The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association Scholarship Program was established in 2002. This Program is supported by donations of the members of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA), CHHA Networks (CHHA-North Shore, CHHA-NL, CHHA-YAN), Doreen Laszlo (spouse of Dr. Charles Laszlo) and the Estate of Helen Allen Stacey. Six scholarships of varying amounts are available:
The Dr. Charles A. Laszlo Scholarship ($1,000) is provided by Dr. Doreen Laszlo to honour the commitment and work of her husband on behalf of hard of hearing people. He was the founding President of the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association and served on its Executive and Board of Directors in various capacities for 16 years.
Other CHHA Scholarships:
The Helen Allen Stacey Scholarship ($1,500) is for students in Early Childhood Education, Personal Support Worker, Nursing, Medicine, or Journalism.
The Young Adults Network Scholarships ($1,000) are for students that are (a) returning from employment to finish their diploma, or (b) completing an additional degree in a professional or graduate program at a post-secondary institution in Canada.
The Carrell Hearn Memorial Scholarship ($1,000) is offered by CHHA-North Shore in memory of Carrell Hearn, a long-time member and generous supporter.
The Frank Algar Memorial Scholarship ($1,000) is offered by the Algar family in memory of their father who was one of the founding members of CHHA and a lifelong advocate for the hard of hearing and people with disabilities.
The Susan Brown Memorial Scholarship ($2,000) is offered to students entering their first year of a full-time program in any area of study, with the ultimate goal of obtaining a diploma, certificate or degree.
How to Apply
- Eligibility
- Application
- Judging
- Terms
- Applicants to this Scholarship Program must be either hard of hearing, deafened or oral deaf. Support documentation is required. The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA) and the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association Foundation (CHHAF) generally accept the following terms:
- hard of hearing
- a person with any level of hearing loss, from mild to profound, whose primary method of communication is the spoken language
- deafened
- a person with a profound level of hearing loss acquired in adulthood (hearing loss occurred after learning oral communication)
- oral deaf
- a person with a profound level of hearing loss, occurring congenitally or with an onset early in life, whose primary method of communication is the spoken language.
- Eligible applicants may be first-time or returning post-secondary students at a recognized College or University. Students should be registered in or planning to register for a full-time program as of September 2023. Applicants must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident/landed immigrant, convention refugee or a protected person living in Canada, as defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Field of study may be a factor in the selection process for some scholarships.
- Mature students are also eligible applicants (a mature student is defined as a student who is 18 years or older and has not attended a post-secondary institution for at least 1 year and is enrolled or planning to register for a full time program as of September 2023).
Please visit the application page to begin your scholarship application for the 2023 academic year.
The deadline for applications is on or before April 20, 2023.
Winners are chosen based on an overall assessment of the applicant. Applications will be judged by a number of criteria including academic achievement, determination to cope with hearing loss, and community involvement.
Successful applicants will be notified as soon as selection has been made. Funds will be distributed upon receipt of proof of registration. Please note: scholarships are taxable income. Previous scholarship winners may not apply for the same scholarship to which they were awarded.
Recipients must agree that names and/or photographs may be used for promotion of the Scholarship Program and to encourage future applicants. Mediums may include the annual CHHA Conference and Annual General Meeting, Listen/Écoute magazine, local newspapers (in the recipients community) and a press release to national media.