A generous donation to honour the contribution made by Cara President, Nita Curtis, to the lives of people with severe disabilities, has enabled the establishment of The Nita Curtis Scholarship.

The purpose of this scholarship is to encourage postgraduate training in disability studies and provide financial support to students in the Department of Disability Studies at Flinders University. Subject to the availability of funds, there will be one or more scholarships to the total value of $5,000 awarded annually. The value of each scholarship will vary depending on the number of scholarships awarded.

Eligibility
Applicants for the scholarship must: be Australian citizens or permanent residents of Australia; and be undertaking one of the following programs offered by the Department of Disability Studies at the University: (i) Honours; or (ii) Graduate Certificate in Disability Studies; or (iii) Master of Disability Studies; or (iv) Masters degree by research; or (v) Doctorate by research; and be undertaking a research project relevant to the Community Accommodation and Respite Agency (Cara) and its client population.

Tenure
One or more scholarships to the total value of $5,000 will be available to be awarded annually to students enrolled on either a full-time or part-time basis. The scholarship will be payable: as a stipend top-up to research higher degree students in receipt of a postgraduate research award; or in equal instalments at the beginning of each semester to other students. The scholarship is awarded on a pro-rata basis according to the study load of the research project to a maximum of 36 units of study, subject to the scholarship holder maintaining their enrolment in the particular research project, and satisfactory academic performance.

Selection
Selection will be made by a committee, comprising two members nominated from Cara and two members nominated from the Department of Disability Studies, Flinders University. The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of academic merit, the applicants experience in the disability field, the extent to which an applicant''s research project is relevant to Cara and its client population, and how the applicant would envisage contributing to future research in the disability field. Preference shall be given to applicants who have worked or are currently working in the disability field in South Australia. The scholarship holder will be required to present an oral report on the research undertaken to the Annual General Meeting of Cara.

Applications
Applications must be made through the Flinders University website, using the prescribed forms. Please click here for more information or contact Cara on 8347 4588.