Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

As a recipient of a kidney transplant, Kate's wife Holly falls within the high risk category, so together they are spending their third week in strict isolation. Kate, who has mobility difficulties, admits to feeling guilty she can't do more to help her community or to entertain their daughter Scout. This week's highlight is The Food Delivery which creates both euphoria and a bit of a household de...

At the start of this year, 2020, barely three months ago, we all said it was going to be the year we'd all nail it. New job, getting married, holiday-of-a-lifetime, kicking any low confidence in the face, the works. Then coronavirus came along. So, now all your plans have been shelved, how do you cope with the uncertainty when you’re also just starting a new career? Blind YouTuber and freelance jo...

Kate and Holly digest the latest instructions on how to keep safe against coronavirus - for them it means staying in isolation for longer than 12 weeks. Awkward conversations happen at bath-time about how much they should tell their three-year-old daughter Scout when one of her mums is put in the High Risk category. And, determined to bring people together from a distance, their neighbours find a...

In the second episode of Cabin Fever. As 1.5m people wait to receive letters classing them as High Risk in the fight against coronavirus we find out if Octavia made it safely to Somerset after her care package collapsed in London when it became impossible for her PAs to travel through the city. Bryony Hopkins is in a great place with her Crohn’s disease and raring to go, but the new drugs she’s on...

‘It is scary, it is lonely, it is hard.’ Join Kate Monaghan as she navigates the emotional and practical struggles of home isolation in Yorkshire, during the coronavirus pandemic. She has Elhers Danlos syndrome whilst her wife Holly is on immunity suppressants due to having had a kidney transplant - they are very anxious that they don't get infected. The pair are also desperately trying to keep th...

Welcome to this new pop-up podcast to see you through the days of Covid-19. Let's get started. We've all heard the information that coronavirus can be easily managed unless "you are vulnerable and have an underlying health condition" - but what if you ARE one of those people? Among the doom and gloom of the pandemic is BBC Ouch! A bunch of journalists who will keep it real. Turns out you may have...

Londoner Jite Ugono never expected to find himself playing blackjack in a North Korean casino having run out of cash, but a few life-changing moments had led him there. In his 30s he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), then 10 years later in 2019 he was offered rare stem cell therapy, involving chemotherapy, on the NHS to help stall the progress of the condition. It was “hopeful”, but he d...

When Ellen and Beth posted a TikTok video before they went out for the night, little did they know it would go viral by morning. The students from Northern Ireland happened to leave the blood sugar monitors in shot. They are are fixed to their arms and help them manage their type one diabetes, and the world wanted to know more. Now the two women from Belfast create TikTok videos as the Diabetic Du...

Actor George Robinson reveals what it's like to play Isaac, the first disabled character in Netflix's Sex Education. George became tetraplegic just a few years ago when he broke his neck in a school rugby tackle gone-wrong. The question is, did he watch the show - full of teenage sex, angst and mishaps - with his parents? Professional magician Fergus Flanagan first got into tricks when he was 10-y...

Liz Carr has just left BBC drama Silent Witness on a high, after eight years playing forensic examiner Clarissa Mullery - So what's next for the disabled actor and activist? Hollywood is the answer. Liz will be hitting the silver screen alongside A-listers including Mark Wahlberg in big budget film, Infinite, set for release this summer. We like to think it was her seven-year stint on the Ouch pod...

Sky Sports presenter Dave Clark says he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the most "horrible" way. The journalist, now synonymous with darts, says his doctor had a "God-like complex" and first asked how big his mortgage was and whether he had children before delivering the diagnosis. But it was not Clark's first experience of Parkinson's. His father was also diagnosed with the neurological...

Tom Oakley's dreams came true when he got through to the second round of BBC One talent show The Greatest Dancer after judge Oti Mabuse, who also stars in Strictly Come Dancing, called him a "phenomenal dancer". As well as spending more than 20 hours a week at dance college, the 16-year-old has to manage the chronic illness cystic fibrosis which affects his ability to breathe and digest food. When...

What happens when you take a forthright disabled American comedian and a sublime disabled folk singer and put them in a studio together? The answer is a lively session of Politics 101 – we promise it’s more fun than it sounds. Hear Tilly Moses's song Social Model played live – an unlikely name, but a beautiful song with lyrics for disabled people everywhere. And she gets quite the shock when we su...

Caitlin Leigh and Brinston Tchana were both young adults when they became disabled and started using wheelchairs. Caitlin loved experimenting with her hair before developing alopecia, at which point she shaved it all off. She started using a wheelchair to remain safe when she has a seizure. Brinston was about to sign as a professional footballer when he was paralysed in a car crash. Both felt thei...

Sinead Burke is all about fashion and equality and in September appeared on the front cover of British Vogue. At three and a half feet tall, she is a fair few notches below average height and describes herself as a "little person". Find out what happens when you are too short to be able to reach up and lock the toilet door behind you? Or what if the most fashionable choice of clothes you have are...

Migraines are so much more than a headache according to Rachel Creeger. In a fascinating discussion with the comedian, we hear how her various identities impact on her – that’s being disabled, Jewish and a woman. But also, that the disabling form of migraine she has is also linked to her senses, speech and her ability to play musical instruments among other things. Our reporter Emma Tracey caught...

Souleyman Bah was the first disabled contestant on BBC One's The Apprentice. But just three weeks into the season he was fired by Lord Sugar and told he was “brave” for being there - how did he feel when he was served up with that cliche from the famous businessman? And what was it like behind the scenes?(*) The Vacuum Cleaner, aka James Leadbitter, has run his mental health project Madlove for fi...

Bella Parkhouse is a typical teenager. She spends her time juggling college, a part-time job and seeing friends. But she's also among the 10% of people who live with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) under the age of 18. Bella tells us how she navigates treatments and medication as well as managing her social life and chronic fatigue. She's also had to confront a few bullies along the way but remains determ...

When Damon's guide dog DeeBee visits the vet for a check-up there is some unexpected news. He is weighed and found to be 5kg overweight - that's slightly more than your average cat. Damon must get DeeBee back to a healthy weight or risk having him temporarily taken away while he is slimmed down. So what can you do when your guide dog gets out of shape? Find out in the latest edition of Ouch - the...

Comedian Joe Wells talks about the one time in his life that making eye contact with another human being wasn't uncomfortable. Recently diagnosed as autistic, he also explains why he has to block out men's voices by playing loud music in his headphones. Also on the podcast: Sarah Collins tells the story of the OCD moment where she strongly believes she's swallowed an entire packet of paracetamol....

When we put three disabled comedians together round a picnic table we hadn’t banked on hearing one of the best disability love stories we’ve ever heard. We're a hard-bitten cynical bunch at Ouch sometimes but this was a beautiful moment from Spring Day about her relationship with BBC Three's one and only Jerk, Tim Renkow. The story packs even more of a punch when you find out about her history and...

Life can be a bit different if you're disabled or have a mental health difficulty, but sometimes it is just be plain hilarious. Andy Duffy, Sajeela Kershi and Janine Hammond take to the stage at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to tell true stories on the theme of Lost and Found. From Andy's missing wheelchair battery which almost sparked the evacuation of a London museum, to Sajeela's recent hearing...

Everyone in the theatre company Elektric Apple has a learning disability. Using important themes from life, like mental health, sexuality and loneliness, they tell stories in their own words. We sat down with actors Carl and John and their director Andrew Sinclair to talk about what they love most about performing and the message they want to spread with their productions. Presented by Niamh Hughe...

If you are disabled and believe that a product to solve your problem doesn’t exist yet, listen up. A network of volunteer engineers are on-hand to help. When Sarah Stones realised leaning heavily on her left arm was taking its toll but couldn’t find a device to help, she reached out to Remap, a charity that makes bespoke solutions for disabled people. Engineer Akshaya Ahuja made her an armband wit...

Living your best life when death is closer than you'd like it to be - that's what we're talking about on this month's long podcast. It's a very upbeat show about tricky disability stuff. Doctors told Lucy Watts she wouldn't make it to the age of 18 - she's now 25 and has survived sepsis 14 times. Her assistance dog Molly licks her hand three hours before any symptoms appear which gives Lucy time t...