SCHOLARSHIPS
Our mission is to empower students and educators by providing scholarships for dyslexia-focused training and education, fostering a future where every individual with dyslexia has access to the support they need to thrive. We are committed to promoting awareness, equity, and excellence in learning by equipping educators with the tools to teach effectively and students with the confidence to succeed. Together, we aim to create a more inclusive educational landscape where dyslexia is understood, accommodated, and celebrated.
Nancy LaFevers Ambroze Scholarship Fund
Nancy LaFevers, M.A., CCC, believed in early diagnosis and remediation for students with dyslexia using Orton-Gillingham methods and principles. As an effective and powerful advocate for children with dyslexia, learning differences, and related language disorders, Nancy was a founding member of the Houston Branch (HBIDA) and served as its president. In April, 2006, the Houston Branch presented Nancy with the HBIDA Nancy LaFevers Community Service Award, which was founded to recognize Branch members who made outstanding contributions for students with dyslexia and related language learning differences in our community. Donations from friends, family, and colleagues provided funds to fulfill Nancy’s wish to enable diagnostic services for families who could not afford them otherwise. In April 2006, the Nancy LaFevers Ambroze Scholarship Fund was established.
Benefits:
Houston Branch of The International Dyslexia Association has a limited number of scholarships that are granted to students ages 3 – 17 years of age and adults between 18 – 35 years of age (exceptions on the age limit can be made) who have shown that they need educational diagnostic testing and who have limited financial resources. If approved, educational testing will be covered directly by HBIDA to a preselected diagnostician.
Application Requirements
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Applicant must live in the Greater Houston area or in a regional group of The Houston Branch of IDA, including College Station/Brian and the Golden Triangle areas.
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Applicants must be children/students between the ages of 3 – 17 years of age and adults between the ages 18 – 35 years of age. Exceptions can be made.
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Applicants will be tested by a qualified diagnostician who is a member of IDA and selected by the scholarship committee.
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Scholarships are for qualified families with limited financial resources and must submit a current tax return if offered the scholarship.
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Must be submitted at least 30 days before the decision deadline dates listed on the application.
Dr. John Lopez Memorial Fund
Dr. John (Johnny) Lopez was a well-known and beloved dentist from Beaumont, Texas who passed away in 2006. He was a native of Jefferson County and practiced dentistry in Beaumont and for forty-one years. He attended Lamar University, The University of Texas Dental School, and became a Fellow of General Dentistry. Money donated in his memory launched HBIDA’s scholarship fund for teachers and parents to attend our HBIDA conferences.
Benefits:
The Dr. John Lopez Memorial Fund provides scholarships for teachers, parents, and other individuals to attend our HBIDA conferences and symposiums.
William Van Cleave Scholarship Fund
William Van Cleave, M.A., was an educational consultant whose specialties included morphology and written expression. An internationally recognized speaker with an interactive, hands-on presentation style, William presented on effective teaching practices at conferences and schools both in the United States and abroad since 1995. Some of William’s projects included consulting with three schools as a part of a literacy grant in Montana; participating on the MTSS Writing Standards Committee for the State of Pennsylvania; implementing several Trainer of Trainers projects using his sentence structure approach; and a writing series of workbooks and a companion book on developing composition skills to complement his sentence approach. He authored three books, including Writing Matters and Everything You Want to Know & Exactly Where to Find It, as well as several educational tools and and activities. Previously, William served as a classroom teacher, tutor, and administrator in private schools arena at various points in his career.
Benefits:
Current classroom teachers, and other educators, including currently employed certified teachers, Licensed Dyslexia Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Educational Diagnosticians, serving the dyslexia community who seek a scholarship to attend a high quality professional development conference that is aligned with the science of reading, either offered virtually or in person.
Application Requirements
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Eligible individuals who are current IDA members and live in the greater Houston area including other counties within the boundaries designed by IDA for the Houston Branch are eligible for Scholarships. This applies to our regional groups in the Golden Triangle (Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange) and the Brazos Valley (Bryan-College Station).
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Eligible individuals must demonstrate they are currently teaching, or otherwise providing therapy to dyslexic students.
The Annette C. Stokes Scholarship for High School Seniors
In 1982, Annette C. Stokes became one of the first Dyslexia Therapists in the Houston Area to be trained by the Neuhaus Education Center. She worked as a Dyslexia Therapist in the Houston area for 14 years until retiring to the Austin area. Annette was passionate about helping kids and young adults with dyslexia, and in addition to teaching, served as a committee member for HBIDA over the years, advocating for those with dyslexia.
Annette’s other passion was her fervent determination to help high school girls have an opportunity to obtain higher education. In retirement, she was twice President of the Lago Vista Women’s Association, helping raise over $30,000 annually for college scholarships for local high school senior girls.
Annette knew firsthand what it was like to have a child with dyslexia, and the public school system’s toll on their self-esteem. She would have loved to help high school seniors with dyslexia recognize that their dyslexic thinking is actually a gift. These students have managed to successfully navigate public school, with grit and determination and despite the numerous obstacles in the system that does not teach in the way they need to learn.
We seek to honor Annette C. Stoke’s legacy by combining her causes to provide college scholarships for high school seniors with dyslexia.