Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

In a mindfully politics-free zone this week, disabled actress Melissa Johns talks about her "worst nightmare" coming to fruition when nude photos of her were leaked online. The Coronation Street star reveals how she managed to take ownership of that moment and turn it into a successful and funny one-woman show. Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey chat about their high street habits and why it's hard to be a...

As LGBT Pride month makes way for Disability Pride Month, UCAS exclusively reveals to Access All that disabled students are twice as likely to identify as LGBT. Connor, a trans man, and Lucy, a lesbian, talk about the positive experiences they've had of finding their communities while studying, but also the challenges they've experienced, like inaccessible venues. Emma Tracey and Martin Dougan tak...

After a rough few weeks for disabled air passengers, Access All learns insurance caps on damaged wheelchairs could be removed As Glastonbury Festival gets under way, guest presenter Martin Dougan relives the time he braved the mosh pit in his wheelchair when seeing The Prodigy. And Live At The Apollo comedian, Chris McCausland, gives Martin and Emma the backstage gossip on TV panel shows and why f...

Being in a mental health crisis is an already distressing experience, yet for hundreds of patients the situation is made worse when sent away from home for treatment due to a lack of beds. Experts call it an "inhumane" practice which was meant to stop in 2021, so why is it still happening? American singer, Lizzo, made headlines around the world when an ableist slur featured on her latest track, Gr...

As singer Kate Bush climbs the charts once again, disabled super-fan Nikki Fox reveals she believes dancing to Bush's music helped her keep walking for longer than she expected. Nikki and Emma Tracey chat about Love Island's first deaf contestant while trying not to play Top Trumps with their disabilities. And, getting serious, as the cost of living crisis begins to bite, Rob tells Access All the...

Disabled people who live in high-rise flats reveal to Access All their fear of not being able to escape from a fire after the government turns down mandatory evacuation plans that were recommended by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Joe Kimber says "the fear of being cremated alive is horrendous" while Sarah Rennie, who runs campaign group Claddag, says "a lot of disabled people across the country are...

After the BBC's Frank Gardner was left on a plane at Heathrow Airport waiting for his wheelchair to be returned to him upon landing - we ask, why does this keep happening to wheelchair-users? Nikki and Emma explain the very complex and very Covid reasons behind it and reveal some possible solutions that might be coming your way soon. We also hear from wheelchair-users who join in with Frank's anno...

The number of blind and visually impaired people who say they have fallen from train station platforms onto rail tracks is shocking, and something Access All explores this week. It follows the death of Cleveland Gervais who died in 2020. He fell from a London platform into the path of a train. A recent inquest ruled his death an "accident" but found the lack of tactile paving on the platform edge...

When he was a child, Australian singer Sheldon Riley was diagnosed with autism and says he was never expected to talk. But next week he’ll be competing in the Eurovision song contest. He tells Nikki about the challenges he faced growing up and how he deals with performing at large noisy events. Nikki also chats to life coach Mary Doyle after figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed...

In the very first episode of Access All, Nikki Fox meets the families with disabled children who rely on specialist medical equipment and are facing very difficult decisions as energy bills in the UK soar. Dan’s taken to lifting his 12-year-old daughter, Emily, from sofa to wheelchair rather than use her power-guzzling hoist. It might save money, but it’s damaging his back. Single-mum, Adele, want...

Wheelchair user Tanya fled Ukraine for Poland, worried she couldn't evacuate from her fourth floor flat in an emergency. And an autistic journalist left Moscow when her article denouncing the war on Ukraine went viral, afraid she'd be detained by the Russian government. The two disabled women tell their stories to Ellis Palmer and Emma Tracey. This is the last episode of Ouch. Stay tuned to this f...

The Winter Paralympics are under way in Beijing, featuring a host of daredevils who ski, board and sometimes crash down mountains. A large portion of ParalympicsGB is made up of military veterans who were wounded or became ill during active service. They took up the sports as novices through the Armed Forces Para-Snowsport Team (AFPST). So why is snow so good for rehab? And what skills will they b...

As the Winter Paralympics begin in Beijing, join us on a whistle-stop tour of disabled life in China. Jia, a 26-year-old student who uses a wheelchair, says she sees more disabled people out and about in China than ever before, but access to education and the workplace can be challenging. China expert Stephen Hallett, who has a visual impairment, says progress accelerated when Beijing hosted the S...

Our guests were all told to shield at the start of the pandemic. Gareth has Crohn's disease and receives nutrition through a line in his chest leaving him open to sepsis. George struggles with respiratory infections due to Muscular dystrophy. And Keiligh, with a kind of leukaemia, takes meds that suppress her immune system. Now, as the prime minister lifts restrictions for everyone, they recall th...

In 2020 the global sex toy market was valued at more than £24bn by industry experts* – but does it cater enough to disabled people? Curious? Explore the world of accessible (and inaccessible) sex toys in this podcast... Kelly Gordon, head creative at sex toy brand Hot Octupuss, shares her own saucy anecdotes alongside Joy Addo, who talks about her life as a “fat, black, blind, SEXY, single mother-...

Our reality podcast continues. Kate has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and is recovering from a hysterectomy when, after managing to avoid it for almost two years, she contracts covid-19. Holly has no immunity due to being a transplant patient, will she also test positive now it's reached the household? If you have any advice or wish to share your experiences with Kate, please email producer Amy at amy.el...

Our reality podcast. Kate has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, is a mum of two, wife to an immunocompromised Holly, and is awaiting a hysterectomy. A complex situation where Covid restrictions have brought more obstacles than anyone could have imagined. After months of anxiety and years of pain, Kate is given a date for the surgery - but unfortunately it doesn't go smoothly. Emotions take over as plans are...

Rianna Walcott, The co-editor of upcoming anthology The Colour of Madness, says being black made it harder to get mental health support. She explains why some in her family are wary of medication. In the last episode of Mentally Interesting for now, our presenters are thinking about hope and revealing their "most absurd secret habits." With Mark Brown and Seaneen Molloy. The producer is Emma Trace...

They're useful to many, but Seaneen often feels isolated during mental health awareness weeks because her story hasn't had a perfect ending. The presenters discuss how standing out as a mentally ill teen has stayed with them and still makes connecting with others tricky. Meet Shuranjeet Singh from Taraki, a mental health organisation for the UK Punjabi community. And the Amazing New Feature would...

Can you tell if your pain or symptoms mean you have a physical or mental problem? Our presenters often delay getting medical help because of this and worry everything will be put down to mental ill health. Plus, guest Helen Moulinos from POHWER explains what advocacy is, and describes how she learned to speak up for herself and her mentally ill father from very young. She is also a 9/11 survivor....

Having pets has helped presenters Seaneen and Mark with their mental health ... though Seaneen admits it’s tricky hiding cats from landlords. Hear listeners' stories including gaming journalist Sam's choice of animal which might be more distressing than helpful for some! His rats give him something to come home to, he says. Pictures of pets mentioned in this episode will appear on our Twitter feed...

As 2021 has been a strange old year, the BBC Ouch team decided to look back at some of their favourite podcasts from the past 365 days. From space travel on the “vomit comet” to Love Island, Covid-19, climate change and adoption – we really have covered it all with our own unique and disabled look at the world. Some podcasts were sad, some were happy but all (we like to think) were insightful. Mer...

Matilda Feyisayo Ibini became physically disabled at five but wasn’t diagnosed with the progressive muscle-weakening condition Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy until aged 13. Her radio play, Little Miss Burden, captures the fun and anxiety of growing up in an inaccessible London council house in the 90s, with a single mother and two non-disabled siblings. Here, Matilda tells Emma Tracey about managi...

While millions of people might dream about space travel, with the exacting requirements often expected of astronauts some disabled people might have counted themselves out...until now. Mission: AstroAccess - a crew of disabled scientists, students and artists based in America - has just launched to make space travel accessible for all the right reasons. Wouldn't it make sense if a shuttle could be...

With COP26, the big UN climate conference, kicking off in Glasgow next week, the BBC Ouch team got wondering - how will the one billion disabled people living around the world be impacted by the climate emergency? Whether it's heatwaves, hurricanes or rising sea levels there is plenty to think about. From escape routes being inaccessible to vital medication which makes it difficult for the body to...