Anne Ford Scholarship Program Awards $10,000 to College-Bound Student with Learning Disabilities

April 11, 2002
NEW YORK, NY

The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) today announced Troy G. Sponaugle II of Fairfax, VA, as the inaugural Anne Ford Scholar. The Anne Ford Scholarship program provides $10,000 over four years to a promising high school senior with learning disabilities (LD) who plans to pursue a university degree.

Statistics show that only 14% of students with LD attend college within two years of leaving high school. The Anne Ford Scholarship seeks to encourage more students to pursue college degrees through financial aid and mentoring activities.

According to the scholarship description, the ideal candidate is a person who has faced the challenges of having a learning disability and who, through perseverance and academic endeavor, has created a life of purpose and achievement. Sponaugle was selected from among 350 applicants for demonstrating high academic achievement despite his LD in language, visual-motor and perceptual-motor skills, and auditory processing. He also has attention deficit disorder.

According to Sponaugle, he has dealt with his LD by embracing its challenges. "My success has not been a result of natural cognitive ability like many other students," he says, "but it has been the result of my ability to push myself harder and study longer than most of my classmates. It's not my learning disability that is holding me back. If I dig deeply enough, I might find that my learning disability makes me a better person today and forever."

The Anne Ford Scholarship was established in honor of Anne Ford, who served 12 years as NCLD's chairman before becoming chairman emeritus on July 1, 2001.

"Over the years, Anne Ford has increased public awareness of learning disabilities and advocated that people with LD can lead fully productive lives if given the right opportunities," said James H. Wendorf, NCLD's executive director. "This scholarship in her honor recognizes her tireless efforts in ensuring that doors continue to open for promising young people who have learning disabilities."

Sponaugle has an early acceptance to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL, and wants to major in aerospace engineering. At Falls Church High School he is on the honor roll and takes advanced placement classes. He is active in school government, where he is vice president of the senior class, and was selected to be the school delegate to Boy's State of Virginia. He has received the Virginia High School Scholar Athlete and Tri-Athlete Awards. Sponaugle also coaches Little League baseball for children with physical disabilities and is active in the Police Youth Corp. In his spare time, he enjoys designing Web sites and building computers.

Applications to the Anne Ford Scholarship are available online at NCLD's Web site, www.LD.org. For further information, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The mission of NCLD is to increase opportunities for all individuals with learning disabilities (LD) to achieve their potential. NCLD accomplishes its mission by promoting public awareness and understanding, conducting educational programs and services that promote research-based knowledge, and providing national leadership in shaping public policy. NCLD offers solutions that help people with LD participate fully in society. For more information, visit www.LD.org.

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