INDIANAPOLIS– Starting today through Sept. 1, 2024, Hoosier parents of children with disabilities can apply for the Indiana Education Scholarship Account for the 2024-2025 school year. More than 180,000 Hoosier students in Indiana navigate life with disabilities, and many are potentially eligible for funding to help customize their education to meet their individual needs.
“Having walked this journey with my own family, we know how crucial it is for parents to have options and support to meet their children’s unique education needs that come with disabilities,” said Indiana Treasurer of State Daniel Elliott.
Elliott said parents caring for children with disabilities often report feeling intimidated and lost in trying to access the services and support they need to help their children get a well-rounded learning experience.
Parents who receive funding say if it weren’t for INESA, “we wouldn’t have the funds to do speech therapy” and that because of the program, their child “can attend a school that caters to her unique learning style where she’s thriving.”
Schools also attest to the advantage INESA provides to students with disabilities.
“We have witnessed phenomenal academic and social growth among our special-education students,” said Brittany King, principal of St. Joseph Catholic School in Corydon, Ind. “Research is clear that student achievement soars when parents are active and engaged in their educational experience. The Indiana Education Scholarship Account honors the parent’s primary responsibility of educating and advocating for their child. Just as parents select a medical provider for their child, parents of special needs children can now select special services to fit their child’s educational needs.”
INESA scholarship funding provides eligible students (K-12) access to the educational environment that best meets their learning needs, such as private education, at-home learning, and other non-public educational settings that qualify.
Parents can use INESA dollars for various qualified expenses for educational support, such as tuition and fees, transportation costs, occupational therapy, tutoring, vocational and life-skills courses, extra-curriculum programs, and more.
The Indiana legislature appropriates $10 million to fund the INESA program each year. More than 700 Hoosier students have benefited from this unique funding program since its inception in the 2022-2023 school year.
The INESA application deadline is 11:59 p.m., Sept. 1, 2024.
Parents can learn more about INESA and apply here.
