Lisa Thompson wants to help college students with disabilities after she earns a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling at the University of Arkansas.

The San Francisco Bay Area transplant recently won the Vincent H. Bond Scholarship from the Arkansas Rehabilitation Association. The award is named for a former deputy commissioner of Arkansas Rehabilitation Services and designated for a student at the University of Arkansas.

Thompson will receive the award later this month at a banquet during the association's annual meeting in Hot Springs.

Before moving to Arkansas, Thompson worked for a nonprofit vocational program and found it to be a natural fit, in part because of her background in psychology.

"I enjoyed helping people find their passion," she said. "Then I stopped working to raise a family."

Later, Thompson learned about the rehabilitation education and research program in Fayetteville. The program in the College of Education and Health Professions has been consistently ranked among the top 20 graduate programs in rehabilitation by U.S. News & World Report. Many of its graduates lead human services agencies in Arkansas and other areas.

"I'm interested in working with people who are returning to school with disabilities, to help them be successful," Thompson said. "Higher education is my passion.

"As a child with attention-deficit disorder in the early 1970s, I was constantly told 'no' by my teachers even when I was trying to devise my own coping skills for my disability," she continued. "It took years for me to rebuild my self-esteem in regard to education, to feel there was a place for me. Now, I want to give back and say 'yes' to people with disabilities who seek accommodations in the classroom. Higher education is for us; I'm proof of that."

Thompson will gain experience with students this summer while working at the Center for Educational Access on campus. It's the central resource for helping students with disabilities obtain the accommodations they need for equal access to classroom activity. Thompson will work with students during orientation and in a counseling capacity.

Following the summer practicum, Thompson will go to NorthWest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville to do similar work during an internship in its Disability and Veterans Resource Center. She expects to graduate this fall once she has passed the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor examination.

According to Rick Roessler, University Professor of rehabilitation education and research, the experiences that Thompson will gain in her practicum and internship will prepare her well for the job market.

"Many of our rehabilitation counseling graduates are finding employment in post-secondary settings helping college students with disabilities succeed in their academic programs," Roessler said.

In addition to scholarship support from agencies such as the Arkansas Rehabilitation Association, students in the rehabilitation program are eligible for training grants awarded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Education. The University of Arkansas program has received the federal funding for training grants continuously since 2004. The funding addresses both the high unemployment rate of people with disabilities and the shortage of rehabilitation counselors and placement specialists.