Shaun Moffat
Shaun Moffat is the CEO of Dancing Giraffe CIC
A Colchester businessman, Shaun is Diabetic (type 1) and has Severe Diabetic Retinopathy. He is now registered sight-impaired and is progressively losing his sight.
Until five years ago, Shaun was a successful businessman, keen sportsman and had a very active social life.
As a type one diabetic, Shaun had to manage his blood sugar levels but it didn’t stop him from doing anything. That all changed in 2006 when a normal car journey started a series of events that was to culminate in 44 year-old Shaun having to face living with the loss of his sight.
"I was driving home one afternoon when I noticed something in my vision that wouldn’t go away, I telephoned my optician who told me because of my diabetes I should go to my GP. Three hours later I was at Broomfield Hospital Eye Clinic where they dilated my pupils and informed me I have Diabetic Retinopathy. They gave me an appointment card to return for laser eye surgery in a week. I had no idea what they were talking about or the implications and asked them to write the name of the condition down so I could try to research it online."
This was the start of several operations which resulted in Shaun losing his foveal vision, leaving him unable to read, drive or even see his daughters face at three feet. It meant giving up his job and becoming fully reliant on his wife’s income leaving him isolated and devastated.
Shaun contacted the Royal National Institute for Blind People (RNIB) and offer his services as a volunteer. Since that point Shaun has become an ardent campaigner, going to public engagement meetings across Essex to represent the voice of blind and partially sighted people,
"I realised that although I had become sight-impaired, I could put my skills in communication to good use for the disabled community."
It was at Christmas 2008, when reading with his daughter that Shaun had a revelation that could now fundamentally change the lives of disabled people.
"Something on the story suddenly struck a chord with me. My disability shouldn’t mean I have to stop doing the things I love. I just need to find a different way. This applies to any disability, it’s usually society that disables a person and I decided to found an organisation that would enable disabled people everywhere – that’s when Dancing Giraffe was born."
Shaun dedicated the following three years to developing his idea, meeting with many disabled people and organisations, gaining contacts, presenting the Dancing Giraffe concept and building a team of experts and volunteers.
The first phase of www.dancinggiraffe.com has arrived and Shaun is justifiably proud.
"We have a fantastic team of people; many of whom have disabilities themselves and who have worked tirelessly to make this happen – now it’s up to the disabled community and businesses in Essex to help us develop and grow. We want to help people to overcome problems and access things that will enrich their lives; things they wish they could do and find a way to do it. We aim to expel barriers and empower disabled people everywhere to take control and find ways to experience the life they want to live."
2012 will see Dancing Giraffe engage with the wider community, carers, businesses and support organisations to pull in information and opportunities for disabled people living in Essex – the first time one website has brought all this information together in one place. As a Community Interest Company, Dancing Giraffe will continue to lobby, campaign and raise awareness – something Shaun deals with on a daily basis.
"Every day something happens that makes me think 'it doesn’t need to be this hard'."
Susan Pattrick
Director, Administration, Human Resources & Fundraising
Susan has a vast amount of experience in the third sector. She worked with Royal Mail as both a human resources manager and a disability manager She has spent the last 14 years working as a consultant in the disabled field, access auditing and advising on many major architectural project.
Susan has also been a high-profile figure within the regions Third Sector access movement where she has made a vast number of contacts. She joined Shaun early in 2011 and has been instrumental in creating and maintaining good practices within our fast growing team.
