[nabs-l] Ann Sullivan Macy Research Training Program

[B.J. LeJeune]

Applications Invited for Research Training Program 
 
Mississippi State University’s Research and Training Center on
Blindness and Low Vision (MSU-RTC), an independent center within the
College of Education, is seeking a Ph.D. graduate student or
post-doctoral candidate as the new Anne Sullivan Macy Scholar beginning
in the Fall of 2011 or Spring of 2012. This program honors the unique
contribution of Anne Sullivan Macy to the extraordinary educational
experience of Helen Keller. A candidate who is blind or visually
impaired is preferred, but applicants with significant experience in the
blindness field who are not blind or visually impaired will also be
considered. Candidates must have or be seeking a Ph.D. in the social
sciences (e.g., rehabilitation counseling, psychology, social work,
sociology, special education). Since 1981, MSU-RTC’s mission has been to
enhance employment and independent living outcomes for individuals who
are blind or visually impaired. In keeping with this mission, the goal
of this training program is to support development of a
scientist-practitioner who is well grounded in state-of-the-science
research methods and practices, focused within the field of blindness
and low vision. 
 
As a post-doctoral position, the program offers salary with full
benefits and a tuition waiver for up to six credit hours. A student
working toward a Ph.D. receives a full tuition waiver and monthly
stipend. In either case, the recipient will participate in ongoing
applied research, will have opportunities to participate in knowledge
translation activities with professional and consumer advocacy
organizations, state vocational rehabilitation agencies for the blind,
and will attend regional and national training conferences. 
 
The Anne Sullivan Macy Research Training Program was established in
1992, supported in part by funding from the National Institute on
Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). Previous award
recipients have gone on to work as researchers, professors, and
administrators. The very first Anne Sullivan Macy Scholar, Dr. Brenda
Cavenaugh, served as Interim Director of MSU-RTC from 2007 – 2010. The
current research training program will be funded under MSU-RTC’s current
5-year NIDRR grant: Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC)
on Employment Outcomes for Individuals Who are Blind or Visually
Impaired.
 
To learn more and to apply for the Anne Sullivan Macy Research Training
Program, visit MSU-RTC’s website at http://www.blind.msstate.edu and
select the “Employment Opportunities” button on the front page.
Potential applicants are also encouraged to contact Dr. Michele C.
McDonnall, MSU-RTC Interim Director, at (662) 325-2001 or via email at
M.Mcdonnall at msstate.edu