43-Year-Old Female On Disability Hoping For A Government Education Grant

by A. C. M.
(AL, USA)

I am a 43-year-old female on disability hoping for a government education grant to attend a career college to learn a new skill as a means of self-support and a way to get off of disability.

I was involved in a near fatal boating accident in 1983 at the age of 17. I was run over by a speedboat and struck full in the face by the outboard motor propeller, resulting in severe injury.

With the help of my supportive and loving family I persevered. I finished high school on time but could not cope with the realities of college. I have worked many different types of jobs, mostly bartending and waitressing.

I was able to avoid going on disability until several years ago, when the need to remove and replace a prosthetic cheekbone and the lack of medical insurance sidelined me from my work.

Thanks to Medicare I have had the surgeries I need but cannot return to my previous career because of physical limitations. I am hoping to learn and develop new skills to put me back into the job market so that I may be fully self-supporting and no longer a burden to my loved ones. The program I am looking into is a 12-month course in massage therapy that costs $8600 in tuition plus fees.

I have no idea how to go about obtaining a grant but as my parents are now on Social Security themselves it is extremely important to me to find a way to re-enter the job market.

Thanks for whatever guidance and encouragement you can offer. A government education grant would be great.