RNC celebrates 6th place in national diversity index!

We are delighted to announce that last night, RNC (The Royal National College for the Blind), were placed 6^th in the top 100 organisations for best EDI practice at the National Centre for Diversity Grand Awards! In attendance, we had RNC Principal Mark Fisher and Residential Manager Rachel Beaumont, who lead the RNC Steering Group for EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) and helped us to retain the Stage 2 award as Investors in Diversity last year.

Of the achievement, Mark said “This is a real proud moment for the whole of RNC, over 600 organisations were assessed so for us to come 6th is extraordinary, it’s recognition of all the hard work everyone in the College does in line with our vision; ‘A world where every person with a visual impairment has true equality’.” He goes on to say that “I hope that this encourages more employers to work with us, providing opportunities and work placements for our students.”

Rachel explains “We, as a College, are dedicated to ensuring that our students have access to a whole range of opportunities and within this EDI is embedded in everything we do. It’s an ongoing practice and we always strive to open more doors and enrich our student experience – both in and out of the classroom.”

In her review report last year, National Centre for Diversity Advisor Fiona Spence shared some anonymous quotes from our students and staff which included;

“I was really bullied at school, and coming here has been like a breath of fresh air, I am respected and supported by staff and students. I am out as a lesbian here and have never experienced any homophobia.”

“The student voice forum is taken very seriously and I think we are developing better opportunities to learn from students about all aspects of their time at RNC – not just in the class but in their home area also.”

Last year we launched the I Can awareness campaign – changing people’s perceptions of visual impairment by focussing on what they can do, not what they can’t. Of this, one staff member stated; “The I Can campaign has been hugely successful as a reminder of what we are about as a College – to promote opportunities for visually impaired students.”

We are always looking for opportunities to work collaboratively with local and national organisations so if you think that your organisation may be able to offer one of our students a work placement, please get in touch by emailing info@rnc.ac.uk or call our Work Placements Team on 01432 376 621.

Read more about Equality and Diversity at RNC

If you are interested in exploring new opportunities available at RNC, please call our student enquiries line on 01432 376 621 or email info@rnc.ac.uk

Article written by Bik Lee, Digital Media Officer at RNC