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National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision
National Research and Training Center
on Blindness and Low Vision
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About Us

Corner view of historic stone Industrial Ed. building with twin towers, home to NRTC. Bright sky background, tree branches in foreground

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  • The National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision (NRTC) is located in the historic Industrial Education Building on the campus of Mississippi State University. The NRTC is the only U.S. Department of Education-funded center focused on employment outcomes of persons with blindness or low vision. In October, 2011, the NRTC marked its 30-year anniversary as a center for applied research focusing on this population.
  • Outcomes from NRTC research projects have provided information used by professionals ranging from direct-service practitioners to administrators of state agencies and federal programs. Publications of research findings have contributed significantly to the literature of the field, and center personnel disseminate this information at national, regional, and state conferences on a regular basis. (Click here for the NRTC publications available for download.)
  • Training is also a key focus for the NRTC. We offer graduate certificate training for Vision Specialists, annual K-12 teacher workshops, and educational outreach to school districts in North Mississippi. The NRTC contracts with individual states to provide on-site training for VR personnel, and state VR agency program evaluations and needs assessments.
  • For a brief history of the research and training conducted at the NRTC during the past 30 years, please click here.
  • The NRTC is primarily funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). Our current NIDRR funding is for a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Outcomes for Individuals who are Blind or Visually Impaired (click here for more details). Research funding has also been provided by the Rehabilitation Services Administration, the Institute of Education Sciences, the Office of Special Education Programs, and the National Institutes of Health.