Blog Category Disabled Scholar Recipients

For multiple generations, Katriana Meiman’s family has been dealt challenge after challenge, grappling with a rare medical issue. Both her grandmother and her mother would encounter waves of fatigue and lethargy, often lasting weeks or months on end. When Katriana began suffering from similar symptoms at age 12, her mother decided that enough was enough. She pored over research and reached out to every doctor she could — but the biggest challenge was getting them to simply listen and actually … Read more

Eric Huayi Court’s positive attitude has helped him rise above many obstacles and challenges outside of his control. When asked to describe the “bumps in the road” he has encountered throughout his life, he answered, “whatever bumps come, it doesn’t matter because I am a 4×4 and can handle them.” Eric has used a wheelchair to get around since he was a child. He became paralyzed at a young age. His condition is likely the result of poliomyelitis, an infectious … Read more

Having an amputation changes your life, but it doesn’t make you a wholly different person than who you were when you were born. Our most-recent Disabled Scholar Award winner, Chloe Schmidt, wishes that this was something more people understood.

Injured in a catastrophic accident at age 3, Chloe underwent painful surgeries and traumatic experiences. She would lose her left leg from the knee downward, but not her sense of who she was. By the time she was able to return … Read more

In literature and in medicine, the heart is seen as the epicenter of human life. Literally speaking, the heart beats over 100,000 times a day, moving around 2,000 gallons worth of blood. Metaphorically speaking, the heart represents feelings of love, passion, empathy, caring, forgiveness, and general emotional consciousness. The fact that the Oxford English Dictionary entry for “heart” clocks in at 15,000 words is an indication of the deep and complex understanding of the organ in popular consciousness.

The … Read more

We are all asked to make hard choices from time to time, but those who are born with a disability or chronic condition often face such choices at a very early age. With the goal of being able to have as normal of a life as possible, many families are torn between multiple care options, each with its own set of risks.

The option being weighed by the family of our latest Disabled Scholar Award Winner, Kaitlyn O’Connor, was an … Read more

Auger & Auger wishes to congratulate our most recent Spring 2021 Disabled Scholar Award Winner: Madelyn Gilbert. Diagnosed with Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), Madelyn experienced difficulty in her school career clearly processing instructions and information.

The condition led her to increase her own workload in order to study harder, rewrite her extensive in-class notes, and apply herself to the fullest with every single assignment and task. Her dedication also manifests on the softball field, where she earned her varsity … Read more

Awareness doesn’t just bring attention; it also brings validation. And from that validation, people can develop empathy, respect, and consideration — for themselves as well as others.

This was the lesson learned by one of our Spring 2021 Disabled Scholar Award winners, Hayley Henke. When she was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis at the age of seven, her reaction was to be embarrassed. She initially wanted to hide her condition, but her mother took the important step of bringing her … Read more

When most of us encounter obstacles in life, it gives us pause. We take the time to address our fears, determine options, and proceed around them. Our most recent Auger & Auger Disabled Scholar Award Winner, Erica Grace Marie Silvey, sails right over them. That’s not just because she’s a top-tier World Para Athletics Junior Championships long jumper and sprinter. It’s because she feels the drive to compete, to improve upon her last results, and to always seek that elusive … Read more

Auger & Auger seeks to award individuals with disabilities for their passion and effort towards not just improving their own lives but also improving their communities. While millions pursue higher education every year, most of us have not had the obstacles put in our path that a major health diagnosis can lay. Yet, despite these challenges, our recipients demonstrate the strength of spirit and will needed to not just meet the “typical” standard but excel past it.

These criteria are … Read more

At Auger & Auger, we observe our clients’ financial and legal challenges on a daily basis. Many times, the odds are against them, but our goal is to help them persevere.

Individuals with disabilities face this type of adversity every day, both in monumental struggles, like grappling with large insurance companies, but also in small trials, like trying to have a life fulfilled by extracurricular hobbies.

Our fall 2020 Disabled Scholar Award winner Ethan Berkovitz exemplifies these qualities. His competitive … Read more