Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey present some of our favourite interviews from 2023. From celebs through to people with amazing stories that we've helped bring to the public's attention. At 41, Melanie, a disabled Australian woman, had never had sex so she hired a sex--worker or "sexpert" called Chase who helped her to understand her body and give her the confidence she needed to form new relationships....

Mims Davies is the new disability minister but she's in a lower ranked role than her predecessor with other duties to attend to. We speak to James Taylor, Scope's Director of Strategy, plus Caroline Nokes, MP, and Vicky Foxcroft, Labour’s shadow minister for disabled people, about what many interpret as a de-prioritising of disability issues. Radio 3's Dr Hannah French, a former flautist, joins us...

From fresh-water wells flooded by salty sea water, to avoiding inaccessible emergency shelters, we hear from Ari in Samoa and Melvina in the Solomon Islands about the impact climate change is having on their very exposed corner of the world. It comes as COP28, the UN summit which convenes annually to try and solve the climate crisis - draws to a close in Dubai. This year’s event was meant to be th...

Access All collaborates with BBC Radio 3 on an item about the Clarion, a musical instrument which can be played by anyone by anything - from fingers to Eyegaze technology. Our guests are Barry Farrimond-Chuong, the CEO of Open Up Music, who helped design the software instrument, and Alessandro Vazzana a player of the Clarion in the National Open Youth Orchestra who is enabled to chat with us by hi...

We head to Cologne, Germany, where we catch-up with the man they dubbed the parastronaut - former Paralympian and surgeon John McFall. He was recruited by the European Space Agency one year ago to work out how space travel might be different for disabled people. He tells us about his findings so far and we ask about recent headlines which claim his prosthetic leg would poison those aboard a space...

Actor Ruth Madeley plays wheelchair-using Shirley Anne Bingham in the first of three Doctor Who anniversary specials, with the first one kicking off on Saturday 25 November. Joining her is super-fan Tom Harries, known as Tharries on his YouTube channel. The surprises are being kept tightly under wraps so take a listen to see if you think Ruth has given away any clues to die-hard followers of the b...

Harry Potter stuntman, David Holmes, opens up about his life-changing accident when he dislocated his spinal cord on the set of The Deathly Hallows Part 1, leading to paralysis. He also talks about his firm friendship with Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe. There’s a lot going on at the heart of government – and that’s not including the government shuffle. The BBC has uncovered potential bene...

This week we look at the challenges and financial risks of using the Equality Act when it comes to transport services. Anna Lawson, professor of law at University of Leeds, and Tim McSharry who volunteers with Access Use-Ability Group give us their insights. We talk to 17-year-old Ava Jolliffe, an artist and clothes designer who has found her way onto this year's Disability Power 100 list. She is...

Paying by card is simple for most of us, but for some visually impaired people, newer, touch screen card readers can be a problem. RNIB’s Dave Williams tells us about the challenges as well as the workarounds. And lawyer Chris Fry joins us to explain where we stand legally. We have Georgina Rose back with us, Strictly Come Dancing’s first live audio describer. She shares all her behind-the-scenes...

We meet actor Eloise Pennycott from BBC Three's Phoenix Rise. She lost her hearing four years ago and now, at 18, is one of the sparkiest deaf/disabled people we've come across for a while. She talks about her character Daisy who she describes in unflattering terms but loves playing. We look at the latest statistics for disability hate crime in England and Wales, with Ali Gunn, head of policy at t...

Minister for Disabled People, Tom Pursglove, joins Nikki Fox In the studio to talk about what he’s been up to since taking over the role in 2022. They go deep into topics including work, benefits and his love of cricket… If politics isn’t your thing, reality TV might be. Jay from the latest series of Married At First Sight joins Nikki and Emma Tracey to talk the three L’s – love, Luke and limb dif...

When Lizzie posted on Facebook that she hasn’t been able to weigh herself for 22 years, including through three pregnancies, it sparked our interest about access to scales. Gillian also told us she’s been trying to keep check of her weight during a health kick but it’s been months since she was last able to get on scales. And Dr Georgie Budd offers some thoughts and suggestions around this dilemma...

Access All joins forces with The Climate Question this week to explore an important global issue. About 16 percent of the world’s population is thought to be disabled, but they are still 2 to 4 times more likely to be injured or killed in a natural disaster than those who are not disabled. Emma Tracey, from the BBC’s Access All podcast, investigates for The Climate Question, meeting disabled peopl...

This week the government launched Ask, Don’t Assume, a campaign to encourage the public to ask before trying to assist disabled people. However, Disability Rights UK accused them of “purple washing” and called the government “murderous” in a post on X. We also speak to disability rights campaigner Dr Amy Kavanagh, who fears it will encourage invasive questions. Mik Scarlett joins Nikki Fox to talk...

Budgets are tight at local authorities across the country and this week, Bristol City Council launched a consultation on what it calls its ‘Fair and Affordable Care Policy’. Some residents fear the policy, if implemented, could see them relocated to care homes if that’s seen as “best value” to the wider community. We speak to Mark Williams, a Bristol resident and part of the Bristol Reclaiming Ind...

Email accessall@bbc.co.uk with stories that you want Access All to cover. Our hosts, Nikki Fox and Emma Tracy really want to hear your ideas. In this episode, we’re checking out access in Japan. How does it compare to the UK? Nikki and Emma talks to influencer Lucy Edwards ahead of her two-part documentary on the country and tells us about the robot guide dog she got to try out. There’s more debat...

This week, out-of-the-blue, the government released a consultation on changes to the Work Capability Assessment, which it had previously announced it would scrap. Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey unravel what it could mean for you with James Taylor, executive director of strategy at the charity Scope. New BBC Two programme, Helping Our Teens, shows child behavioural expert Marie Gentles assisting school...

Gail Porter's most recent incarnation is in comedy and storytelling related to her experiences of mental ill health, homelessness and hair loss - something she likes to share in the hope it helps other people. Emma Tracey grabbed an interview with her in Edinburgh recently. Sisters, Hermon and Heroda Berhane are fashion influencers. They are also identical twins and are deaf. They had no idea that...

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is in full swing as Nikki Fox joins Emma Tracey in Scotland to put on a show at Dynamic Earth in front of a live festival audience! Comedian Joe Wells reveals how he decided to become King of the Autistics and the unusual way he discovered he was autistic in the first place. Mental health advocate, comedian and writer Juliette Burton confesses that while the rest of t...

Musician Victoria Canal won the Ivor Novello Rising Star award in May, and has built an army of fans since supporting Hozier on tour around the UK this summer. She tells Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey how it felt to have Coldplay’s Chris Martin praise her songwriting, why she’d love to collaborate with The 1975 and how she found her sound by adapting her technique on the guitar. Plus, Victoria gets dee...

When education finishes, where do young disabled adults with complex needs find their home and a fulfilling life? One couple from Surrey have, with council backing, set-up a residential care home where disabled people own their own accommodation and enjoy stimulating pastimes. We speak to Sally Lawrence, founder of the home, Linden Farm, and Sarah London, a mum who has just submitted the paperwork...

If you have problems with your bones, have you thought about drinking more milk? Rude and often silly questions can be an annoying part of everyday disabled life, but did you know this microaggression actually has a name? It’s called ‘ablesplaining’ and Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey have a lot to say about the annoying younger brother of mansplaining. Was your last medical appointment serene and relax...

The BBC's Alex Taylor investigated 100 airlines to see how many offer free or discounted airline tickets for personal assistants to travel. Industry guidelines recommend it, but how many really follow that guidance? Melody Powell joins us to talk about the unfairness of the situation. Felix Klieser is an internationally renowned French horn player and is about to make his debut at the BBC Proms. B...

Remember the ridiculously popular Wellerman song? This week, the 28-year-old star behind the sea shanty, Nathan Evans, joins presenters Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey to talk about his mental health. Anger against the government and rail authorities is hotting up. Sarah Leadbetter is taking legal action over plans to close railway ticket offices across England which disabled people say will hit them th...

Getting tickets to see Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour has been widely reported as difficult. But getting tickets for accessible seats at Wembley has proved even harder and has had to be done the old fashioned way - by phone. Music journalist, Faith Martin made over 2,000 calls to the line before getting through. With much relief, and tickets in hand, she recounts the frustration disabled Swifties have...