Rona Pogrund

Rona Pogrund, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Special Education Program at Texas Tech University's College of Education. With over 50 years of experience in visual impairment education, she serves as Coordinator of the Program for Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments at the Virginia Murray Sowell Center for Research and Education in Sensory Disabilities since 2005. Her work spans roles as a teacher, orientation and mobility specialist, administrator, trainer, and researcher.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. in Special Education & Educational Administration (University of Southern California, 1982)
  • M.A. in Special Education - Orientation and Mobility (California State University, LA, 1975)
  • B.S. in Elementary/Special Education - Visual Impairment (University of Texas at Austin, 1972)

Her research focuses on service delivery systems for visually impaired students, teacher certification standards, assistive technology applications, early intervention strategies, and orientation & mobility education. She has secured over $12M in state and federal grants, developed widely-used assessment tools like the VISSIT and O&M VISSIT, and authored key curricula including the Teaching Age-Appropriate Purposeful Skills (TAPS) program.

Recent publications analyze workload assessment tools (2025), service intensity validation (2024), rural teacher retention (2020), and O&M VISSIT development (2018). Her work bridges educational theory with practical implementation, emphasizing collaboration, accessibility, and evidence-based practices.

Dr. Pogrund maintains an active office at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Austin, TX, and continues presenting at international conferences on visual impairment education strategies.