Alison Bates

Alison brings over 15 years of experience working and volunteering in the sight loss sector, alongside a 17-year career in the NHS in acute medicine, and supporting patients in high dependency care during the Covid pandemic. She has also served as both a Trustee and Chair of Trustees at Look Sussex for over a decade, helping to create inclusive and engaging experiences for visually impaired families. Her work as a disability advocate and trainer was recognised at the Worthing Community Awards.

In her role at BWBF, Alison is responsible for designing and delivering a service that supports people living with sight loss to access and benefit from technology.
Combining her professional expertise with her own lived experience of sight loss, and as a parent of two visually impaired daughters, Alison brings a deep understanding of the barriers faced by the visually impaired community.

At BWBF, Alison values the opportunity to build a service from the ground up and is inspired by the charity’s values and collaborative team. Outside of work, she plays blind football, competes nationally in Showdown (a fast-paced table-top sport for people living with sight loss), and enjoys live music.