Taking The Dis!

We go to the University of Reading to meet up with Sophia, who is studying law. She tells us how life as a university student has changed her and helped develop a greater sense of independence. She also introduces us to one of her lecturers, Dr Rachel Horton, who is an associate professor in the law school at the university, as well as the academic disability advisor within the law school. Rachel...

Taking The Dis! is a podcast from The Knights Foundation, which is a charity supporting young people with disabilities and their families. We are lucky enough to be supported by a large group of patrons. These businesses and organisations provide financial backing to the charity, as well as continued support to our projects and events. Why do they do it? We have caught up with some of them to find...

Let Me In is a business idea from students at Treloars College, who are urging companies to become more accessible. They've devised a system which allows members of the team to visit business premises and carry out an audit to see how easy it is for disabled people to access the site. Their aim is to create accessible communities, improve employment opportunities, raise awareness and, essentially,...

The Knights Foundation Children of Courage Awards give special people the chance to be recognised for the amazing things they do. From inspiring young carers to incredible fundraisers and from sporting superstars to unbelievably brave individuals, the 2024 awards saw trophies presented to some truly wonderful young people. Luckily, the Taking The Dis! team was there to meet the winners. Hosted on...

Milo has often spoken of his love of art and he got the surprise of his life on a visit to Southampton City Art Gallery when he saw his work on display in the gallery. After recovering from the shock, he sat down with Callum and the gallery's exhibition officer, Jessica Whitfield, to chat about the surprise, as well as their hopes for the future of the art industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...

From a young age, David Holmes had a clear talent for gymnastics which led to him becoming a stunt double for major movies including the Harry Potter franchise. In this episode, David shares the story of how he went from working alongside Matt LeBlanc in his film debut to being the double for Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe. His career was cut short in a devastating way and David opens up t...

Paris has put on an incredible summer of sport by hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games. With the Paralympics being just a short train ride away, we knew we had to be there. So, the Taking The Dis! team boarded the Eurostar and headed to France. We had the absolute joy of spending the day at Roland Garros, seeing British wheelchair tennis players Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid in action and tryin...

Inspirational work colleagues Jack Stacy and Michael Smith are taking on a huge fundraising challenge of climbing 24 Lake District peaks in 24 hours! Michael's family has been profoundly impacted by sight-loss and he and his twin brother have under 10% of useable remaining sight. Michael will be guided on the challenge by Jack, who is chairman of disability charity, SeeAbility. The pair join the T...

Ahead of Southampton FC's return to the Premier League, one of their club legends, Francis Benali sits down for a chat with Milo (big Saints fan!) to talk about his career as well as the incredible fundraising efforts that led to him being appointed an MBE. This isn't your normal football chat about 4-4-2 and VAR as Francis reveals the challenges he has faced and the methods he has used to overcom...

Harvey Rathore is the Engagement Lead for The Quilter Foundation, who have provided grants to support family days for The Knights Foundation. She joins the team to discuss what family means to her, as well as discussing what the world of work looks like for people with disabilities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From mosh pits to portaloos, the team chat about their music festival experiences and what makes attending big events a daunting experience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

London Marathon hero Lloyd Martin joins the team, with his mum Ceri, to talk about his journey to becoming a Guinness World Record holder! He is the youngest person to complete a marathon in his learning disability category. From training together to crossing the finish line of one of the world's most iconic races, Lloyd and Ceri share their special story. Also, find out why Lloyd's face ended up...

It's time to meet Charlie! As well as being a Knights Foundation Youth Ambassador, he's the only member of the team in full-time work. He shares his experiences of life in the working world as a disabled person. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Angered by some recent conversations on a different podcast, the team chat about some of the abuse disabled people deal with on a daily basis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Parents at a primary school in Scotland were recently offered class photos with or without pupils with complex needs. Natalie Pinnell's daughter, Erin, was one of those excluded from a set of photographs and she speaks to the team about the upset caused and what she hopes to achieve from the story gaining national attention. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Watch out, the boss is about! The Knights Foundation founder Tony Knights joins the team to talk about his career in the Army, why he set up The Knights Foundation and his plans for the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you cope with life? Lewis, Sophia, Callum and Milo share their favourite ways of dealing with things when the going gets tough. There's shooting hoops, talking to animals and good ol' fashioned singing at the top of your lungs! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

George Robinson - star of Netflix series Sex Education - joins Callum and Sophia to chat about his breakthrough success on the programme. He discusses having to adapt to life in a wheelchair, developing the character of Isaac Goodwin and his love of working alongside Emma Mackey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The team return for the first episode of a brand new series of Taking The Dis! Since they were last together, Sophia and Callum have gone to uni and have stories to tell! Show Notes 01:30 - Tatts. Some new artwork has appeared. 06:30 - Callum's first thoughts on uni life 07:10 - Sophia shares her culinary experiences at university 08:02 - Callum's fire alarm fury 09:08 - Sophia's rowdy housemates...

The genie's magic lamp has been dusted off and our team share their three wishes in this episode with intriguing outcomes. Show Notes 00:55 - Sophia's mum, Steph, joins the conversation. 02:50 - Find out Lewis' first wish which he says will "never happen". 03:50 - Lewis finds his romantic side. 04:25 - Sophia talks about being accused of catfishing. 07:03 - Milo is ready to take the world of art b...

"Someone with a disability can't skydive!" Wanna bet?! In this episode, the team talk about the things they thought they'd never be able to do and the people who inspire them to achieve great things. Show Notes 00:57 - Sophia shares her experience of skydiving. 03:11 - "I could parachute out of the plane onto the summit of Mount Everest". Lewis has big plans. 05:11 - Lewis speaks about his inspira...

In this episode, Lewis' mum, Vanessa, shares her story of finding out about her son's disability and how it changed her life. The team also discuss future plans! Show Notes 01:47 - "It has changed my life miraculously". 03:29 - Callum and Sophia back Lewis for Olympic success. 06:04 - Vanessa shares the story of realising Lewis was disabled. 10:51 - Lewis shares his hopes for the future. 13:50 - M...

The Youth Ambassadors are joined by pupil support officer Jo Nash, who shares stories of working with the team during their school days. There's then the small matter of discussing family life and how jealously among siblings can cause conflict. Show Notes 00:54 - Introducing Jo Nash! Jo shares stories of working with the Youth Ambassadors and find out why Callum thinks she's "too honest". 04:36 -...

Meet the team as Callum, Sophia, Lewis and Milo introduce themselves and share their thoughts on tackling their teenage years with a disability! Show Notes 03:24 - What does being a teenager mean? 05:28 - "They're all little brats!". Callum remembers his school days 07:55 - The team talk about pushing boundaries to stand out 09:16 - "They'll wrap you in bubble wrap". The team discuss seeking indep...