Vis-Ability 2026 explores technology, employment and healthcare

Charity leaders, politicians, and tech innovators were brought together to discuss how innovation, employment, and healthcare can become more inclusive for people living with sight loss at Vis-Ability 2026 on 10 June.

Hosted by Fight for Sight in Westminster, more than 100 delegates attended the Vis-Ability 2026 conference, which was established to tackle the challenges facing blind and partially sighted people.

More than two million people in the UK are living with sight loss – a figure expected to double by 2050.

Fight for Sight noted that, despite advances in technology and healthcare, blind and partially sighted people continue to face significant inequalities in employment, access to healthcare, education, and public services.

Keith Valentine, chief executive of Fight for Sight, chaired the event, and commented: “Vis-Ability was founded on a simple belief: accessibility and inclusion should not sit on the sidelines of innovation, employment or public life. They should be central to it.”

“As we often say, true inclusion happens when accessibility is designed in from the beginning, not added as an afterthought,” he said.

Panel participants shared experiences, discussed practical solutions, and engaged in conversations designed to influence policy, practice, and future opportunities.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden, delivered a keynote on levels of disability employment.

He said: “One in four people with severe sight loss aren’t working. That is about a third of the rate of the rest of the population as a whole. It’s about half the disability employment level as a whole, so we really have a lot to do.”

“It’s a mark of a civilised society that, for people who need support from the system, it should be there. It’s an important contention and security role of the welfare system and it must be there for those with lifelong conditions,” he highlighted.

In a question-and-answer session with Valentine, McFadden discussed the power of technology to enable people with disabilities to have “more full participation in society.”

He added: “We can have a beneficial dialogue between disabled people’s organisations and the big tech companies developing this technology and I think it can have real benefits.”

Author, broadcaster and presenter, Richard Osman, spoke at the conference about living with nystagmus.

“It was a privilege to take part in Vis-Ability 2026, as we don’t talk nearly enough, openly enough, about living with a vision impairment,” he said.

Osman highlighted: “The more candid we are, the more barriers we break down and the more confidence we give others to aim high, dream big, and do extraordinary things.”

“If we want a more inclusive world for blind and vision impaired people, it starts with listening, learning and taking action. That’s exactly why conferences like this matter and I was pleased to contribute to those conversations,” he said.

Through breakout sessions, delegates explored three themes: technology – designing artificial intelligence and emerging tools for inclusion, employment – creating equitable workplaces and unlocking talent, and health – transforming eye care through innovation and the Life Sciences Sector plan.

Participants in discussions throughout the conference included technology innovators, Hector Minto, Christopher Patnoe and Sumaira Latif, clinicians, Dr Lola Solebo and Dr Josef Huemer, practising NHS optometrist and MP, Shockat Adam, charity leader Neil Heslop OBE, and disability advocate and internationally-recognised visually impaired tennis player, Naqi Rizvi.

Discussing the event, Valentine said: “Our hope is that this conference continues to drive practical change, challenge assumptions and create opportunities for greater inclusion across society.”

The event was supported by headline sponsor HSBC, and panel sponsors, Roche Products Ltd and Be My Eyes.