North London Sight Loss Council: Meet the members

Nicki Guy

Nicki is the Senior Engagement Manager for South England and looks after London Sight Loss Councils. She joined Thomas Pocklington Trust in July 2022 as part of the Sight Loss Councils communications team.

She was diagnosed with chronic anterior uveitis after a routine eye test in 2014, despite having no symptoms. A few years later Nicki received her cataract diagnosis and had surgery whilst living overseas. Following surgery, she suffered low intraocular pressure – also known as hypotony – and lost vision in her right eye as a result. In 2020, and back in the UK, all focus turned to saving her left eye.

Nicki had cataract surgery in 2021 and again, her eye lost all pressure and subsequently, vision. Determined to find a solution, she received an innovative procedure which involved jelly being injected into the back of her eye to retain pressure. Currently vision is stable in her left eye and this process has since been rolled out to other patients at Moorfields Eye Hospital.

Nicki is married to a chef, so good food and good coffee feature heavily in her life. Nicki loves to travel, photography, theatre, and spending time with friends and family.

She is really excited about working with members of London Sight Loss Councils’ and firmly believes that together, they can create an accessible and inclusive capital for blind and partially sighted people.

Liam O'Carroll

Liam was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at the age of 6 and was registered blind aged 11.  He took up the role of Sight Loss Coordinator for London in January 2023.

Liam first joined Thomas Pocklington Trust in 2016. He was later seconded to London Vision, where he worked for five years as Project Coordinator.

Before joining TPT, Liam worked freelance as an actor, performing in roles in television, radio and theatre.  He studied English and Drama at Roehampton University and later gained a Masters at the University of Wales, Bangor. Here, he specialised in Arthurian tradition in twentieth-century fiction.

In his spare time, Liam enjoys writing fiction, reading literature, listening to audio described telly and playing board games.

Renu Jaspal

Renu has been visually impaired from birth and was diagnosed in 2019 with a rare genetic condition called Achromatopsia.

“Since receiving my diagnosis, I have been actively networking with other blind and partially sighted peers and have developed an in-depth understanding of the challenges faced in society. There is still a lack of awareness and education about visual impairment. As a North London Sight Loss Council member I’m keen to raise awareness and educate about vision impairment and to deliver this knowledge with a positive, optimistic and holistic approach”.

Renu has many interests, including martial arts, walking, reading and cooking; “I’m a huge kitchen gadget fan and become a big kid with a new toy when I receive a new gadget”.

She enjoys going on adventures both big and small, and she’s a social butterfly, really enjoying socialising and pursuing new experiences.

Davinder Kullar

Davinder Kullar is a Technology for Life Co-ordinator with RNIB. Registered blind, he understands the challenges and is passionate about the potential value in using technology for blind and partially sighted people.

Amrit Dhaliwal

Amrit is a dedicated south Asian disability campaigner media spokeswoman, and host to the ‘Blind Able’ YouTube channel.

She was diagnosed with sight loss at the age of five due to glaucoma.

Amrit loves personal growth, stretching her comfort zone, and she is always open to new adventures.  Amrit loves to channel her creativity into art, dance, singing, acting, and visiting places of culture.

She says: “Since networking with other visually impaired people, I am continuously gaining confidence and motivation from other people’s achievements.  It is an honour to be accepted into North London Sight Loss Council. I will utilise my extensive lived experience of visual impairment to help create a more accessible and inclusive London City.

“My goal is to bring all aspects of sight loss to the forefront of society and campaign for disability to be an integral part of the school curriculum. This will help to create a more positive understanding of visual Impairment in our future generations.”

Emmanual Beck

Coming soon!

Monique Richards

Monique is registered blind. She is passionate about advocating for other visually impaired individuals and keen to bring about changes that make life easier for those struggling with sight loss.

Monique aspires to meet like-minded volunteers and wants to build strong bonds to drive collective change. Although she strives for independence, she recognise that certain challenges – like travel and accessing specific services – persist.

Volunteering as a Sight Loss Council member aligns perfectly with her desire to make a meaningful impact and commitment to speaking up to help reduce these barriers.

She said: “By joining this North London Sight Loss Council, I aim to contribute to a society where visually impaired people have equal access to goods and services, empowering us to live full and independent lives. Together, we can ensure our voices are heard and effect real change in our local communities.”

Paul Hsu

Paul is from Hong Kong and moved to the UK in 2021. He was diagnosed with Glaucoma in 2018, but it was only upon relocating to the UK that he realised how serious his condition was.

With the help of the council sensory impairment team, Paul registered as severely sight impaired. It was at this point that Paul decided he wanted to contribute his time to support others with sight loss.

Paul said: “By volunteering with Sight Loss Councils I hope to learn from my peers on how to navigate my sight loss journey in addition to helping others. I believe it will be a good platform for me to learn, grow, and build connections with others in the slight loss community.”

Selina Mills

Coming soon!

Amina Abdullahi.

Coming soon!