The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is proud to support the educational and career aspirations of blind students.

Through the generosity of the Lulu J. Alonso Scholarship Fund, the AFB Scholars Program is designed to provide financial assistance, celebrate academic and personal achievements, and empower recipients to contribute meaningfully to their communities and the broader blindness community.

AFB aims to elevate students with exceptional potential, foster future leaders, and build a network of individuals dedicated to creating a more inclusive world. We believe in your ability to make a difference.

The AFB Science & Technology Scholarship aims to increase and support the number of blind and low vision students pursuing careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), particularly for those in the earlier stages of their post-secondary education. This scholarship is designed to:

  • Support blind students’ long-term career development in STEM fields during the scholarship period and beyond.
  • Offer mentorship to address the unique barriers blind future scientists and technologists face, including accessible tools, inclusive design practices, and equitable career pathways.
  • Advance AFB’s mission by cultivating future leaders who can drive innovation in digital inclusion and equitable participation in science and technology.

Eligibility Requirements

To be considered for an AFB scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Legal Blindness: All applicants must be legally blind. Legal blindness is defined as an individual who cannot see better than 20/200 with correction or whose visual field in the best eye is 20 degrees or less at the widest diameter with correction. Applicants must provide official documentation verifying their legal blindness status, including but not limited to medical records, vocational rehabilitation documentation (on letterhead), NLS registration, etc.
  • Age: Must be 18 years or older by the start of the upcoming Fall semester.
  • Academic Enrollment: Applicants must be enrolled or planning to enroll as full-time students in a degree-seeking program at an accredited institution for the upcoming Fall semester.
  • Academic Level:
    • Undergraduate Students (Community College or 4-Year University) in a STEM-related degree program (e.g. computer science, engineering, biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, information science, or related fields)
      • Community College Award - $8,000 per academic year
      • Undergraduate Award - $20,000 per academic year
    • While this scholarship is primarily designed to support undergraduates, exceptional applications from graduate students in STEM will also be considered.
      • Graduate Award - $28,000 per academic year
  • U.S. Citizenship: Applicants must be citizens of the United States.
  • Minimum GPA: Applicants must have a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA (unweighted).

Upon receipt of the scholarship, awardees must maintain the following activities:

  • Mentorship Activities: Scholarship recipients must engage in mentorship activities with a blind or low vision AFB leader with a STEM background, completing one activity per quarter (or two activities per semester) during the academic year.
  • Conference Participation: Scholarship recipients must attend one pre-approved conference with an AFB leader during the scholarship year, gaining professional and networking experience aligned with their career goals.
  • Annual Progress Report: At the end of the academic year, scholars must submit a written progress report outlining their academic and professional development in STEM, including a summary of key STEM coursework and projects completed during the year; reflections on skills gained and how they connect to future career goals in science and technology; any participation in extracurricular activities related to STEM; future academic or professional plans building on their year’s experiences.

Scholars are eligible to renew the scholarship for the next academic year as long as they continue to meet all eligibility requirements and effectively met all required expectations during the previous year.

Application Requirements

Your application will consist of the following:

  • Demographic Information: Basic details about you, your educational background, and your plans for the upcoming academic year.
  • Transcripts and Documentation:
    1. Most recent academic transcript
    2. Official documentation verifying legal blindness (ex. medical records, vocational rehabilitation documentation (on letterhead), NLS registration, etc.)
    3. Acceptance letter (if applicable)
  • Written Responses: Thoughtful responses to questions about your educational and career goals, leadership experiences, challenges overcome, community service, and your ideas for the future. (Suggested response length is 250-500 words per question. Please note, there is a 5000 character limit per question on the online application.)
    1. What motivates you to pursue your current STEM field of study?
    2. What is a skill or area of knowledge you are currently working to improve? How does it relate to your current studies or projects?
    3. Describe a STEM project, lab, or competition you participated in and what you learned from it.
    4. What do you hope to accomplish in your STEM career, and how do you see it benefiting the blind community or advancing inclusion?
    5. How have you used technology, experimentation, or problem-solving skills to overcome a challenge in your academic work?
    6. How do you believe your studies, experiences, professional goals, etc. align with AFB’s mission, values, and/or strategic priorities? Share a specific challenge you faced as a blind or low vision individual in your education, and how you overcame it.
    7. Share a specific challenge you faced as a blind or low vision individual in your education, and how you overcame it.
    8. Describe a time when you took on a leadership role or worked collaboratively with a team. What did you learn from the experience?
    9. How do you plan to use your education and research experience to influence or lead in your chosen field?

Note: We recommend that you prepare your responses in advance to avoid the application session timing out during submission.

Selection Process

The selection committee will evaluate applications based on academic achievement, leadership potential, personal growth, and alignment with AFB’s mission. Shortlisted applications will be invited for a 1-hour interview with the committee to further discuss their aspirations and qualifications.

Need Assistance

If you have any questions about the application process, you may contact us at inclusivefuture@afb.org or by sending a message via our web contact form.

Next AFB Research Scholarship Application