West Sussex Sight Loss Council: Meet the members

Dave Smith

My name is Dave Smith and I’m the Engagement Manager for the South East.

I’m registered blind and have little useful vision nowadays (light perception on a good day). I was diagnosed with having Retinitis Pigmentosa and Retinal Telangiectasia in 1991 but after 2 Cataract operations and a significant drop in my vision, I was registered blind in 1997.

I have worked in the disability sector for nearly 25years, working for RNIB for almost 15 years and then smaller Surrey based disability charities for the past 10 years. I have held many different job roles during this time and, as a result, have a good understanding and knowledge of the sector with particular expertise in IT/Access Technology, Employment and Vision Impairment Awareness.

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.

Clinton Corin

My name is Clinton and I live in the seaside town of Worthing.

My sight loss issues started in 2016 when I was in my mid-forties.

I work in health care, and I am currently working in clinical research.

There is a real lack of disabled people having access to services, I have discovered this through my own experiences and work.

I love the outdoors and I am passionate about running, hiking and adventure. I would love to help to encourage and support people to reach their goals and desires, even though they have sight loss.

Most things are still possible – as I have discovered. I am looking forward to working together to change the things that the sighted community take as normal to make this more achievable.

James Langley

James has Nystagmus and Ocular Albinism. He has been partially sighted since birth.

James is the Events Coordinator and Community Liaison at Sight Support Worthing. He is also a Trustee for Look Sussex, a small charity that runs activities and social events for children with visual impairments in Sussex.

James said: “I’m passionate about raising awareness and challenging perceptions of visual impairment.”

Judy Blowe

Judy is a community-minded, retired teacher who lives in Grinstead. She developed Wet Macular Degeneration about six years ago. Before that, she was involved with out-of-school learning and was an Appropriate Adult at Crawley Police Station for West Sussex.

She started a dog care business in 2009 but had to close it five years ago because she could no longer drive. Since then, she has been a volunteer dog walker and boarder within East Grinstead and belongs to the Cinnamon Trust.

Since losing her sight, Judy has been investing in community involvement with people with varying degrees of sight loss. She has also raised funds for the Macular Society and represented them at the House of Commons.

Ellie Wallwork

Ellie has been blind since birth, due to a condition called Retinopathy of Prematurity. Living in West Sussex, she loves rock climbing, reading and playing an adaptive sport called Showdown.

Both an actor and a writer, Ellie enjoys anything to do with the creative arts, including making the industry more accessible to those with a vision impairment. Passionate about inclusivity and advocacy, she brings it into all the work that she does.

Ellie said: “I joined the West Sussex Sight Loss Council to give back to such an open and welcoming VI community. I am keen to explore the arts as it relates to sight loss, as well as wellbeing and advocacy; I can’t wait to lend my voice to such important projects!”

Steve Draycott

Steve is a semi-retired physiotherapist with 35 years of experience in the NHS and now lives in Leeds with his wife. His professional journey includes 20 years as a clinical specialist and a decade as a workplace trade union representative. Currently, he works part-time at a private practice.

Sports have always played an important role in Steve’s life. He is an active member of tandem riding and serves as the chairman of Tandem Trekkers near Huddersfield. Steve also enjoys walking, playing the saxophone, dancing in Latin ballrooms, and socialising with friends. In the past, Steve was a competitive runner and a goalball player.

Steve said: “The reason I joined Sight Loss Councils was to help identify and change problems that visually impaired people have daily within the environment that has been created around us. I feel very passionately that we need to influence decision-makers within Government, business, and sport so that the needs and requirements of blind and partially sighted people are routinely considered within the planning process.”