Dear Scholarship Applicant,

The Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired is pleased that you are interested in applying for one of our annual scholarships. Thanks to generous gifts from Steve Johnson, David Cooley, Stan and Mary Nelson, the Priess family, and an anonymous family foundation, we will offer scholarships of $2,000 (full-time) or $1,000 (half-time) each this year to selected qualified students.

The scholarship application includes these components. More information on these will follow later in this online application:

• Application and essay prompts
• Photo release
• Supplemental materials
  • Verification of Vision Impairment Form
  • Verification of Wisconsin residency (Request for Wisconsin identification card or other proof of residency)
  • Request for 2 letters of recommendation
  • Request for current school transcript
  • Verification of acceptance or enrollment into a postsecondary institution: vocational, technical or community college, university (undergraduate or graduate level), or the Business Enterprise Program

To be eligible for a scholarship, you must meet the following criteria:

• Complete application and supporting materials submitted by Wednesday, March 25, 2026
• GPA of 3.0 or higher (4.0 scale)
• Wisconsin resident
• Blind, legally blind or low vision
• Verification of acceptance into a postsecondary institution: vocational, technical or community college, university (undergraduate or graduate level), or the Business Enterprise Program
• Full-time or half-time student

Instructions for submitting application:

1. Please use this online application form to submit your contact information, application questions, and essay responses.
2. Supporting materials can either be uploaded using this form or emailed to [email protected].
3. If you experience difficulty completing this online application, please contact us to request a Microsoft Word version.
4. All new applicants must submit verification of vision loss and proof of residency.
5. If you’ve applied for a scholarship in the past, it is your responsibility to verify that we have copies of your verification of vision impairment and proof of residency on file. You may contact Kathleen Callen at 608-237-8120 or [email protected]. You must submit new letters of recommendation and essay responses.

We are excited to review your application and wish you the best of luck in the process.

Denise Jess
Executive Director
Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired

Please respond to the two essay questions below. If you’ve previously applied for a Council scholarship, either craft new responses that reflect your current experience, or choose new questions.

Each response should not exceed a maximum of 400 words.

Instructions

Completed, signed applications must be submitted by Wednesday, March 25, 2026.

Supporting materials can be uploaded via this form and/or emailed to [email protected].

Please use the next page to preview your application. You can go back to make changes. If using the Save and Resume Later feature, please plan to re-enter mailing addresses and any file uploads for security reasons.

Transcript

Please provide a transcript from your current (or most recent) school that includes your cumulative GPA or have a copy emailed to [email protected].

Verification of Residency

All applicants must be Wisconsin residents. Please include a photocopy of your Wisconsin State Identification Card or other proof of residency. If you’ve applied in the past, please verify that we have your verification of residency on file.

Submit a photocopy of your identification by March 25, 2026, using the form below or via email to [email protected].

Letters of Recommendation

You will also need two letters of recommendation to accompany your application. The recommendation should be from someone who knows you well and can speak to your qualifications to be awarded the scholarship (a teacher, counselor, professor, employer, volunteer supervisor, etc.) but not a family member. Letters should be on the letterhead of the writer’s organization (school district, college, organization, etc.) or sent from their organization/work email account. If you have applied for a scholarship before, please provide new letters of recommendation (from the same person or someone else).

Please have the writers of your recommendation send the letter to [email protected] by March 25, 2026. If you have a copy of the letters, you can use the file upload to submit one or both.

Verification of Vision Impairment Form

Please Note: This Verification of Vision Impairment is required for all new scholarship applicants as well as any applicant who does not already have one on file with the Wisconsin Council of the Blind & Visually Impaired. It is the candidate’s responsibility to confirm that the Council has a copy of the verification.

Download the form and submit a signed copy: WCBlind Scholarship Verification of Vision Impairment Form