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Vis-Ability 2025

A unique gathering of blind and vision impaired (VI) leaders and allies to discuss challenges and opportunities, build connections, and influence collectively.

Our invitation-only event brings together blind and vision-impaired leaders to discuss hot topics and move the debate forward. It will be hosted at Westminster by Fight for Sight VP Marsha de Cordova MP and our CEO Keith Valentine.

What to expect on the night?

We'll hear from Marsha de Cordova MP, chair of the APPG for eye health and visual impairment and Vice President of Fight for Sight, and a welcome from Fight for Sight CEO Keith Valentine. Following introductions, an expert panel will discuss the potential and potential pitfalls of AI for the vision-impaired community across all aspects of life. Attendees will have an opportunity to experience the Be My Eyes platform through Ray-Ban Meta Glasses and hear about new developments. 

See the FAQs below for more details of the running order. 

A speech bubble, which has the words Vis-Ability 2025 inside it.

Your hosts for the evening

Marsha de Cordova MP

Marsha has served as MP for Battersea since 2017 and was previously a Labour Party councillor in Lambeth, London. Marsha was previously the Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities and the Shadow Minister for Disabled People. She has a proud history of working in the voluntary sector for over 10 years before becoming an MP. Marsha was born with Nystagmus and is registered blind. She has dedicated much of her life to campaigning for disability rights.

Keith Valentine,
CEO of Fight for Sight

With a track record of over 25 years, Keith has previously been director of external affairs at RNIB, chief executive of Vision UK and has been a trustee of Retina UK and Action for Blind People. Keith’s passion and drive comes from his personal experience of living with retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary condition, causing him to lose his sight age 36.

Fight for Sight chief executive Keith Valentine and ambassador Marsha de Cordova MP pictured at the 2023 Vis-Ability conference hosted by them at Westminster. The event brings VI leaders and allies together to discuss hot topics where we want to amplify the voices of people who are blind and vision impaired.

Keynote speakers

Mike Buckley, Be My Eyes

Mike is the Chairman and CEO of Be My Eyes. He was formerly in executive roles at Facebook, Twilio, and the Brunswick Group.
He was the Communications Director for Mike Bloomberg's campaign for U.S. President. He is an active angel investor and board member and lives in the San Francisco Bay area.
A headshot of Mike Buckley, CEO of BeMyEyes. Mike is smiling and wears a dark blue jacket and a light blue suit.

Chris Yiu, Director of Public Policy at Meta

Chris Yiu is Director of Public Policy at Meta, where he oversees the company’s policy operations in Northern Europe. He speaks regularly about AI and its opportunities for people, businesses and governments.

He is also a non-executive director at the Tony Blair Institute.

He previously led the global Technology and Public Policy team at the Tony Blair Institute and, before that, was a General Manager at Uber. His career spans a range of public, private and third sector organisations, including McKinsey & Co., HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office, Policy Exchange and SCVO.

You can follow him online @clry2.

Chris Yiu Director of Public Policy at Meta. Chris has short cropped hair. He is wearing a t-shirt with the meta logo.

Talking Points

Vis-Ability aims to ensure that VI voices are part of the conversation. We'd love to hear about the hot AI topics you think we should discuss. For example, who pays for AI? How do we ensure that there's open access to AI? What are the privacy concerns?

Hot topics
A group shot of people from Vis-Ability 2023 including Sumaira Latif, Keith Valentine, Robin Millar and others.

Panel discussion

Confirmed speakers

Neil Heslop OBE,
Chief Executive of CAF

Neil joined CAF in 2020, following four years as CEO of the international disability charity Leonard Cheshire.

Under Neil’s leadership, annual charitable contributions entrusted to CAF topped £1 billion for the first time and continue to grow. Neil has over 25 years of senior leadership experience in the telecoms industry across Europe and North America, including roles as CEO of Cincinnati Bell Wireless, Head of Strategy at O2, and Director of CTIA in Washington, D.C.

Blind since the age of 21, he is a co-founder of the charity Blind in Business and currently serves as a Trustee of ACEVO, a Non-Executive Director of Charity Bank, and a member of HM Treasury’s Social Impact Investment Advisory Group.

He holds a law degree from Newcastle University and an MBA from Cranfield School of Management. Neil was awarded an OBE in 2002 for services to telecommunications and charity.

CAF CEO Neil Heslop. He wears a suit jacket, shirt and a tie.

Alison McGovern MP, Minister for Employment

Alison McGovern was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Work and Pensions on 8 July 2024. She has been an elected Member of Parliament for Wirral South since 2010 and Birkenhead since 2024. In opposition, she served on the Treasury Select Committee and as Shadow Employment Minister.

As Minister for Employment, Alison leads on the labour market, including the prevention of poverty, and implementing the Labour Government's missions.

This includes reform to DWP to address regional economic imbalances, supporting DWP’s role as the home of labour market knowledge and analysis, promoting social mobility, and re-designing the job centre for the future so as to build trust between the citizen, state, and employers.

oto of Alison McGovern MP. She is a white woman with reddish hair wearing a green jacket and standing outside.

Léonie Watson,
Director of TetraLogical

Léonie is a Director of TetraLogical, a member of the W3C Board of Directors, and co-chair of the W3C Web Applications Working Group. She's also co-organiser of the Inclusive Design 24 (#id24) conference and co-author of the Inclusive Design Principles and the Do No Harm Guide: Centering accessibility in data visualization.

Leonie Watson who has pink hair and wears a suit with her arms folded

Your chair:
Gareth Ford Williams

Gareth has worked in digital accessibility for over twenty years. His career began in 2005 when he founded the BBC’s Digital Accessibility Team. Over the first three years, the Accessibility Team were an integral part of iPlayer’s core Product Team and ensured the BBC iPlayer V1.0 launched as a fully accessible product.

Gareth also established the BBC’s Design Research Team in 2010 and subsequently became a Head of UX Design.

In 2021 After working on ensuring accessibility was delivered as part of the BBC’s re-branding, Gareth left the BBC to work as a co-director of AB11y.com, to focus his efforts on developing the world's first ethical accessibility quantitative user data platform.

He advised on Fight for Sight rebrand ensuring accessibility was baked in.

A picture of accessibility expert Gareth Ford Williams formerly of the BBC. The image is black and white and Gareth is close up to the lens in a curious manner.

FAQs for Vis-Ability 2025

  • When is Vis-Ability 2025?

    Vis-Ability 2025 is on 30 April 2025. The event will open at 18:45 and close at 21:30. 

  • Where is Vis-Ability 2025?

    The event will be hosted by Marsha de Cordova MP and Keith Valentine, CEO of Fight for Sight at Westminster in the Terrace Pavillion. The entrance is via the Cromwell Green visitors’ entrance.

    Please allow up to 30 minutes to clear security, which is airport style.

    Address for the Terrace Pavillion

    Terrace Pavillion

    House of Commons

    London

    SW1A 0AA

    Cromwell Green Entrance

    Please enter the House of Commons via the Cromwell Green entrance. Please note that it may take up to 30 minutes to pass through security. On arrival, you will need to present your digital invitation card and photo ID. If you do not have a photo ID, we would strongly suggest bringing an alternative means to identify yourself (such as a registered bank card, for example).

    Your invitation card has been emailed and can be presented on a mobile device or printed. Please let us know if you cannot access your invite for any reason.

    You can access a map of the Westminster entrances here as a PDF.

    Please also see Google Maps.

    The nearest tube station is Westminster.

    If you experience any issues on the day getting to the venue please call: 020 7620 2066.

  • What is the running order for the evening?

    Speeches will be from 19:00 for approximately 15 minutes, with the panel discussion at 19:45.

    18:45 – Guests arrive

    19:00 – Speeches

    19:15 - Networking

    19:45 – Panel discussion

    20:15 – Networking, and continuing the debate

    21:30 – Event closes

  • What is the dress code?

    Business attire.

  • Will someone be taking photographs?

    Photography and filming will take place at the reception. If you prefer not to be featured, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing special.events@fightforsight.org.uk. 

  • About Vis-Ability 2025
  • Introducing your hosts
  • Panel discussion
  • Event details and FAQs