Billy Don Sims Scholarship

In 2004, the Alabama AER Chapter Board of Directors renamed their scholarship to honor Billy Don Sims’s memory and contributions to the field of blindness. Billy Don Sims graduated from the Alabama School for the Blind in 1967 then worked at the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation (ADRS) for 30 years. His legacy carries on through his membership in Alabama AER, his advocacy for students with vison loss, and professional contributions that exceeded his career at ADRS. The Billy Don Sims Scholarship, or BDS Scholarship, provides financial support for students pursuing careers serving those with visual impairments through an application process. The awarded applicant receives $3,500 toward their tuition.

YearNameAward
2025Tamara Little$3,500
2024Jacklyn Wilson$3,500
2023LaTonya R. Chatman$3,500
2022Joseph M. Arnold$3,000
2021Yolanda V. Smith$3,000
2020Jennifer Reeves$3,000
2019Lisa B. Geist$3,000
2018Meredith Grace Kerr$3,000
2017Veronica Harrington$2,500
2016Jessica Williams$2,500
2015Mary Catherine Cole$2,500
2014Ashleigh Hatcher$2,000
2013Melisa Pardi$2,000
2012Haley McManus$2,000
2011Brianna Jeffrey$2,000
2010Loretta Bryan$2,000
2009Brittney L. Urquhart$1,000
2008Ellen Bowman$1,000
2007Nicholas Derzis$1,000
2006Donna G. Smith$500
2005Chad Nichelson$500
2004Bill Driggers$500
2003Meredith Gerrard$200