Phil

Phil Smalley joined Vista’s Board of Trustees last year, after spending some years as an honorary trustee to the charity.

Phil says “I’ve been a beneficiary of Vista since the early 70’s as a child.  Becoming a Trustee provides me with the opportunity to contribute towards shaping the future of services for locally visually impaired people.  I had considered other local charities, but Vista was the most relevant to me personally.

"Having lived with a visual impairment my entire life, I have first-hand experience with segregated education and mainstream college settings, along with managing the challenges of being a severely visually impaired person in employment.

"Professionally, I have 30 years’ experience of software development and a good understanding of the County Council Personal Budgets and Direct Payments in particular."

As well as being a trustee, Phil leads the Vista Forum, which is a group of those we support who meet via Zoom. There are monthly informal catchups, as well as quarterly formal meetings that are attended by either our CEO or Chair. These meetings give those attending the perfect chance to hear about Vista's recent work, as well as provide feedback, challenges, ideas and opportunities to senior management.

If you'd like to learn more about the forum or sign up to attend, visit this web page: Vista Forum.