Creating a Life Care Plan
A good life care plan details all of the expenses and financial support needed for a child to stay healthy throughout his or her lifetime. Normally, the plan is constructed by doctors or nurses who are familiar with your child’s medical history and needs. These plans typically contain information on:
- Educational costs and testing expenses
- Special education programs
- Ongoing assistive nursing care
- Therapy services
- Assistive devices, like wheelchairs and braces
In addition to working with your child’s medical providers, seeking guidance from a birth injury attorney may be helpful when compiling a life care plan. If your child’s cerebral palsy or other birth injury was due to negligence on the part of the doctor, nurse, or other medical staff, they could be held financially liable and the compensation won used to partly or entirely fund the cost of your child’s treatment.
Scholarships for Students with Cerebral Palsy
For cerebral palsy students, the costs of college tuition combined with ongoing medical expenses can create a significant barrier to pursuing higher education. Recognizing the unique challenges these students face, some donors and organizations have created scholarships to help offset tuition costs and make higher learning more achievable and inclusive for all.
Below are a few scholarships offered to students with cerebral palsy. We also recommend researching scholarships offered in your local community and through your preferred universities.
Incight Scholarship
The incight scholarship is available to current Washington, Oregon, or California residents with a disability as defined by the ADA, DSM-V, IDEA, or other governing body. Visit their website for additional requirements and to apply.
Lime Scholarship
For rising computer science students with disabilities, the lime scholarship, sponsored by Google, offers recipients $10,000 for those studying in the U.S. and $5,000 for those studying in Canada. Additionally, scholarship winners will have a chance to attend the annual Google Scholars’ Retreat in Mountain View, California, and will be considered for software engineering internship opportunities with Google.