Scholarship Opportunities

DHCC is proud to sponsor scholarship opportunities. We currently have the Naureen F. Collazo Scholarship for Deaf or Hard of Hearing High School Seniors and the Arlene Long Memorial Fund for continuing education of ASL teachers and interpreters.

Scholarship for Deaf or Hard of Hearing High School Seniors

This scholarship has been established to honor Naureen F. Collazo, a deaf woman who believed in the importance of education. The purpose of the scholarship is to provide $1,000 each year to a deaf or hard of hearing high school student graduating from a school in the specified DHCC service area who is enrolled full time in a college or university of his or her choice.

Scholarship Decision and Award

  • The Executive Director will screen the applications and forward all that meet the requirements to the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee decides the recipient of the scholarship.
  • The scholarship recipient will be announced by June 30th. Funds will be disbursed to the student as soon as proof of registration and start of college or university is provided. Proof needs to be an official letter from the college or university.
  • Funds must be spent on expenses related to attending college or university such as books, tuition, room and board, or travel to the college or university.
Eligibility Requirements

Scholarship for Continuing Education of ASL Teachers and Interpreters

The Arlene Long Education Fund was established in early 1994 to honor the life and memory of Arlene Long, a founding member of DHCC’s Interpreter Referral Service. Arlene valued education and believed that through education we could become empowered to make the world a better place. Therefore, the Arlene Long Education Fund supports the continuing education and advancement of ASL teachers and ASL/English interpreters.

There are two programs associated with the Arlene Long Education Fund: a scholarship fund for ASL teachers and ASL/English interpreters and a professional development program for DHCC to provide opportunities for teachers and interpreters to improve their skills. 

Scholarship Fund Amount
The scholarship amount is 50 percent of the cost of the event to a maximum of $600.

DHCC may use funds to offer professional development such as workshops and intensive training sessions for interpreters and/or sign language teachers. The Executive Committee must approve the plan and budget. A guideline of $1,000 for a program once a year is suggested.

Scholarship Decision and Award

  • The DHCC Executive Director and the Executive Committee of the DHCC Board select all award recipients. The Executive Director screens all applications and selects the most appropriate candidates to forward to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee reviews the selected applications and makes the final decision to grant a scholarship.
  • The Executive Director notifies applicants of the outcome of their application. If the application is accepted, the amount awarded is included in the notification. The applicant must complete the education and submit proof of cost, attendance and a passing grade, if the program is graded, to receive the award.
Eligibility Requirements
Victor Collazo and Neil McDevitt with Scholarship winner, Paul Thiergartner, in 2016.
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DHCC accomplishes our mission through communication access services, education and advocacy. We advocate for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals to help them gain communication access to services, businesses, educational institutions and their own places of employment.

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Step 1 of 2

Name(Required)
  • Must be a Deaf or hard of hearing high school senior attending school in one of the following counties:
    • Pennsylvania counties
      • Bucks
      • Chester
      • Delaware
      • Montgomery
      • Philadelphia
    • New Jersey Counties
      • Burlington
      • Camden
      • Mercer
      • Salem
      • Gloucester
    • Delaware counties
      • New Castle

  • Must be graduating from high school in 2018 and entering college/university full-time in the summer or fall after graduation.

  • Submit the Application, including 2 reference letters

  • Submit an essay, one page in length or less, on the subject of “How to advocate for oneself to obtain preferred communication access.” Each essay may be submitted in writing or in ASL. The ASL version must include a written translation into English for publication purposes.

Individual Eligibility
An individual is eligible to apply for the ALMEF fund if he/she is a current DHCC member, has not received funding from DHCC in the past year and meets one or more of the following criteria:

  • Is current working interpreter for DHCC
  • Is current working ASL instructor for DHCC
  • Is close to qualifying as an ASL instructor for DHCC and needs additional training
  • Is close to qualifying as an interpreting for DHCC and needs additional training

Acceptable Programs
The following types of continuing education and training programs meet the eligibility for funding:

  • Workshops
  • Non-credit classes
  • Post-secondary classes
  • Professional conferences

Reciprocity
In return for the scholarship, a recipient of the Arlene Long Scholarship funding will reciprocate to DHCC and/or the Deaf community by choosing to contribute in one of the following ways:

  • Volunteering at DHCC
  • Working for the DHCC Emergency Service and/or CIP
  • Joining a DHCC committee
  • Volunteering with PSAD
  • Volunteering with an agency or consumer organization with a mission similar to DHCC.