Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

BBC Scotland political reporter Ian Hamilton joins Emma Tracey on this week’s podcast. Both of them are blind and they discuss why they and other blind people can’t confidently vote in secret. They talk about the pitfalls of tactile voting templates and share their experiences of polling station staff. They also consider whether technology might offer a solution in the future. Also on the show: Br...

We asked what was on your mind ahead of the General Election and you answered in your droves. Despite an estimated 16 million people being disabled in the UK many of you told us you feel invisible - why is that? People with learning disabilities are said to be the group least likely to own photographic ID, such as a driving licence, potentially adding an extra barrier to polling day. We fill you i...

We hear what it’s like to live with a disability in a war zone. Boshra is an 18-year-old woman who lives in Gaza and has muscular dystrophy. She and Oleksii, a man with a learning disability from Ukraine, share their experiences with presenter Emma Tracey. Emma also speaks to George Graham, CEO of Humanity and Inclusion, a charity which supports disabled people living in conflict areas. Presenter...

The launch of Chat GPT-4o is already making it easier for blind and visually impaired people to live independent lives, and promises to open up accessibility for people with many other disabilities. Emma Tracey gathers a panel of experts, featuring technology journalist Paul Carter; the CEO of Be My Eyes Mike Buckley; and Professor Annalu Waller, Director of the Augmentative and Alternate Communic...

The boss of Paralympics GB joins us, with just over 100 days to go until this summer’s Games in Paris. From studying politics to a spell in banking – not to mention playing blind football for England - we explore the work Dave Clarke’s done to help innovate the workforce – and the playing field. Plus, is Right Care, Right Person the right approach? The scheme used by several police forces in Engla...

Mims Davies knows first-hand about disability having been a carer for her dad after he sustained a head injury. But how is the Minster for Disabled people, Health and Work faring in the job? In an extended interview, Emma Tracey quizzes her on a variety of topics including the government's decision to make people on a modest income pay back money for over-claiming Carer's Allowance. The minister r...

Activism has been a part of Liz Carr’s career since the start, particularly when it comes to assisted dying, also known as assisted suicide. She’s made a documentary on the world service, and even a musical on the topic, and now she has a new BBC documentary, provocatively named Better Off Dead? In this special episode, Liz chats to Emma about making the documentary including: seeing how it works...

The government has published its consultation on changes to the Personal Independence Payment benefit, PIP. Emma Tracey asks Scope's Head of Policy James Taylor for his analysis. With GCSEs, A-levels and other exams starting this month, Emma speaks to one of the people responsible for working out exam access arrangements for students who need it. Here's where you get the lowdown on extended time,...

Emma Tracey speaks to the mother of a 35 year old woman with learning disabilities who has been living in a mental health facility “unnecessarily” for three years. She says there is no reason for her to be living there and that it's due to lack of appropriate housing and care in the community. We also hear from autistic author Alexis Quinn who feels let down by the system but is living in her own...

It's Access All's 100th edition! To mark the occasion we’ve provided a bumper episode – including an interview with Rose Ayling-Ellis talking about how she is changing the conversation around British Sign Language. Also on the show: A glimpse behind the scenes – what really goes on when making Access All. Plus celebs give their advice on how to live your best disabled life. Presenter Emma Tracey....

Disability activist and commentator Samantha Renke says the law on disability hate speech needs to be strengthened after a podcast discussion about dating someone in a wheelchair goes viral. Also on the show: Actress and comedian Ashley Storrie talks about the autistic character she plays in the new BBC Three comedy drama Dinosaur. The episode was made by Daniel Gordon with Drew Hyndman and Alexan...

Tom Shakespeare is Access All presenter Emma Tracey's special guest for an Easter spectacular edition of the podcast. He talks about becoming a novelist for the first time in his 50s, and why he created a disabled character to be the hero of his first non-fiction book. He also discusses the work he is better known for - a lifetime of disability activism and research - and his profile as a commenta...

Heartstopper star Bradley Riches lifts the lid on how he coped with having autism as a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother. Also on the show: the inventor of a new dating app which he says is fully neuro-diverse friendly. The episode was made by Daniel Gordon with Niamh Hughes and Emma Tracey. Recorded and mixed by Dave O’Neill. The editor is Alex Lewis. To get in touch with the team email accessa...

The UN in Geneva questions the UK government on its commitment to disabled people. We speak to two people who followed the proceedings - disability reporter Rachel Charlton-Dailey and Rensa Gaunt from Inclusion London, which campaigns for equality for deaf and disabled people. Actress and broadcaster Madison Tevlin on challenging assumptions about disabled people - and why having Down’s Syndrome i...

In this episode, Emma Tracey gets reaction to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s spending plans from Fazilet Hadi of Disability Rights UK. Plus Stephen Kingdom from the Disabled Children’s Partnership on the Budget announcement that £105 million is to be spent on building schools for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. There’s also an interview with Henry Fraser. Once an aspiring rugby...

The ADHD medication shortage is still not over – and promises made by the main manufacturer and the government to fix the problem by April are being questioned. Drugs prescribed to help manage the condition – and one in particular, called Elvanse – have been in short supply since last year. People who have ADHD – Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder – find it hard to focus on single tasks...

Emma Tracey speaks with 20-year-old disabled student Laith , who fought for a good accessible education at the National Star specialist college in Gloucestershire. He feels he's got education under his belt but for what? After college, will he be able to live with his disabled girlfriend who also needs 24-hour care? Will he have independence and be able to get a job? All these things are far from...

Journalist and mental health advocate, Bryony Gordon, joins Emma Tracey in the studio to talk about her new book, Mad Woman. It’s all about her OCD, alcohol addiction, binge eating, recoveries and relapses. Bryony dives deep into what she calls her “chorizo blackouts”, why she’s named her OCD Jareth (from 80s film Labyrinth), and why she has increasingly started to think episodes of bad mental hea...

Nathan Lee Davies had spent years carefully managing his Direct Payments to save up for a six-day short break to Florida. But when Nathan, who has a life-limiting condition, excitedly told Wrexham Borough County Council about his plans it decided to “claw back” the money. Human rights lawyer Anne-Marie Irwin helps explain the rules around funding short breaks. It’s an essential item, but underwear...

After being consulted on, the government's long-awaited Disability Action Plan is now out there. New Disability Minister Mims Davies says that it's one pillar of the government's overall work for disabled peple, and it'll transform lives. But with the level of significant problems disabled people currently face, is this the right plan at the right time? And what is the National Disability Strategy...

Mollie Pearce joins us to talk in-depth about those final moments in BBC One's hugely successful reality show, The Traitors. She was one of three disabled people in the cast of 22 who started but was the last disabled woman standing. Emma Tracey talks with her this week on a podcast in which she is very funny and honest about having a stoma and a limb difference. Recorded and mixed by renegade mas...

We've got an extra Access All podcast this week. Former England striker Michael Owen and his son James came into the Access All studio in London to talk about how James is losing his sight, their attitude towards it, and the inclusive football game, futsal. Parents often feel real guilt when a child becomes disabled but, though it hurts, the Owens attempt a constant positivity. They present a docu...

Certain medications remain in short supply or out of stock across the UK, which pharmacists have described as a “life threatening” situation, but why is it happening? Community pharmacist and chair of the National Pharmacy Association, Nick Kaye, explains the reasons behind it while Ellie Adams, who lives with epilepsy, talks about the constant anxiety of not knowing if her medication will be avai...

Language about sexuality has exploded and, as a result, the LGBT sign language community has found themselves needing new signs to describe the ideas British people are talking about. We talk to Dr Patrick Rosenburg who helped come up with new signs for things like cisgender, trans man, polyamorous and throuple. How did they do it and what does it look like? Spain has its first parliamentarian wit...

Impulse spending, losing glasses and misinterpreting conditions on credit cards can mean a great deal of unnecessary expense for people with ADHD. Within the community some refer to it as the "ADHD Tax". Rach Idowu from the Adulting with ADHD newsletter and Prof Amanda Kirby from the University of South Wales who is also chair of the ADHD Foundation Charity, join us. Convicted murderer and Paralym...