Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

With long delays for people needing guide dogs we speak with Isobel in Belfast who trained her own guide dog and also to Pawtected, an organisation which helps people train their own assistance dogs. Reece Parkinson, from Radio 1Xtra chats about his recent diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes and how he manages his blood sugar while DJ-ing in Ibiza. And, love or hate new year's resolutions, presenters Nik...

We've had a ball since we launched back in April. Nikki and Emma were strangers at the beginning of the year and now have become great friends through some very open conversations and a bit of over-sharing. They introduce favourite moments on subjects like relationships, first jobs, karaoke choices - nothing has been off limits. Remember when Nikki disliked Emma's Halloween costume? Why Nikki admi...

Our catch-up with Anne Hegerty was such a success, we decided as a Christmas treat we’d bring you the full, extended conversation! Refreshingly honest and hilarious, Anne revels how Autism impacted her childhood, career and ability to manage benefits – leading to bailiffs turning up on her doorstep. From ‘The Chase’ auditioning process to becoming a household name, prepare for some unfiltered, ext...

The festive season can be a tough time for many people, from financial worries and loneliness to the pressures of making everything perfect. Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey are joined by broadcaster Seaneen Molloy, who works in the mental health sector and lives with bipolar disorder and anxiety. She gives tips on how best to protect your mental health over the festive period and what you can do to help...

The families of seven teenagers with complex needs have just one week to find a new school after they were asked to leave Purbeck View School in Dorset following an “inadequate” rating by Ofsted. Mum, Sarah London, whose son Harrison, is one of those being forced to leave, shares her fears he will end up in an emergency placement on the other side of the country at Christmas. After 20 years of lis...

He might be the third Minister of State for Disabled People in as many months, but MP Tom Pursglove has plans to stick around. Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey take Access All on the road to the Global Disability Innovation Hub in East London to put the Conservative MP through his paces and ask about his plans as the long-awaited new Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work. And the world’s...

It’s been one small step for man, one giant leap for disabled people this week as the European Space Agency announced the world’s first disabled astronaut. Paralympian John McFall was revealed as the first ever parastronaut at a glitzy ceremony in Paris. The BBC’s Jonathan Amos was there and gave Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey the lowdown on the event and John’s new career. Did you know England won the...

Benefits are set to go up with inflation, according to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's Autumn Statement, but what's in it for you if you're disabled? Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey get the crucial lowdown from Fazilet Hadid from Disability Rights UK. If you are disabled and thinking of taking a break to New York, her recent experiences might just come in handy. And Martin Hibbert, a survivor of the Manchester...

The Access All team were shocked when Ellie Simmonds left this year’s season of Strictly Come Dancing – the first person with dwarfism to compete on the show. But the dancing competition’s loss is this episode’s gain, as Ellie chats all things representation, ballroom, skydiving and her plans for the future. Why do we only ever hear about disabled dating, and never about long-term relationships? P...

Dyscalculia is thought to affect 6% of the population but many people have never heard of it. The learning disability affects a person’s ability to understand numbers and is considered to be part of the same family as dyslexia. Eighteen-year-old Rose, a BBC Young Reporter, explains how dyscalculia affects her on a day-to-day basis from being unable to use the oven to how playing three Taylor Swift...

Anna Tylor's life changed when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The Chair of the RNIB, who is visually impaired, says she was "horrified" at not being offered accessible medical information, that she was able to read, while going through treatment - from important leaflets to medical notes and consent forms. Despite a law to ensure all medical information is accessible, we hear that Anna is f...

Inflation went up by 10% over the last year, driven mostly by rising food prices, prompting disability charities to call on the government to avoid “disaster” and raise benefits in-line with it. Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey chat to Emma from Bristol, who is deafblind, and says she is in debt because her benefits no longer cover her bills. And James Taylor, director of strategy at the charity Scope, r...

In an Access All exclusive, we reveal that rising petrol prices are driving carers out of the profession. Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey chat to wheelchair user Natalie from Shropshire, who went from having three carers to none overnight, and to carer Louise who is considering leaving her job. Businesswoman Caroline Casey, who topped the Disability Power List in 2021, reveals why she didn’t realise she...

A month into Prime Minister Liz Truss’s premiership and there’s still no confirmation about who the new Minister of State for Disabled People will be…or is there? Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey do some super sleuthing and present their evidence to Access All listeners. Newly released disability hate crime figures reveal record numbers of incidents. Cassie Lovelock talks about her experience while Ali G...

Known as The Governess on quiz show The Chase, Anne Hegerty regularly puts wannabe-quiz champions firmly in their place. But while quizzing comes easily, Anne reveals to Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey that she finds everyday tasks, like washing her clothes, extremely challenging as an autistic person. She also has a theory about why bailiffs are like vampires… And BBC News correspondent, Sean Dilley, d...

More than 250 deaf people are taking the UK government to court over the lack of British Sign Language (BSL) in televised Covid briefings at the start of the pandemic. Nikki is joined by campaigner Lynn Stewart-Taylor and deaf journalist Liam O'Dell to discuss why this case is so important. We are joined by actor Leo Long, the star of the new Netflix film, I Used To Be Famous. And the story of the...

The Verala family thought life was about to get better when they were offered a three-bedroom council house which would be suitable for their seven-year-old son, Joel, a wheelchair-user with quadraplegic cerebral palsy. But the family quickly decided they couldn't stay - there were no ramps into the property, the doors weren't wide enough for Joel's wheelchair and there were no hoists to help him...

Cross-party peer Baroness Jane Campbell reveals to Nikki Fox that a lack of personal assistants (PA) working in the UK makes her "fear" disabled people could end up living in institutions once more, if the problem isn't rectified. She's not alone. Anna tells us she hasn't been able to recruit a PA in three months and only has the energy to shower once a week while Katy, who runs PA Pool, a website...

The charity, Sense, has made the unusual move of giving out cash directly to households who have a family member with complex disabilities and are struggling with the rising cost of living. Mum-of-two, Kelly, who has MS, tells Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey she and her family are already in debt and, right now spend half their income on energy. And comedian Laurence Clark talks about how the global pan...

Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey chat through some of their favourite clips from the podcast so far and play an outtake from sit-in presenter Martin Dougan who reveals all the unlikely jobs he's held down, and why he thinks he can't burp. We indulge Nikki, once more, in her love for all things Kate Bush, which also features Keiligh Baker. And who are the famous voices in our theme tune? Produced by Damon...

The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham have seen more para-sport events than ever sharing the stage with non-disability sports. So back into the mainstream comes the debate about whether the Paralympics and Olympics could one day combine. Would that be the ultimate symbol of equality or lead to para-sports losing their spotlight? Ellie Simmonds and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, two legends of Paraly...

Long before Russia invaded Ukraine, the country was dealing with a problem - the abandoning of disabled people to institutions that weren’t fit for purpose. In a collaboration with Ukrainecast, Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey hear from the BBC’s Dan Johnson and producer Ruth Clegg about the reality of these institutions and their investigation into them with Disability Rights International. With thanks...

Para-swimmer Alice Tai elected to have a below-knee amputation in January, after her arms became so sore from using crutches to get around. Since then she’s re-learned to swim and is now competing at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Listen to her fascinating story. July is Disability Pride month – Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey chat about its history and we hear what it means to you. And debut aut...

With record temperatures bearing down on London, Adam Gabsi has been stuck in his flat for 12 days. The musician with multiple sclerosis (MS) uses a wheelchair but hasn’t been able to leave his sixth-floor flat because the lifts are broken. In an Access All exclusive, Scope reveals the extent disabled people experience negative attitudes when they’re out and about, in its biggest ever survey. Naom...

As the UK braces for record temperatures how do disabled people cool down in a heatwave? Jo Southall talks about the "body armour" she wears to keep her core cool while Dr Katherine Fletcher says the UK's infrastructure needs to be improved to cope with rising temperatures. Tim Renkow, comedian and writer of BBC Three's Jerk, talks to us about his character who likes nothing better than winding up...