Vis-Ability 2026

Shockat Adam MP 

Shockat Adam is the Independent MP for Leicester South and a practising NHS optometrist with over 15 years’ experience serving his local community. Born in Malawi and raised in Leicester, he studied optometry at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) and is director of Sask Optics.
Bringing frontline clinical insight into Parliament, Shockat is a strong advocate for eye health and accessible care. He led a Westminster Hall debate on glaucoma awareness, calling for a national framework to improve early detection and treatment of the UK’s leading cause of preventable blindness. His work reflects a broader commitment to strengthening NHS services and improving health outcomes in Leicester and beyond.

Chair: Daniel Francis MP 

Panelists: 

Mr. Josef Huemer, MD FEBO MRCOphth 

Josef Huemer is a Consultant Ophthalmologist for Medical Retina and Cataract at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and a honorary senior research fellow at the Institute of Ophthalmology at UCL, London. After qualifying from the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria, he completed his specialty training in Austria, with subsequent fellowships in Medical Retina in the UK at Torbay Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital. 

His research interests are retinal imaging, telemedicine, and artificial intelligence. 

Chair: 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.

Breandan Ward 

Breandan is a disability strategist, educator, and leadership coach with over 25 years’ experience across corporate, academic, and mission-driven sectors. He works with organisations to strengthen leadership capability, shape inclusive cultures, and embed accessibility as a driver of performance, innovation, and long-term value.

He is an Adjunct Professor at New York University, where he teaches disability-inclusive strategy and leadership, and also teaches entrepreneurship for people with disabilities at TU Dublin.

Breandan previously spent over 15 years in investment banking in London and New York, including leadership roles at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. His corporate background, combined with lived experience of progressive sight loss due to an inherited retinal condition, informs a practical, commercially grounded approach to leadership and organisational change. Now based in London, Breandan works internationally across sectors, advising leaders on inclusive design, talent strategy, and cultural transformation.

A Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and an ICF-certified coach, Breandan brings a distinctive combination of lived experience, strategic insight, and leadership expertise. He believes disability is not a special case for leadership, but a powerful lens through which leadership is tested - requiring clarity, adaptability, and the ability to create environments where a wide range of people can perform at their best.