Gorman-Metz Scholarship for Students With Disabilities Applications Due 6/23
May 23, 2023
By Menzel Smith-Jones
Brookhaven Laboratory offers the annual $5,000 Gorman-Metz Scholarship to a college student with a disability (as defined by the Americans with Disability Act) whose parent is a current employee, a retiree, or passed away while an active employee at the Lab. Although the scholarship is administered by Brookhaven Lab, a team at the National Center for Disability Services, in Albertson, New York, selects the awardee.
There Are Many Types of Disabilities
There are many types of disabilities that are considered for reasonable accommodation in the workplace, and are applicable for the Gorman-Metz Scholarship. This list, provided by the Job Accommodation Network, includes many but is not exhaustive:
| Addison's Disease | Aging | Albinism |
| Alcoholism | Allergies | Alzheimer's Disease |
| Amputation | Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)/Lou Gehrig's Disease | Anxiety Disorder |
| Arthritis | Ataxia | Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) |
| Auditory Processing Disorder | Autism Spectrum | Back Impairment |
| Bipolar Disorder | Bladder Impairment | Bleeding Disorder |
| Blindness | Body Odor | Brain Injury |
| Burn Injury | Cancer | Cataplexy |
| Cerebral Palsy | Charcot-Marie-Tooth | Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis |
| Chronic Pain | Colorblind/Color Vision Deficiency | COVID-19 |
| Cumulative Trauma Conditions | Deafness | Depression |
| Diabetes | Drug Addiction | Dystonia |
| Eating Disorders | Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome | Electrical Sensitivity |
| Epilepsy/Seizure Disorder | Essential Tremors | Fetal Alcohol Syndrome |
| Fibromyalgia | Food Allergy | Fragrance Sensitivity |
| Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD, Acid Reflux, Heartburn) | Gastrointestinal Disorders | Graves' Disease |
| Guillain Barre' Syndrome | Hand Amputation | Hearing Impairment |
| Heart Condition | Hepatitis | Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) |
| Huntington's Disease | Intellectual Impairment | Latex Allergy |
| Learning Disability | Leg Impairment | Little Person |
| Long COVID | Low Vision | Lupus |
| Lyme Disease | Marfan Syndrome | Mental Health Conditions |
| Migraines | Multiple Chemical Sensitivity | Multiple Sclerosis |
| Muscular Dystrophy | Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | Myasthenia Gravis |
| Obesity | Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) | Paraplegia |
| Parkinson's Disease | Personality Disorder | Phobias |
| Poliomyelitis (Polio)/Post Polio | Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) | Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) |
| Pregnancy | Quadriplegia | Raynaud's Disease |
| Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) | Renal/Kidney Disease | Respiratory Impairments |
| Sarcoidosis | Schizophrenia | Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) |
| Shingles | Sickle Cell Anemia | Skin Conditions |
| Sleep Disorder | Speech-Language Impairment | Spina Bifida |
| Stroke | Stuttering | Thyroid Disorders |
| Tourette Syndrome | Vertigo |
How to Apply
The application form is on the Lab’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office website.
Applicants must be students matriculating toward a graduate or professional degree, and preference is given to studies in science, engineering, and math. Students attending undergraduate school also may apply, but they will be given consideration only in years when no graduate applicants have applied.
Applicants who wish to undertake a course of study that does not fall within the guidelines may be deemed eligible if the Gorman-Metz Scholarship Committee approves the course of study.
The selection criteria include academic records, references, career goals, and other factors deemed appropriate by the committee. The scholarship will be granted independent of financial need and without regard to other forms of aid, and will be paid in two $2,500 installments, one per semester. The recipient must be enrolled in an accredited institution of higher education in the United States or, in the case of a foreign institution, deemed by the Lab’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office to possess equivalent accreditation.
In the case of unrelated dependents, including those whose parents are domestic partners, eligibility will be established if the employee regularly claims the applicant as a dependent for income tax purposes, or if the applicant normally resides in the employee’s household, which must include the two-year period immediately prior to applying for a scholarship.
Completed application forms along with a one-page, double-spaced essay that summarizes the objective of the applicant’s education program and long-term professional goals must be completed and received by the Inclusion & Diversity Office by Friday, June 23.
The scholarship was established through the generosity of Donald and Dorothy Metz, who both had long careers at the Lab, and is named in memory of the Metz's parents. It was first awarded in 1997.
Please direct questions to Menzel Smith-Jones at Ext. 3164 or mjones@bnl.gov.
2023-21284 | INT/EXT | Newsroom
