The School of Education has produced internationally recognised research and teaching programmes through the Research Centre for the Education of the Visually Handicapped (RCEVH) and the course tutors. In Autumn 2001 these two broad functions were formally brought together under a single centre – the Visual Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research (VICTAR).

The Centre is part of a broader Sensory Team and works directly with colleagues in the fields of Deafness and Hearing Impairment, and Deafblindness / Multi-sensory Impairment. The team is a member of the Inclusion, Special Education and Educational Psychology (ISEEP) Academic Division which is the largest group of its kind in the UK. Underlying our work is the belief that:

‘ Through education, through research, and through access to appropriate resources, the barriers to learning and participation that may be experienced by people with visual impairment can be better understood and reduced.’

The aims of VICTAR are to:

• undertake social and educational research in the area of visual impairment;
• offer training in the area of visual impairment and education through high quality and relevant professional development programmes;
• disseminate our work to ensure it has positive impact;
• offer advice and resources within the field of visual impairment.

The following report, downloadable as a pdf or Word document, describes the recent activities of VICTAR.

• VICTAR Annual Report (2008). Birmingham: University of Birmingham, School of Education (Mimeo). [pdf - 208 KB]
• VICTAR Annual Report (2008). Birmingham: University of Birmingham, School of Education (Mimeo). [Word.doc - 82 KB]

For further information please contact the Centre Secretary on 0121 4146733, or by email to: victar-enquiries@bham.ac.uk