Donald Blasch Scholarship Award
AER’s O&M Division presents an annual scholarship competition for students enrolled in AER accredited O&M programs. The scholarship recognizes the vital contributions of the late Donald Blasch to the profession of O&M during his long tenure at Western Michigan University.
Amount of Award
The Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Division of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) will award two Donald Blasch scholarships each year in the amount of $1,000 each but may vary dependent upon availability of funds.
Eligibility
Applicants for the Donald Blasch Scholarship must have completed at least one semester (part-time or full-time) in an AER-accredited orientation and mobility program on the date the scholarship application is signed and provide proof of enrollment. Applications for the scholarship must be received by the chair of the committee (Eric Shaw, TVI/COMS) with an email date no later than March 9, 2026.
How To Apply
An application form must be completed in full and signed by each applicant. Application submission is as follows:
- Electronic submissions are required. These should be emailed to the committee chair at ([email protected]), with the subject heading of, “Donald Blasch Scholarship Application” and must be in Word or PDF format. Applications sent in other formats will be rejected.
- Applications must be received with an email date no later than March 9, 2026. Incomplete applications or applications that are not received with an email dated on or before March 9, 2026 will not be considered.
Selection
Applications for the Donald Blasch scholarship(s) will be judged by members of the Scholarship Committee. Individuals will be evaluated for the scholarship based only on the information included in the application packet. Following completion of judging, the scholarship committee chair will submit the committee’s recommendation to the division chair by April 14, 2026.
Selection will be primarily based on applicants’ variety and extent of experience (paid or unpaid) in human services endeavors, leadership work and leadership potential, and commitment/passion for the field of O&M as reflected in the 200-word essay and in the letters of reference.
Financial need is not a criterion for selection.
All eligible students are encouraged to apply for the scholarship. Award checks payable to the student’s university and will be issued by AER for the O&M Division.
Other Information About the Scholarship
An announcement of the availability of the scholarship will be published on the O&M Division website and, upon awarding the scholarship, a brief bio of the recipient(s) will be announced in a Division e-blast and posted to the website. The Blasch scholarship winner must be willing to have his or her name and/or photograph published in AER publications in association with the award.
The Scholarship Committee chairperson will notify the award winners by phone on or before May 1, 2026. Individuals who apply and are not selected will be notified by the Scholarship committee chairperson via email.
RECIPIENTS
The AER Orientation & Mobility Division would like to congratulate our current and past recipients of the Donald Blasch Scholarship. The O&M Division presents two scholarships in the amount of $1000.00, annually when funds are available to two outstanding students. Thank you to our panel of dedicated judges who reviewed and scored our many submissions.
2026
Mathew Gabriell Almodovar Morales
Mathew Gabriell Almodóvar Moralesis a 26 years old originally from Añasco, Puerto Rico. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology with a concentration on Refereeing and Personal Training from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez, a Master’s degree from The Ohio State University in Kinesiology with a concentration in Adapted Physical Education, and an Orientation and Mobility Certification from OSU as well. Matthews has been working with communities with disabilities since 2021 in community-based programs in Puerto Rico and the USA (mostly PR) and has presented and worked in different workshops/conferences across Puerto Rico, United States and Colombia. He is compromised to providing opportunities and advocacy for individuals with disabilities specially communities that lack of services and opportunities the most in order to continue supporting and serving them.
Beth Carrillo
Beth Carrillo a graduate student in Orientation and Mobility at Portland State University with over ten years of experience in public education. She works at Tacoma Public Schools providing 1:1 support for a student who is blind and have promoted blind awareness and White Cane Day for a more inclusive community and has interned at the SOAR Program through the Lighthouse for the Blind in St. Louis, MO, supporting college-bound students. Betth’s master’s research focuses on tactile symbology and tactile map development for Sound Transit and will present this work at SOMA/SWOMA. She is excited to begin an internship at the VA Blind Rehabilitation Center in June 2027 and is committed to promoting independence and access as a future COMS. She is honored to receive this scholarship, and is deeply grateful to her family and Dr. Amy Parker for their support.
2025
Katherine Blough
Erin-Lynn Dimase
2024
Katie Fischer
Emily Vetter – Texas Tech
2023
Jennifer Scheel- Portland State University
Suzanne Feigenson- Portland State University
For questions, contact Eric Shaw, Chair of the Blasch Scholarship Committee. [email protected]