Royal National College For The Blind

The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) is a co-educational residential college of further education based in the English city of Hereford. Students who attend the college are blind or partially sighted. They can study a wide range of qualifications at RNC, from academic subjects such as English and mathematics to more vocational topics such as performing arts. Alongside regular further education subjects and vocational training, the college offers training in independent living and personal development. In 2008, there were 196 students aged 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 campus in Hereford; it was renamed the Royal National College for the Blind in the late 1970s. It has been a pioneer in the education of visually impaired people in Britain since the Victorian era, and, as of 2010, is the only college for visually impaired students in the United Kingdom to have been awarded Beacon Status in recognition of its outstanding teaching and learning. RNC is the home of the first football academy for visually impaired players and the England blind football team, and hosted the 2010 World Blind Football Championship. It also served as a training facility for participants in the 2012 Paralympic Games. The college is actively involved in the development of assistive technology to help visually impaired people in their day-to-day lives. Two notable devices developed at RNC are the Mountbatten Brailler, an electronic braille writer, and the T3, a talking tactile device that helps with the reading of maps and diagrams.

The latter part of the first decade of the 21st Century was a controversial period in the college's history that saw dramatic departmental restructuring and changes to some of the courses being offered to students, as well as a significant redevelopment and modernisation of the Hereford campus. The campus, located on College Road, Hereford, is home to RNC's teaching, residential and leisure facilities. Students live in halls of residence or on-campus houses, which enables them to gain a level of independence within the college environment. RNC operates a leisure facility, thePoint4, which is open to the public. The National BlindArt collection is housed at RNC. The current Principal, as of 2012, is Sheila Tallon, who took over from her predecessor in September 2011.

The college is a registered charity, and its current Patron is Charles, Prince of Wales. There are also several high-profile supporters. RNC has a number of notable people among its alumni, including former Home Secretary David Blunkett. The college was the subject of a 2007 film for the Channel 4 Cutting Edge documentary strand, which followed three students through their first term of study. The film won a 2008 Royal Television Society Award.