Surrey Sight Loss Council: Meet the members

Meet the staff

Headshot of Dave Smith, Engagement Manager for South East England. The photo is taken outside a railway station. Dave is wearing dark sunglasses, and smiling at the camera.

Dave Smith

Dave Smith is the Engagement Manager for the South East. He has Retinitis Pigmentosa and Retinal Telangiectasia and was registered blind in 1997. His sight deteriorated significantly throughout his 20s and 30s, and for the past decade he has had very little useful vision, with light perception on a good day.

Dave has worked in the disability sector for more than 25 years, including roles with sight loss and pan-disability charities. He has also been a partner in a private training business, bringing a wide range of professional experience to his work supporting disabled people and advocating for greater inclusion and accessibility.

Outside of work, Dave enjoys cooking, gardening and tandem cycling. He also retains a lifelong interest in cars and transport, including Formula 1 racing, and looks forward to a future where autonomous vehicles provide greater independence for blind and partially sighted people.

Lauren Eade headshot. Lauren has long brown hair and is wearing sunglasses and a white t-shirt sitting in a garden in the sun.

Lauren Eade

Lauren is the Sight Loss Council Coordinator for South East England.

After experiencing sight problems for many years, she was eventually diagnosed with Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) in 2020 and registered as partially sighted. CVI is the commonest cause of childhood vision impairment in England, but many barriers exist to getting a diagnosis and support.

Lauren’s experiences have made her passionate about improving access for blind and partially sighted people across all areas of life. She was previously a member of East Sussex Sight Loss Council and joined Thomas Pocklington Trust in 2024.

In her spare time, Lauren enjoys reading, spending time with friends and family, and walking in the local countryside.

Meet the members

Richard Claridge

Richard has Retinal Dystrophy and nystagmus and has been registered blind since birth. This gives him a lifetime of lived experience of the challenges, barriers and everyday realities faced by people with sight loss. He lives in Surrey with his wife and five children.

Richard works as a Vision Rehabilitation Specialist at Sight for Surrey, where he uses his personal and professional experience to support people with sight loss in becoming more independent. He teaches orientation and mobility, daily living skills, assistive technology and a range of practical techniques that help people navigate everyday life with confidence.

Alongside this, Richard undertakes accessibility testing for major brands and retailers, helping organisations improve the accessibility of their websites and digital services. Through this work, he advocates for accessibility to be viewed not as an afterthought, but as key part of their strategies.

Richard said: “Joining this new Sight Loss Council is an exciting opportunity to be part of positive change across the county and help shape the impact we can have for visually impaired people living in Surrey.”
Head-and-shoulders portrait of a Surrey SLC member, Steve, wearing a navy blazer and light blue collared shirt, standing in front of a light stone wall. Steve is facing the camera against a plain background.

Steve Plowman

Steve has lived in Surrey all his life and has been living with sight loss for the past 25 years. He is registered severely sight impaired and also has hearing loss.

Steve spent the final 20 years of his career as a director of an electrical contracting business based in Surrey. He is now looking forward to bringing both his professional expertise and lived experience to his role as a member of Surrey Sight Loss Council.

Steve is keen to help improve services for blind and partially sighted people across the county and make Surrey a more accessible and inclusive place to live and work.

Outside of his involvement with Sight Loss Council, Steve has a keen interest in music and regularly performs as a percussionist at local venues.

Steve says: “I am very much looking forward to getting involved with Surrey Sight Loss Council and using my experience to help improve services for blind and partially sighted people across the county.”

Photo of Justine Fallis, Surrey SLC member. Justine stands indoors infront of a white pannelled door. She is wearing a navy blue, patterned dress and is smiling at the camera.

Justine Fallis

Justine was born with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, a condition in which the optic nerve is underdeveloped. She can distinguish between light and dark but has no functional sight. She lives in Guildford, Surrey, with her wife, dog and cockatiel, and enjoys gaming, theatre, music, socialising and collecting mermaid ornaments.

Justine has worked in a variety of roles, including administration, disability advocacy and advice. She is also a volunteer Cub Leader, a Girlguiding helper, and facilitates a social group for neurodivergent LGBTQIA+ people.

Justine is excited to join Surrey Sight Loss Council and support its growth. She wants to help make Surrey a more inclusive and accessible place for blind and partially sighted people to live, work and enjoy life to the fullest.

Justine says: “I am excited to be part of Surrey Sight Loss Council and to use my lived experience to help create positive change for blind and partially sighted people across the county.”

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