>

> I agree that if it's bad enough to complain about it's bad enough to

> do something about. I offer my services to District One, when ever I

> can. I cannot help on a national level, but I try to be available

> when the director of my district or other affiliates of the LPA

> contacts me.

>

> ~ a

[Guest guest]

It appears that the LPA had dug deeply into this situation. Thank you

for clarifying the reasons behind the criteria. This does make a lot

of sense. It was weighing on my mind for the reasons I had stated.

When the LPA encourages students to tap into other resources, is

anyone aware if they are referred to Independent Living Centers and

Vocational Rehabilitations in the person's home state?

Different topic!!!

My mother told me that when I was a kid, I always wanted to

understand the reasons and not just accept what was being said. As an

adult, I am still the same way. She also told me that I always had a

sense of justice. It's a good thing I'm studying to become a

paralegal.

Speaking of…off topic...Are there any other adults with dwarfism on

this list who are successful as a paralegal? How does one get started

in their career?

~ a

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > According to the scholarship criteria on the website it states:

> >

> > If your intent is to attend college starting in Fall of 2008,

then

> > you would need to apply by April of 2008.

> >

> > Scholarships are given, in order of preference to:

> >

> > members of LPA who have a medically diagnosed form of dwarfism

> >

> > immediate family members of dwarfs who are also paid members of

LPA

> >

> > people with dwarfism who are not members of LPA

> >

> > disabled students in general

> >

> > non-disabled students who can demonstrate a need for financial

> > educational assistance

> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> >

> > Personally, I would eliminate the last two criteria because I

feel

> > that people without dwarfism or affiliated with the LPA should

not be

> > eligible to apply. My reason is because of the fact that here in

New

> > Hampshire, people with other types of disabilities have MORE

options

> > than individuals with dwarfism. I would imagine this is the case

for

> > many other states.

> >

> > Scholarships and grants are money awarded for a specific purpose

for

> > those who financial qualify and they are not expected to pay it

back.

> > There are several LOANS out there for durable medical equipment

or

> > college tuitions for people with disabilities that they would

need to

> > pay back, but fit the criteria!

> >

> > One argument I have with a person being told to join the LPA to

> > qualify for the scholarships and grants, what's to prevent the

person

> > to become a member for that one year and never reinstate their

> > membership? Another one is what if it really is a financial

burden to

> > become a member or the person really doesn't feel the need to

become

> > a member?

> >

> > But these are important questions to explore if the LPA actually

> > considers the idea of restricting people on the eligibility

criteria.

> >

> > Even though I'm not a member of the LPA, I advocate for the LPA

and

> > give this contact as a resource. Also I am available to families

in

> > my area who have people with dwarfism who want resources,

contacts or

> > just to meet with an adult with dwarfism. I try to volunteer my

time

> > in other ways, but not in means of paying an annual due to

become a

> > member of the LPA. (for my own personal reasons)

> >

> > I agree that if it's bad enough to complain about it's bad

enough to

> > do something about. I offer my services to District One, when

ever I

> > can. I cannot help on a national level, but I try to be available

> > when the director of my district or other affiliates of the LPA

> > contacts me.

> >

> > ~ a

>

[Guest guest]

Regarding the Vocation Rehabilitation question . . . . we asked our county

office and, in Ohio at least, there is no college tuition help available for LPs

(I think there can be commuting expense help or something like that). The

counselor told us, and I quote (please remember I'm just the messenger), " Time

was we could have got assistance for this, but now the government needs the

money to finance Bush's war. "

Re: LPA Scholarships, travel and medical grants

It appears that the LPA had dug deeply into this situation. Thank you

for clarifying the reasons behind the criteria. This does make a lot

of sense. It was weighing on my mind for the reasons I had stated.

When the LPA encourages students to tap into other resources, is

anyone aware if they are referred to Independent Living Centers and

Vocational Rehabilitations in the person's home state?

Different topic!!!

My mother told me that when I was a kid, I always wanted to

understand the reasons and not just accept what was being said. As an

adult, I am still the same way. She also told me that I always had a

sense of justice. It's a good thing I'm studying to become a

paralegal.

Speaking of.off topic...Are there any other adults with dwarfism on

this list who are successful as a paralegal? How does one get started

in their career?

~ a

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > According to the scholarship criteria on the website it states:

> >

> > If your intent is to attend college starting in Fall of 2008,

then

> > you would need to apply by April of 2008.

> >

> > Scholarships are given, in order of preference to:

> >

> > members of LPA who have a medically diagnosed form of dwarfism

> >

> > immediate family members of dwarfs who are also paid members of

LPA

> >

> > people with dwarfism who are not members of LPA

> >

> > disabled students in general

> >

> > non-disabled students who can demonstrate a need for financial

> > educational assistance

> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> >

> > Personally, I would eliminate the last two criteria because I

feel

> > that people without dwarfism or affiliated with the LPA should

not be

> > eligible to apply. My reason is because of the fact that here in

New

> > Hampshire, people with other types of disabilities have MORE

options

> > than individuals with dwarfism. I would imagine this is the case

for

> > many other states.

> >

> > Scholarships and grants are money awarded for a specific purpose

for

> > those who financial qualify and they are not expected to pay it

back.

> > There are several LOANS out there for durable medical equipment

or

> > college tuitions for people with disabilities that they would

need to

> > pay back, but fit the criteria!

> >

> > One argument I have with a person being told to join the LPA to

> > qualify for the scholarships and grants, what's to prevent the

person

> > to become a member for that one year and never reinstate their

> > membership? Another one is what if it really is a financial

burden to

> > become a member or the person really doesn't feel the need to

become

> > a member?

> >

> > But these are important questions to explore if the LPA actually

> > considers the idea of restricting people on the eligibility

criteria.

> >

> > Even though I'm not a member of the LPA, I advocate for the LPA

and

> > give this contact as a resource. Also I am available to families

in

> > my area who have people with dwarfism who want resources,

contacts or

> > just to meet with an adult with dwarfism. I try to volunteer my

time

> > in other ways, but not in means of paying an annual due to

become a

> > member of the LPA. (for my own personal reasons)

> >

> > I agree that if it's bad enough to complain about it's bad

enough to

> > do something about. I offer my services to District One, when

ever I

> > can. I cannot help on a national level, but I try to be available

> > when the director of my district or other affiliates of the LPA

> > contacts me.

> >

> > ~ a

>

[Guest guest]

If that is the case of what was said, the next step is to contact

what we call here in New Hampshire is " Client Assistance Program " .

They help resolve with issues between VR counselor and the client.

I know that many VR offices aren't able to fund as much as they used

to due to the government not providing enough funding and many are

cutting back on secondary education and assistance with

transportation issues. However, their work is still around helping

people with disabilities to find employment.

If the VR counselor had said this, action seriously needs to be taken

to the appropriate entities to get this resolved!

If you need assistance with finding the appropriate agencies in your

state, please let me know and I'll get you a few resources to help

you get started.

Here in New Hampshire VR used to help with secondary education and

vehicle mods. Due to funding cuts, they cannot help with secondary

education and may be able to help pay for 50% of the cost for vehicle

mods (and hearing aids in my case).

Therefore the individual needs to seek additional funding to pay for

the remaining. If they are unable and unable to get a personal loan,

the state offers a loan to the client and they have to pay the

remaining amount off in a few years.

~ a

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > According to the scholarship criteria on the website it

states:

> > >

> > > If your intent is to attend college starting in Fall of 2008,

> then

> > > you would need to apply by April of 2008.

> > >

> > > Scholarships are given, in order of preference to:

> > >

> > > members of LPA who have a medically diagnosed form of dwarfism

> > >

> > > immediate family members of dwarfs who are also paid members

of

> LPA

> > >

> > > people with dwarfism who are not members of LPA

> > >

> > > disabled students in general

> > >

> > > non-disabled students who can demonstrate a need for financial

> > > educational assistance

> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> > >

> > > Personally, I would eliminate the last two criteria because I

> feel

> > > that people without dwarfism or affiliated with the LPA

should

> not be

> > > eligible to apply. My reason is because of the fact that here

in

> New

> > > Hampshire, people with other types of disabilities have MORE

> options

> > > than individuals with dwarfism. I would imagine this is the

case

> for

> > > many other states.

> > >

> > > Scholarships and grants are money awarded for a specific

purpose

> for

> > > those who financial qualify and they are not expected to pay

it

> back.

> > > There are several LOANS out there for durable medical

equipment

> or

> > > college tuitions for people with disabilities that they would

> need to

> > > pay back, but fit the criteria!

> > >

> > > One argument I have with a person being told to join the LPA

to

> > > qualify for the scholarships and grants, what's to prevent

the

> person

> > > to become a member for that one year and never reinstate their

> > > membership? Another one is what if it really is a financial

> burden to

> > > become a member or the person really doesn't feel the need to

> become

> > > a member?

> > >

> > > But these are important questions to explore if the LPA

actually

> > > considers the idea of restricting people on the eligibility

> criteria.

> > >

> > > Even though I'm not a member of the LPA, I advocate for the

LPA

> and

> > > give this contact as a resource. Also I am available to

families

> in

> > > my area who have people with dwarfism who want resources,

> contacts or

> > > just to meet with an adult with dwarfism. I try to volunteer

my

> time

> > > in other ways, but not in means of paying an annual due to

> become a

> > > member of the LPA. (for my own personal reasons)

> > >

> > > I agree that if it's bad enough to complain about it's bad

> enough to

> > > do something about. I offer my services to District One, when

> ever I

> > > can. I cannot help on a national level, but I try to be

available

> > > when the director of my district or other affiliates of the

LPA

> > > contacts me.

> > >

> > > ~ a

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>