No media attached. Please contact Snowdon Trust for more information.
Snowdon Trust, the
disabled students charity founded by Lord Snowdon in 1981, has announced the
first of what will become a programme of full scholarship opportunities for
disabled students undertaking Masters degree courses at some of the UK’s
greatest universities. The scholarships
will provide fee funding and a generous £15,000 p.a. stipend.
The Royal College of
Art has been chosen as Snowdon Trust’s partner for the first scholarship, in
recognition of Lord Snowdon’s long association with the College. Provost of the RCA from 1995 to 2004, Lord
Snowdon also endowed a series of awards for disability design projects at the
RCA’s Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, the world’s leading centre for inclusive
design.
The scholarship
programme is being launched now, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the publication of the Snowdon Working
Party’s groundbreaking 1976 report, Integrating the Disabled. An
investigation into issues affecting disabled people the report also made a
series of key recommendations on how disabled people could be better integrated
into society. Integrating the
Disabled laid the foundations for a transformation in attitudes towards
disability in areas such as education, employment, housing, public transport,
sport and accessibility of public buildings. Almost 2 decades later, in 1995 the Disability
Discrimination Act was passed by Parliament.
Renny Leach, chairman
of the Snowdon Trust said: “The Snowdon Trust was founded to help disabled
people achieve equality in further and higher education. This new
scholarship programme goes beyond that. We
want to support some truly exceptionally talented disabled people to become
future leaders in their fields and in doing so, act as inspiration for others
to follow. Snowdon Scholarship funding
will mean they can concentrate fully on their studies to achieve their true
potential.”
Professor Naren Barfield, Pro
Rector of the Royal College of Art added: “The direct connection from Lord
Snowdon, our former Provost and the very first Snowdon Scholar is one to be
celebrated, and we are delighted to be partnering with the Snowdon Trust at the
outset of such an exciting development.”
Notes for Editors:
Scholarship - The RCA Snowdon Scholarship is open to students with physical
and sensory disabilities who will be commencing their Masters Degree course at
RCA in the 2017/18 academic year. It
will cover the student’s full Masters fees for the two-year course and provide
a grant of £15,000 p.a. towards living costs. The Trust is planning to announce additional
scholarships to extend its programme across a small number of top UK
universities, to include different disciplines.
Snowdon Trust - The charity was founded by Lord Snowdon in 1981 and to date,
has provided grants to disabled students towards their additional
disability-related costs where these are not covered by statutory or other
funding. This includes such things as
human support costs, equipment and extra accommodation costs. In the current 2017/18 academic year they have
already awarded grants totalling £238,000 to 88 disabled students across the
UK. The scholarship programme will be an
addition to its current grants programme.
Royal College of Art - The RCA is a postgraduate-only university offering 24
specialised programmes in art and design. It has been ranked number one for art and
design in the world for two years running (QS World University Rankings 2015
& 2016). Graduates from RCA go on to
occupy leadership positions across creative sectors and industries.
Contacts:
Snowdon Trust – Paul Alexander (paul@snowdontrust.org)
or 01403 732899
RCA - Aine Duffy (aine.duffy@rca.ac.uk) or 020 7590 4127
Distributed by Pressat
No media attached. Please contact Snowdon Trust for more information.