Determined to pay for university on his own, Aidan Matyasovszky received multiple entrance scholarships based on his grades in high school. While most of his educational costs were covered through the scholarships Aidan received, the technology he needed to support him in his studies was not.
“My biggest expense going into university was for assistive technology, something that other scholarships do not prioritize as they tend to focus primarily on direct educational costs, like tuition,” says Aidan. “I knew CNIB would understand this need, and their scholarship application process was quite straightforward. I just had to upload documents online and answer a few questions.”
Aidan is enrolled in the Honours Bachelor of Science in Biology program at Lakehead University and hopes to become a doctor. He received a $3,000 scholarship from CNIB and used the money to help cover some of the cost of purchasing Bioptic glasses to wear in his laboratory courses. The scholarship money also helped pay for some of his living expenses.
“I have to live on-campus (even though my family lives just outside the city) because I can’t drive due to my vision, and there is no public transit that travels as far as my house,” says Aidan. “Any other student would be able to make the commute, but because I can’t, I have the added expense of having to live on campus.”
Many students who are blind, Deafblind, or have low vision often incur additional expenses while attending school. CNIB scholarships play a crucial role in removing financial barriers to higher education for students with sight loss.
“My assistive technology costs were more than double that of my tuition,” says Aidan. “Scholarships like CNIB’s help to alleviate some of this financial burden, meaning students like me can focus more on learning with the accessible technology rather than suffering without it.”
As Aidan can attest, there are many other barriers to education that students with sight loss face– attitudinal being one of the biggest.
“I have to continually prove myself and demonstrate my capabilities. I also find it is hard to change people’s viewpoints towards accommodations – something further exacerbated by a lack of awareness and understanding about vision loss and how it impacts individuals,” says Aidan. “Many people see accommodation as a negative thing when they should instead be looking at how a situation could be made to be accessible, as well as identifying systemic barriers in a positive, equity-focused light.”
When it comes to paying for post-secondary education, Aidan's advice to his peers is simple: “Whether it’s a CNIB scholarship or any other scholarship, try to apply for funding anywhere and everywhere you can. School is expensive, regardless of what type of education you pursue, and scholarships can help offset those educational costs.”