From inspiration to collaboration: welcoming Sandi Wassmer to Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans

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Experiencing Linburn Veterans Centre

Having experienced complete sight loss in adulthood herself, Sandi was particularly interested in learning more about the support we provide. The visit began at our Linburn Veterans Centre, where Centre Officer Lyndsey-Anne Fleming shared the history of both charities and the evolution of Linburn before, together with Centres Manager Lorraine Bruce, taking Sandi and Natalie on a tour.

They met veterans, activity workers and experienced first-hand the wide range of services and activities available at the centre.

Lorraine Bruce said:

"It was a pleasure to welcome Sandi and Natalie to the Linburn Centre. What I found particularly impactful was Sandi's reflection that the range of services we offer felt overwhelming in the best possible way, and that there is nothing comparable available to veterans in England. She highlighted how beneficial both the practical support and peer-to-peer connections are, reinforcing the significant difference these services make to those who access them.

Comments such as these remind us how fortunate we are to be able to provide this level of support to our veterans. They also reinforce the importance of continually reviewing and developing our services as an organisation, ensuring that we can sustain and enhance this invaluable support for future generations of veterans and individuals with a visual impairment."

Sandi was equally moved by what she experienced during her visit.

"I was overwhelmed and humbled by the exceptional breadth and depth of services on offer for veterans. As a blind person, having gone through progressive sight loss, these are the essential services someone would need. The practical skills they offer are invaluable but most important is the human connection – the care, kindness, compassion and attention the team working there show the veterans.

"The centre creates a safe space and community connection to guide and support them through the transition from sight to sight-loss. I was hugely impressed by the incredibly dedicated team of staff who skilfully provided a history and tour of the centre and even let me have a go at archery!"

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Sharing a vision for inclusive leadership

In the afternoon, Sandi and Natalie joined our quarterly Senior Leadership Team meeting, where the theme was Inclusive Leadership.

As the UK's only blind charity CEO, leading Onvero, Sandi shared her personal sight loss journey, the challenges she has faced and how these experiences shaped her career. She also spoke about the role leaders play in creating workplace cultures where everyone feels included and able to do their best.

These were the same qualities that had inspired Craig when they first met.

"The reason why she and I connected was I really wanted to understand the deeper level, her experiences of creating a culture of inclusivity and diversity in a workplace. So the fact that she was blind absolutely was a secondary thing."

Instead, Craig said it was Sandi's message that left the biggest impression.

"So less about gimmicks, less about slogans, less about quotas or having a look at numbers, and more about what is it that you are doing as an individual - and in particular as a leader - to ensure that we are role modelling that kind of behaviour as well."

Reflecting on the leadership session, Sandi said:

"I was honoured to be invited to provide the keynote at Sight Scotland's inclusive leadership away day. I was inspired by the team's commitment to inclusive leadership and the progress they have already made on their journey. It was evident that the leaders are passionate about leading authentically and building a truly inclusive culture. And importantly they understand this isn't a one and done but must show up in the everyday behaviours and interactions they have across the organisation.”

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Looking ahead

Reflecting on the visit, Craig said:

"Sandi's insights into inclusive leadership were so refreshing and thought provoking. Moving away from tokenism, to truly embracing authenticity in leadership, with a broad view of what inclusivity should look like really resonated with me, as I am sure it did with a number of other leaders in the room.

"It was great to acknowledge the progress we have made to date, along with the vast opportunities to continue to improve. We are very grateful for Sandi and Natalie's time."

The visit marked another step in the growing relationship between Sight Scotland, Sight Scotland Veterans and Onvero, demonstrating how shared learning and collaboration can strengthen our commitment to creating an inclusive culture for colleagues, volunteers and the people we support.