Canadian Hearing Services has announced the recipients of its 2026-2027 National Scholarship Program, awarding 28 scholarships to Deaf and hard of hearing students pursuing post-secondary education across Canada — bringing the program’s cumulative total to 220 scholarships since its 2017 launch.

The National Scholarship Program, described as the largest of its kind in Canada exclusively supporting Deaf and hard of hearing students, has distributed scholarships to students at institutions spanning the country, from the University of British Columbia on the west coast to Memorial University in Newfoundland.

“Congratulations to this year’s twenty-eight recipients for their exceptional academic achievement, leadership, and community involvement. We are confident in their future contributions and growth,” says Julia N. Dumanian, president and CEO of Canadian Hearing Services, in a release. “I want to thank our donors, corporate sponsors, and golfers at our President’s Scholarship Golf Tournament for their generosity, and to recognize Dr Wolf Lebovic, whose support of the event has helped make this scholarship program possible.”

New Named Award Honors Decade of Donor Support

This cycle marks the introduction of the Dr Wolf Lebovic Scholarship Award, which recognizes academic excellence among Deaf and hard of hearing students and honors Lebovic’s support of the President’s Scholarship Golf Tournament since its inaugural event in 2016. The inaugural recipient of the award is Ethan Lau of the University of Toronto.

The program also continues to present the Honourable David C Onley Scholarship Award, named after the late former Canadian Hearing Services board member and accessibility advocate who served from 2017 until his passing in 2023. This year’s recipient is Chinonso Ferdinand-Iwu of Saskatchewan Polytechnic.

Element Expands Multi-Year Scholarship Commitment

Now in its second year of sponsorship, Element is supporting five scholarships in 2026-2027 — four returning recipients and one new student. The new Element scholarship recipient is Saima Hoque of McMaster University, joined by returning recipients Muhammad Azaan Azher (McMaster University), Cristiano Batista (British Columbia Institute of Technology), Rebecca Leigh (Yorkville University), and Billie-Jo Skevington (Loyalist College).

2026-2027 Recipients

New recipients for 2026 include Zubaida Al-khazaji (Trent University), Abigail Blakney (University of Prince Edward Island), Davyne Gibbard-Buehler (Huron University College), Lindsey Ley (Mount Saint Vincent University), Sophia Mincheva (University of Ottawa), Dillon Silver (Niagara College), Euan Sunley (Douglas College), and Esther Wang (Loyalist College).

Returning recipients include Rylind Davis (Lakehead University), Lynden Doyle (Memorial University), Milo El Chaar (York University), Reeghan Funk (Northwestern Polytechnic), Brittany Gillies-Hamilton (Queen’s University), O’Malley Holmes (Carleton University), Candide Kibonge (University of British Columbia), Maaviya Kureshi (Toronto Metropolitan University), Emily Lam-Luong (University of Toronto), Emi Morse (Saint Mary’s University), and Sofia Olaizola (Dalhousie University).

Industry Sponsors and Supporters

Funding for the scholarships was supported in part through the President’s Scholarship Golf Tournament. Sponsors include Oticon Canada at Brass level and Copper-level sponsors Opus Technologies and WSA, among others.

Canadian Hearing Services is a not-for-profit organization and the country’s leading provider of programs, services, education, and products for the Deaf and hard of hearing community. Building on 86 years of experience, it has earned Accreditation Canada’s Exemplary Standing, the organization’s highest level of accreditation.

Students interested in applying for the next cycle can find information at chs.ca/scholarship-application, with applications opening again in February 2027. Full details on this year’s recipients are available at chs.ca/2026-2027-scholarship-recipients.

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