Birmingham

Birmingham Sight Loss Council was established in 2016 as the first Sight Loss Council in the UK. The success of which has now seen expansion into five regions. The council has made significant changes to services in Birmingham and continues to strengthen relationships with organisations, in order to ensure ongoing accessibility for blind and partially sighted people.

We have compiled a list of organisations delivering services and activities for sport, employment and social activities across Birmingham, as well as the contact information for the Eye Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO).

Meet the Council Members

Mark Sanders

Council member Mark Sanders has had Macular Degeneration since his teens. On the council, Mark is the representative for Transport and has worked on highlighting the impact of infrastructure, for example using tactile paving on rail platforms and crossing control points for safety. Mark has also worked with the local Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) earning a commendation for his instrumental role in the development of a minor eye conditions service. In 2018, the NHS Birmingham and Solihull CCG awarded him with the Award of Patient Recognition. Congratulations Mark!

Jordan Long

Jordan has been a Birmingham Sight Loss Council Member since 2017 and works on Technology and Transport accessibility for the council. Jordan is currently studying a level 2 IT course at Queen Alexandra College in Birmingham and is a keen photographer and DJ in his spare time.

Tanzeel Yousaf

Tanzeel has Retinitis Pigmentosa and is a member of the Birmingham Sight Loss Council, representing the community at policy-making and planning stages of key services. His work involves ensuring that future services are more inclusive and better cater to the needs of the sight loss community. Tanzeel has a PhD in Biomedicine and has previously worked for the employment team at Action for Blind People (now RNIB). A big advocate of Assistive Technology and Artificial Intelligence, Tanzeel is particularly interested in making technology more accessibility for blind and partially sighted people.

Ian McNamara

Ian has been blind since birth with Retinopathy of Prematurity or Retro Letro Fibroplasia. He has been a Birmingham Sight Loss Council member since 2017 and specialises in Accessibility and Voice Over for Apple devices, having worked at Apple as a Customer Service specialist previously. Ian cares about access for blind and partially sighted people in Birmingham and is keen to help improve the daily lives of people living with sight loss in the Birmingham area.

Sarah Loat

Sarah has worked in the Sight Loss sector for over eight years, having been diagnosed with Retinopathy a decade ago. As a teacher at Queen Alexandra College and a Sight Loss Council member since 2017, Sarah works to improve services and accessibility in the region. Previously, Sarah has worked and volunteered for Worcestershire Sight Concern, Victoria School and Specialist Art College’s multi-sensory impairment unit, Focus Birmingham, Action for the Blind and Guide Dogs.

Interested in becoming a Sight Loss Council member?

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