Last verified: October 2026
Is there a special-needs scholarship in Alabama?
There is no stand-alone disability scholarship, but students served under IDEA or Section 504 get the first 500 CHOOSE Act awards each year and qualify for Accountability Act SGO scholarships regardless of income. The CHOOSE Act also lets students with disabilities stay in the program until 21 where they qualify for those services.
What therapies can the ESA pay for?
Applied behavior analysis, dyslexia and dysgraphia therapy, occupational, physical, speech and vision therapy, from licensed or accredited practitioners who have passed a background check and registered as ESPs. ALDOR's October 23, 2026 ESP list shows 22 educational therapy providers with a Jefferson or Shelby County city.
Which Birmingham-area schools focus on special education?
The federal survey classifies 3 schools in the two counties as special-education schools: Allan Cott School, Arlington School, Spring Valley School. Spring Valley School is on ALDOR's participating list; the others were not on the October 23, 2026 list. Mitchell's Place, a Birmingham autism program, also appears on the participating list.
Is testing required for students with disabilities?
Participating schools give funded students an annual standardized, norm-referenced or aptitude test, but students with disabilities for whom testing is not appropriate are exempt.
Special-needs priority vs a disability voucher
| Alabama's approach | A disability voucher |
|---|---|
| Priority access to the general ESA (first 500 awards) | A separate program only for students with disabilities |
| $7,000 or $2,000, same as other students | A larger, needs-weighted amount |
| Therapists paid from the same account | Usually tuition only |