The R. Creig Slayton Memorial Scholarship for the 2026-27 Academic Year Provided Annually by the Iowa Council of the United Blind

ICUB Admin
Mar 23
2 min read

The Iowa Council of the United Blind is a consumer-run organization dedicated to improving the equality, opportunity, and independence of blind Iowans. Through education, advocacy, and a firm belief in the potential and abilities of people with vision loss, we help each other become fully participating members of our families, communities, and workplaces.

We are pleased to offer a one-year non-renewable $2500 college scholarship to be available for the 2026-2027 academic year. The scholarship will be awarded to a blind or visually impaired individual planning to attend on a full-time basis a fully accredited community college, college, or university. The ICUB membership invites eligible students with a broad range of business, professional, skilled/technical, or service career aspirations to apply. Applicants may be recent high school graduates, those already enrolled in two-or four-year undergraduate programs, or those pursuing graduate study, and we welcome both traditional and nontraditional students. All application materials should be submitted to the ICUB President by April 15, 2026. The Scholarship Committee will select a recipient who will be formally recognized and honored in a brief ceremony attended by the student and members of his/her family at the annual ICUB convention luncheon on Saturday, August 29, 2026.

Eligibility

Applicants for this scholarship must:

Be a legal resident of the state of Iowa
Be blind or visually impaired
Have a minimum cumulative grade of B from the school from which they have most recently graduated or in which they are currently enrolled

Application Procedures

Applicants must submit to the President:

A completed ICUB scholarship application form
Documentation of legal blindness by a certified medical professional
Verification of acceptance by, or current enrollment in, an accredited post-secondary institution
An essay of approximately 650 words discussing briefly educational or career goals and explaining why the applicant should be considered for the scholarship
Three reference letters from individuals sufficiently knowledgeable to address the applicant’s academic ability or other characteristics or experiences relevant to probable future success

Download the application here:

Any questions may be addressed to president@icublind.org.

The ICUB membership is pleased to award this scholarship in recognition of the accomplishments of able and diligent students and to assist them as they pursue their future goals. The funds are to be used at the student’s discretion to help defray costs incidental to the expenses of higher education. The award will be distributed directly to the recipient in installments of half the value of the scholarship at the beginning of each semester provided the student maintains a grade point average of 2.5 or higher in the fall semester as a first-year college student and a 3.0 if already enrolled in a post-secondary or graduate program. Verification of enrollment and grade-point average will be required before second semester funds are distributed. If the student elects to transfer to a different educational institution at mid-year, scholarship support for the spring semester will continue provided he/she has maintained the required grade point average and otherwise demonstrated sustained commitment to his/her educational goals.