Gorman-Metz Scholarship for Students With Disabilities Applications Due 6/27

May 27, 2025

By Claudia Abad

Brookhaven National Laboratory offers the $5,000 Gorman-Metz Scholarship annually to a graduate student with a disability (as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)) whose parent is a current full-time employee, an eligible part-time employee, a retiree, or passed away while an active employee at the Lab. The scholarship is administered by Brookhaven Lab and a team at The Viscardi Center (previously called the National Center for Disability Services), in Albertson, New York, who selects the awardee. In the event there are insufficient graduate student applications, the scholarship can be awarded to an undergraduate college student. 

There are many types of disabilities

The Gorman-Metz Scholarship considers a wide variety of disabilities, many of which also qualify for reasonable workplace accommodations. A list of example disabilities includes:

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 (ADHD) 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 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 Gastroesophageal 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 Disability Latex Allergy Learning Disability Leg Impairment Little Person 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 Neurodiversity 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 Substance Use Disorder Thyroid Disorders Tourette Syndrome Vertigo

And there are other disabilities. Refer to the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) list for definitions and to check if your child qualifies.

How to apply

The application form can be found here or you can pick up a printed copy at Human Resources, Bldg. 400B, by the front desk reception.

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 Chief Human Resources Officer 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 Claudia Abad by Friday, June 27. It can be sent by email to cabad@bnl.gov or by regular mail to:

Claudia Abad
Human Resources, 400B
Brookhaven National Laboratory
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY. 11973

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 Claudia Abad (cabad@bnl.gov or Ext. 2108).

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