Our goal is to improve employment outcomes

Our goal is to improve employment outcomes for individuals with blindness or low vision. This website houses free resources and helpful information for three audiences: 

  1. Businesses interested in employing someone who is blind or has low vision
  2. Service providers who work with people who are blind or have low vision
  3. Individuals who are blind or have low vision and their families and friends 

If you have a question about employment for individuals who are blind or have low vision that you don’t see answered here, please contact us. We will be happy to help!

We Can Help!

Featured Resources

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Blindness & Low Vision Certificate Program for Business Development Professionals

The Blindness & Low Vision Certificate Program for Business Development Professionals was developed in response to requests from VR agencies and is a compilation of five existing NRTC courses, grouped together to provide foundational information specifically for business development professionals who do not have experience working with individuals with blindness and low vision.

Learn More about Blindness & Low Vision Certificate Program for Business Development Professionals

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Accessibility Resources

Accessible activities, environments, and information are rights provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The following list contains resources for individuals interested in creating accessible materials and environments, sharing accessibility resources with others, learning how to increase access for people with vision loss, and more!

Learn More about Accessibility Resources

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National Job Board

The National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision offers this free job posting platform as a service to organizations hiring professionals who serve those with blindness and low vision.

Learn More about National Job Board

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Employment Insights: Webinars & Podcasts Series

Whether you are navigating the vocational rehabilitation process, just beginning to consider careers, or seeking to gain or maintain employment, our webinars and podcasts are designed to help you along your journey.

Learn More about Employment Insights: Webinars & Podcasts Series

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Training Activities

We conduct a wide variety of training activities centered around our mission of improving employment and independent living outcomes for people who are blind or have low vision.

NRTC Training Topics Email NRTC For Training

Featured Courses

See Full Course Catalog

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Partnering with Families to Support Employment Outcomes

The process of adjusting to vision loss is not something that happens in isolation. It impacts everyone in the individual's life. As a rehabilitation professional, it is important to know how the family impacts the adjustment process and how to effectively involve the participant's loved ones in their rehabilitation. This course provides numerous strategies for the healthy involvement of the family in the rehabilitation process and approaches for setting boundaries with family members. When rehabilitation professionals incorporate these strategies and facilitate healthy family support, it improves employment outcomes for participants.

Learn More about Partnering with Families to Support Employment Outcomes

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Strategies for Mentoring Interns: Developing Qualified Professionals for the Future

The vision rehabilitation field is experiencing a shortage of qualified professionals. This course was created to assist those tasked with overseeing the important final training step for a new Vision Impairment Rehabilitation Specialist. This course will guide you through an organizational and self-assessment to determine if you are ready and able to host an intern. It will be a guide for on-boarding and transitioning interns to independent instruction, provide strategies for giving instructional feedback, and a discussion of typical challenges for mentors and their solutions.

Learn More about Strategies for Mentoring Interns: Developing Qualified Professionals for the Future

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Gearing Up for Transit: Options and Advocacy Skills for People who are Blind or have Low Vision

People who are blind or have low vision (B/LV) routinely cite the inability to use public transit as the main reason they remain unemployed, under-employed, and, sometimes, trapped at home. Yet, some people who are B/LV are riding subways, streetcars, buses, and trains. Why is this, and what can be done to increase ridership? The goal of this course is to provide information that blindness professionals and advocates can use to help people who are B/LV increase their confidence as transportation consumers as well as their ability to advocate on behalf of themselves on a day-to-day basis and on behalf of more systemic change when it is needed.

Learn More about Gearing Up for Transit: Options and Advocacy Skills for People who are Blind or have Low Vision

Employee Spotlight
Evan Schwerbrock

Rather than hold him back, vision loss has given Evan Schwerbrock a competitive edge.

Meet Evan Schwerbrock Meet More Employees

Stay In Touch

The main office of the NRTC on Blindness and Low Vision is in the Industrial Education Building on the Campus of Mississippi State University, just outside of Starkville, Mississippi.

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