Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

Sir Stephen Timms, the minister for Social Security and Disability talks to Emma Tracey about the proposed £5bn worth of welfare cuts the government recently announced. The Minister explains the Labour government’s thought process around the planned changes which include tightening up eligibility for Personal Independence Payment and explains why people under the age of 22 will no longer get the h...

Suspended Labour MP, John McDonnell, talks to Access All about the distress he feels over the benefit cuts outlined in March's Spring Statement. Having had the whip removed last summer he hopes to be restored to the party he joined 50 years ago but says he is "praying" his former colleagues rethink the plans and U-turn. The benefit cuts mean there have been a lot of numbers flying about. Finance j...

Nigel has lived with paranoid schizophrenia for decades, navigating "tormenting voices" and spending time in secure units and prison. He talks to Emma Tracey about his life, managing the condition and the importance of his friendship with Andy, who we also meet. Lucy Schonegevel from Rethink Mental Health reflects on Nigel's story and brings us up to date on reforms to the Mental Health Act, expec...

Billy Monger's ambition to become a professional racing driver looked like it had come to a serious and tragic end when a crash on the track aged 17 resulted in both his legs being amputated - one above knee, one below. Talking with Emma Tracey, he looks back at how life changed after the accident, and the challenges he's put himself through since then. After breaking it to his parents his racing...

What will the welfare reforms announced by the government on Tuesday mean for disabled people who claim benefits? In this emergency episode, Emma Tracey tries to find out by talking to the BBC’s Disability Correspondent Nikki Fox, two claimants of disability benefits - Ellen Clifford and Justine Stamp - and to Arun Veerappan of the Disability Policy Centre. PRODUCERS: DANIEL GORDON, ALEX COLLINS P...

BBC research has revealed that nearly a third of child claimants of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) have been rejected for adult benefits when they turn 16. BBC Data Unit reporter Joanna Morris has been investigating to find out why this is happening, and shares that many rejections come because the forms are addressed to the teenagers who try to complete the paperwork themselves. That includes...

Polly Crosby opens up about living with the life limiting condition cystic fibrosis. As a newborn, she was the first person in the world to test positive for CF through a heel prick test. Being diagnosed so early helped her mother manage her condition but many of her childhood friends died very young. And she’s been reflecting on that period in her latest novel, The Vulpine. Also in this episode,...

To mark the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we catch-up with Oleksii and Raisa who previously spoke to Access All. Oleksii has learning disabilities and, after initially re-locating to Denmark, returned to his group home in Ukraine a few months ago. Raisa runs a nearby respite centre for disabled people. And we hear from Sara Cincurova, a human rights journalist, who...

Corie Mapp, a double leg amputee, is fresh from winning gold at the Para-bobsleigh World Championships in Switzerland. Corie took up the sport after he was injured in Afghanistan and says “going down an ice chute in a bath tub” has given him a fresh perspective on disability and risk. Also on this episode, a suicide charity which runs the UK’s only 24-hour phone line staffed by trained, paid, call...

Niamdh Braid took her local council to a tribunal at the age of 16 (and won!) after they refused to provide her with a BSL interpreter in class. She tells Emma Tracey how Fife Council had argued that she was able to access her education using hearing aids and lip reading. But after an expert witness told the tribunal that Niamdh could only hear 70% of what her teachers were saying, it ruled in her...

Actor Michael Patrick has just picked up an award for his unique portrayal of Shakespeare’s Richard III, which gives the play a fresh twist inspired by his own experience of living with motor neurone disease (MND). Michael is no stranger to MND. His father died from the condition and his sister is also living with it, although drug trials for the siblings have given them more hope for the future....

Adults diagnosed with ADHD have shorter life expectancies, according to a groundbreaking new study. University College London (UCL) crunched nine million GP records to find that, on average, women with ADHD die nine years earlier, and men seven years earlier than those without ADHD. Josh Stott, professor of ageing and clinical psychology at UCL, the lead researcher, explains to Access All why this...

Facing the California wildfires when you’re disabled and marking Holocaust Memorial Day As the California wildfires continue to burn we hear the stories of disabled Los Angeles residents, Carrie and Joci, who had to make decisions around whether to evacuate or not, and if so, how they would do it without plans in place. To mark Holocaust Memorial Day, Dr Helen Atherton talks to Access All about th...

A mum of two tells Emma Tracey about spending more than half of the family’s income on her children's special educational needs (SEND). Alice moved her two daughter’s to a private school after she felt they weren’t being supported in state education. But, from 1 January, private schools lost their charitable status and now must pay VAT of 20% with many schools passing those costs onto parents. Ali...

Owen Tooth is the first wheelchair user to direct EastEnders — he's already handled his first "duff duff" moment and is due on set for a string of episodes in early 2025. But he says he moved into TV after his film career collapsed when he became a wheelchair user and people acted as if he was “invisible”. Also on the programme, millions of people rent properties and yet nearly half of private lan...

Our expert panel looks ahead to what 2025 is likely to bring for disabled people and mental health service users. On the panel are: John Pring, founder and editor of Disability News Service; Richard Taylor of the disability equality charity Scope and Lucy Schonehevel of Rethink Mental Illness. They discuss ongoing issues which are likely to carry on making headlines in 2025 – such as the Assisted...

It’s been a busy year for disabled people. From the Paralympics in Paris to the first ever blind winner of Strictly Come Dancing to a new generation of disabled MPs getting elected to parliament, 2024 has seen its fair share of disabled high achievers. But what’s been YOUR favourite? This special festive episode features a look back at the past year on Access All - as well as the big moments famou...

Days after clinching the Strictly Come Dancing trophy, Chris McCausland chats with Access All’s Emma Tracey, who is also blind. Chris talks about conquering self-doubt, the trust that went into his partnership with Strictly pro, Dianne Buswell and how his success on the show has caused positive waves far beyond the blind community. He also gives the inside track on his brand new Christmas film, Ba...

Paralympian James Brown, who is partially sighted, has given his first broadcast interview to Access All since he won compensation from the government over his treatment in prison. Brown reached an out of court settlement with the Ministry of Justice after he launched legal proceedings for being denied his access needs in jail. He’d been given a custodial sentence for glueing himself to a plane as...

A miniature, toy version has been launched of a scheme to help people inform others they have a hidden disability. The hidden disabilities sunflower lanyard scheme has been running for eight years. The idea is to use the lanyards to inform the public that anybody wearing one might need extra help. Emma meets Paul White, who founded the scheme. She gets a demonstration of the new Lego figures from...

Mental health campaigners have warned the government to avoid "unhealthy benefit war rhetoric" strategy when it finalises its plans to get more benefits claimants back to work. We hear the reaction of Catherine Parsons, who oversees the Big Issue’s specialist employment service Big Issue Recruit. The service helps find work for those who face barriers including homeless people, ex offenders and ot...

The latest part of the Covid inquiry, which looks at the impact of the pandemic on the NHS, has heard powerful evidence from disabled people and their relatives for the first time. BBC Health Reporter Jim Reed — who presents The Covid Inquiry Podcast — shares some of the most poignant testimony that has been shared so far. Emma Tracey also hears from Rachael Andrews, who is partially sighted and h...

More than 350 disabled people’s organisations have formed a coalition to oppose the Assisted Dying Bill. The bill proposes that anyone aged over 18 in England and Wales who has a terminal illness with six months or less to live should be allowed assistance to end their lives. Safeguards within the proposals include two doctors and a high court judge approving the request. The new coalition is bein...

Comedy actor Paul Whitehouse and his wife, Dr Mine Conkbayir have turned their focus to ADHD. Dr Mine is an early years researcher and author and was diagnosed with ADHD in 2023. She talks about how a traumatic childhood shaped her, needing plenty of noise and lights to function and her thoughts around medication. Her husband, Paul Whitehouse is known for his sketches on The Fast Show and the more...

The Budget is done and dusted and the US elections about to start. How do disabled people fit in to these big political events? Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered her budget. Bethany Dawson from Politico and disability charity Scope’s head of policy, James Taylor,talk us through the bits disabled people care about. They discuss the increase in the minimum wage and a rise in what carers can ear...