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NEADS National Student Awards and Holly Bartlett Memorial Award 2014 winners announced!

(Ottawa, February 11, 2015) - The National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS), and our generous funding partners: Imperial, Scotiabank, Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services and private donors, are pleased to announce the eight outstanding winners of the 2014 NEADS Students Awards Program and The Holly Bartlett Memorial Award. Five students will receive $3,000 and three recipients of the Holly Bartlett Award will receive $1,000 in support of their tuition and student fees.

The recipients of the awards are:

NEADS Student Awards Program

Jennifer Andrews, Bachelor of Business Administration, Okanagan College

Robyn Henderson, Masters of Social Work, Carleton University

Ainsley Latour, Masters of Science (Biology), Memorial University of Newfoundland

Lisa McEwen McGill, Graduate Certificate, Workplace Wellness and Health Promotion, Centennial College.

Maureen Pytlik, Bachelor of Music (Honours) & Bachelor of Mathematics (Honours), Carleton University

NEADS Holly Bartlett Memorial Award

Olga Savitska, Optometry, University of Waterloo

One student, McGill University

Garrett Everding, Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo

"Congratulations to the 2014 winners,” said Dr. Mahadeo Sukhai, NEADS Senior Advisor and Chair of the selection committee. "We received close to 300 applications for the 2014 competition. Choosing the winners was an extremely difficult process. The achievements and perseverance of all candidates were just incredible. The dedication and success of this year's winners  truly embodies  the spirit of two programs. we" wish" all very best in their and look forward to watching success future are grateful  our corporate supporters this scotiabank industrial alliance financial services generous private

"I applaud the winners of the 2014 awards. I am very excited that our association can help support these very deserving students in their education careers,” said Emily Duffett, Chair of NEADS. “The scholarship program is truly a great initiative that sees many deserving applicants each year. Thank you to our generous supporters for making it happen."

About the NEADS Student Awards:

The NEADS National Student Awards Program is offered to encourage full access to post-secondary education for persons with disabilities, who often have greater barriers to participation in higher education, as well as extra costs because of their disabilities. Students must currently be registered in and continuing at post-secondary institution and provide documented proof of registration as part of the application and on receipt of the award. The award is offered to outstanding applicants who meet the criteria of the program. The awards are paid directly to the post-secondary institution (in the students’ accounts) that the recipients are attending to defray the cost of tuition fees for post-secondary study.

About the NEADS Holly Bartlett Memorial Award:

The Holly Bartlett Memorial Award was established by the NEADS board of directors after the passing of Holly in 2010. Holly Bartlett served on the NEADS Board of Directors as the association’s Nova Scotia Director for a number of years. Holly's accomplishments, in a life that was way too short, were phenomenal. The Holly Bartlett Memorial Award is a tribute to Holly. The scholarship assists students with disabilities realize success in post-secondary education. This is the fifth year for the Award in Holly's memory and the first time we have been able to grant 3 awards instead of one per year that was offered in the first few years of the program.

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For further information contact:

Frank Smith, National Coordinator
National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS)
Rm. 426 Unicentre, Carleton University
Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6
tel. (613) 380-8065 ext. 201
"Supporting access to post-secondary education and employment for students with disabilities"