Royal National College for the Blind

Royal National College for the Blind
Established	1871
Type	Further education college
President	Jessica White
Principal	Ian Pickford (acting)
Staff	175 teaching, 56 student support [1]
Students	200 (approx)[2]
Location	Hereford, United Kingdom
Campus	College Road, Hereford
Website	www.rncb.ac.uk

Coordinates: 52°3′22.4″N 2°42′57.6″W / 52.056222°N 2.716°W / 52.056222; -2.716

The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) is a co-educational residential further education college based in the English city of Hereford. Students who attend the college are blind or partially sighted. Alongside regular further education subjects and vocational training, the college offers training in independent living and personal development. There are approximately 200 students whose ages range from 16 upwards.

Founded in 1871 in London as The Royal Normal College and Academy for the Blind, the college had a number of homes before moving to its present campus in Hereford, adopting its present name during the late 1970s.^[3][4] It is regarded as a leader in the education of visually impaired students and has been awarded Beacon Status.^[5] RNC is the home of the England blind football team,^[6] and the National BlindArt collection,^[7] as well as being involved in the development of assistive technology to help visually impaired people in their day to day lives.

The college is a registered charity,^[8] its current Patron being Charles, Prince of Wales.^[9][10] The college’s Mission is ‘to lead, innovate, develop, promote and deliver world class learning, products and services, driving standards for excellence’. Its Vision is for ‘RNC to be the first choice for all people with a visual impairment’.^[11]

History

The Royal National College for the Blind

The RNC was established in 1871 by the Victorian philanthropist Thomas Rhodes Armitage and the American anti-slavery campaigner Francis Joseph Campbell, who lost his sight as a young boy.^[3][12] At that time the college was called "The Royal Normal College and Academy for the Blind", the word "Normal" referring to the training offered by the college.^[13] It was originally located near Crystal Palace in London, later moving to Upper Norwood.^[3] In its early days, the college was considered very progressive and experimental in its approach to education.^[14][15][16] By the end of the 19th century, the college had over 200 students.^[14] For many years the college admitted school age students, and it was not until 1945 that the principals of RNC and Worcester College for the Blind came to an agreement that Worcester would provide secondary education and RNC would take students over the age of 16.^[15]

The 20th century saw the college move location several times before settling in Hereford. The first of these moves occurred at the beginning of the Second World War, when the college was evacuated from its London site and moved to a mansion named Great Maythem in Rolvenden in west Kent.^[16] However, because of the threat of a German invasion, the authorities soon advised another move,and this time a temporary home was found in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.^[14][16]

The college never returned to London because the Upper Norwood site was bombed during the Blitz.^[3] The college had to close temporarily, until a permanent new home could be found, but eventually it relocated to Rowton Castle near Shrewsbury.^[13][14][17] It remained in Shropshire for many years, gradually acquiring more premises in and around Shrewsbury. However, in 1978 more suitable accommodation was found that would enable RNC to consolidate its teaching and residential accommodation into one campus, and the college moved to its current home in Hereford.^[14][16] The site is a former teacher training college.^[14] 1978 also saw the college adopt its present name of The Royal National College for the Blind.^[4]

In the early 2000s the RNC's halls of residence underwent an extensive £1.5 million upgrade.^[18] The blocks were originally built when the campus was used as a teacher training college during the 1960s and were updated to include modern facilities such as larger student bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and space for televisions and computers, and improved social areas.^[19]

Following an OFSTED inspection in 2005 RNC was one of only eight colleges in the UK to be awarded the prestigious Learning and Skills Beacon Status in recognition of the outstanding quality of its teaching.^[5] It is presently the only college for visually impaired students to have Beacon status, which is only given to educational establishments which have received a first-class OFSTED inspection report.^[5][20] RNC was again praised by OFSTED in 2009 for its continued good progress when Inspectors graded the college as ‘outstanding’ across all six areas inspected and said it had gained ground since its last inspection in 2006.^[21] In 2006 the college announced an extensive expansion of its campus, including new halls of residence, a sports and complementary therapy building and a new outdoor floodlit sports pitch.^[22] The £21.5m sports development will host the 2010 World Blind Football Championships.^[23]. The complex, thePoint4, which also includes a bistro and conference facilities, opened in April 2009 with plans for it to receive an official opening in June.^[24] The facility was officially opened on 24 June by BBC sports presenter and Daily Mail columnist Des Kelly.^[25][26] In 2008 the college was also nominated as one of the sites for the 2012 Paralympic Games and will act as a pre-Games training camp for paralympic athletes.^[27][28]

In December 2008 the Hereford Times reported that the college would also be home to a sculpture by Walenty Pytel called ‘The Running Man’ which he would create using an original drawing produced by an RNC student.^[29] In September 2009 the college became the permanent home of the National BlindArt Collection, a collection of paintings, sculptures, installations and other works of art by people with visual impairment and designed to engage all the senses.^[7]

In November 2009 RNC announced that it had been forced to send a third of its students home following an outbreak of swine flu on campus.^[30]

Assistive technology

The college has also been actively involved in the development and use of assistive technology to aid visually impaired people in their everyday lives. For example, working with a US software engineer, RNC has produced the T3, a touch sensitive device for interpreting tactile images such as diagrams, charts and maps.^[20][31] It is also involved in the Robobraille project which allows visually impaired Internet users to have text translated into braille and MP3 audio format via email.^[32] The Mountbatten braille writing machine was pioneered and developed at the college by Ernest Bate, while two RNC lecturers invented the Hoople, a mobility aid for blind people designed for use in a rural environment.^[33][34][35] ClearText, which enables visually impaired users to browse the web more easily, was developed in conjunction with the college.^[36] In 2009 RNC lecturer Tony Sales developed Vinux, an accessible version of the Linux operating system for the visually impaired.^[37]

Academics

The RNC provides both full time and shorter courses in vocational and academic subjects for students aged 16 and above.^[1][38] There are no formal academic requirements for entry into RNC, but potential students are invited to attend an assessment at the college before being offered a place in order to determine the level of support they will need during their studies. The assessment typically includes an evaluation of a person's level of vision, their mobility and independence skills, any residential support they may require, basic literacy and numeracy skills tests, and an interview with the leader of the course they wish to take.^[39]

Courses are designed to prepare visually impaired students for progression into further education, university or employment.^[1] The development of independent living and personal skills is also encouraged.^[1][40] The college is divided into several different areas of study:^[41]

• Leisure, Therapies and Sport (including courses and qualifications in massage, complementary therapies, and sport treatment and management)
• Music, Media, Performance and Art (including courses and qualifications in music technology, media and art)
• Information and Communication Technology (including courses and qualifications in office skills and the European Computer Driving Licence)
• Business, Administration and Customer Service
• GCSE, AS and A Level qualifications
• Skills For Life (including Braille reading)

Traditionally courses in piano tuning and piano technology were also available at the college. However, these have been significantly reduced in recent years due to a decline in the number of students studying the subjects. There has also been a reduction in the number of A levels available for study due to changes in the types of courses education funding bodies supporting students at RNC are willing to provide funds for.^[42][43]

Campus

The RNC has four traditional halls of residence, three of which (Armitage, Campbell and Dowdell) have been updated in recent years to include modern facilities in accordance with Care Standards and Disability Discrimination Act requirements.^[44] However, because it was not possible to upgrade Gardner Hall, a new state of the art block, Orchard Hall, was built to replace it.^[43] Gardner became an assessment centre for prospective students.^[45] Since September 2009 Gardner has also been available as a venue for hire for functions such as weddings.^[46] In addition to the halls of residence, the college also owns several houses both on and off campus which enable students to gain a greater level of independent living.^[47]

On-campus facilities include a gym, sports hall, a floodlit all-weather football pitch and tennis courts. RNC's thePoint4 complex offers sporting, leisure and conference facilities, as well as a bistro, and is open to both students and members of the general public.^[48] There is a licensed student social club named The Dog and Cane, as well as a student common room.

The college also has an active Students' Union which plays an important role in college life, being responsible for organising leisure activities both on and off campus.^[1] Its members have representatives on committees at all levels within the college.

Athletics

RNC is the home of the first football academy for visually impaired players.^[49] The Football Academy was officially opened in August 2008 by former England footballer Sir Trevor Brooking and offers visually impaired students the opportunity to include football as part of their study programme with a view to playing the game at a national level.^[49][50] The college is the home of the England blind football team, which is supported by the Football Association and coached by former professional footballer Tony Larkin.^[6] RNC is helping to develop a national blind football league.^[51] The college also features acoustic shooting.^[49][52][53]

Other activities

In addition to football and acoustic shooting, students at RNC can also participate in a wide range of other sporting and athletic activities, including cricket, horse riding, swimming, ten pin bowling, weight training, circuit training and martial arts.^[54] Away from sport, the Students' Union organises regular events such as karaoke, pub quizzes, cabaret and live bands.^[54] There are shopping excursions and trips to cinema, theatre and Premier League football matches, while clubs and societies include a Dining club and the RNC choir.^[54]

Cutting Edge documentary

The Royal National College for the Blind was the subject of a 2007 documentary for the Channel Four series Cutting Edge, which followed three young students (Steve Markham, Daniel Angus and Selina Litt^[55]) during their first term at the college.^[56][57] The documentary, Blind Young Things, won a Royal Television Society award for Channel Four and the Cutting Edge team in 2008.^[58]

Criticisms

The late 2000s have seen RNC undergoing some significant restructuring as it responds to changes in the world of employment and therefore the courses that it offers its students.^[42] However, some of the college's changes have provoked criticism from staff and students who argue these are not in RNC's best interest.^[43] There has been some controversy over the college's decision to reduce the availability of courses in piano tuning, traditionally regarded as a secure profession for visually impaired people, while fears have been expressed that the decrease in A Level subjects will lead to RNC becoming a sport rather than an academic orientated college.^[27][42]

The changes have also led to significant department reorganisations within RNC, with several staff members being summarily dismissed in the process. A number of former college employees have made complaints regarding the manner in which their employment was ended.^[42][59]

Alumni

Graduates of the college include David Blunkett, British Labour Party politician and former Home Secretary^[60] and Alfred Hollins, English composer and organist.^[61] Giles McKinley, who starred in a groundbreaking television commercial for Sauza Tequila during the 1990s, is also a former RNC student.^[62] The blind actor Ryan Kelly, who plays the role of Jack 'Jazzer' McCreary in Radio 4's The Archers also attended the college.^[63]

See also

• Queen Alexandra College
• RNIB College, Loughborough
• Royal Blind School, Edinburgh

References

External links

• The Royal National College for the Blind Homepage
• 2008 Ofsted Report
• Royal National College for the Blind, Registered Charity no. 1000388 at the Charity Commission
• Royal National College for the Blind at Directgov
• thePoint4 website