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 clear for a young man who now feels he has a fight on. Laith was guest editor of 5 Live's Drive programme last week and, when he told the nation about his EHCP difficulties and his frustrations, people contacted the show in their droves. We put the best bits together for you here, plus more. Access All was made by Beth Rose, Niamh Hughes and was recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill. Editor was Beth Rose and Damon Rose, the senior editor is Sam Bonham. If you have a story to tell us about education now and after, email accessall@bbc.co.uk

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 health could actually be an appropriate way for the brain to react in certain situations. And Cardiff-based conjoined twins, Marieme and Ndey, have just celebrated their seventh birthdays surpassing all medical expectations. Their proud dad, Ibrahima, and BBC reporter Lucy Owen talk about the forthcoming documentary all about their lives. The episode was made by Beth Rose with Niamh Hughes and Emma Tracey. The news editor is Damon Rose, the senior news editor Sam Bonham. Recorded by Mike Regaard and Dave O’Neill. Sound design by Dave O'Neill. To get in touch with the team email accessall@bbc.co.uk or reach out on X, @bbcaccessall. Don’t forget to subscribe by finding us on BBC Sounds.

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 isn’t always accessible. Primark is trying to change that with its new range of adaptive bras and knickers – but do they live up to the hype? Fashionistas Victoria Jenkin, founder of adaptive clothing brand Unhidden, and Jem Hubbard who goes by the name WheelsNoHeels join Emma Tracey in the studio to see how they shape up. Produced by Beth Rose with Emma Tracey and Niamh Hughes. The editor is Damon Rose, senior news editor is Sam Bonham. Recorded and mixed by Dave O’Neill. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds and email accessall@bbc.co.uk to reach the team

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 that runs in parallel alongside it? Featuring Scope's James Taylor, journalist Rachel Charlton -Dailey and BBC Disability Correspondent Nikki Fox. Presented by Emma Tracey, Recorded by Mike Regaard, mixed by Dave O'Neill. Produced by Damon Rose, Niamh Hughes and Emma Tracey The editor is Damon Rose, Senior Editor is Sam Bonham. Email accessall@bbc.co.uk

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 master Dave O'Neill, produced by Niamh Hughes and Beth Rose. Editor Damon Rose, senior editor Sam Bonham. You can email Emma on accessall@bbc.co.uk or follow us on X/Twitter. Shout "Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All" for the latest programme.

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 documentary on TNT Sport and Discovery Plus on Monday 30 January called Football Is For Everyone where they meet the GB partially sighted futsall team. Though he's been losing his sight for nine years, James hadn't met another visually impaired person until they started filming the documentary. Watch out for the moment the tables turn and Michael starts to interview presenter, Emma Tracey ... Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill, produced by Beth Rose, Emma Tracey and Niamh Hughes. The editor is Damon Rose, senior editor Sam Bonham. Drop Emma a mail on accessall@bbc.co.uk follow @bbcaccessall on X and say "Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All"

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 available. Ali Kohansal relies on his two parrots - Woodie and Georgie – for emotional support. But Woodie has gone missing which is having a huge impact on his mental health and tinnitus. And adventurer Darren Edwards has kayaked the length of the UK and run seven marathons in seven continents all after becoming paralysed from the chest down in a climbing accident. His next adventure will take him 333km across the Antarctic in just 20 days. But how do you ward against frostbite if you can’t feel your feet? Emma Tracey gets the answer. This episode was made by Beth Rose with Emma Tracey, Niamh Hughes and Alex Collins. It was recorded and mixed by Dave O’Neill. Senior editor was Sam Bonham. Email accessall@bbc.co.uk and follow @bbcaccessall on X, formerly Twitter.

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 with Down's syndrome. We talk to Scott Watkin, a former learning disability co-tsar for the UK government, to talk more about learning disabled people playing an active role in politics and how it works. Plus Nina Tame, star of YouTube and social media, joins us to talk about the "micro aggressions" she experiences as a wheelchair user and how her kids sneakily run upstairs when she plays hide and seek with them. Presented by Emma Tracey, featuring Aidy Smith from The Three Drinkers podcast. Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill, produced by Niamh Hughes, Beth Rose, Emma Tracey and Alex Collins. Editor is Damon Rose, senior editor Sam Bonham. Email accessall@bbc.co.uk and follow on @bbcaccessall on X, formerly Twitter.

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 Paralympian Oscar Pistorius has left prison on parole. The BBC's South Africa correspondent Daniel De Simone speaks to Access All from Pretoria about how the focus of the news locally is on violence against women and girls. Is There Anybody Out There? Ella Glendining went looking for someone who has the same rare impairment as she does, and made a film about it. Find out what discoveries she made along the way. Presented by Emma Tracey and Nikki Fox. Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill. The producers were: Beth Rose, Alex Collins and Niamh Hughes. The editor is Damon Rose, Senior Editor Sam Bonham. Email accessall@bbc.co.uk or find us on X.

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. After we featured it, her story went round the world. When comedian Rosie Jones joined us earlier in the year, she was in the middle of filming a documentary for Channel 4 about the trolling of disabled people - a programme whose title went on to cause plenty of headlines. And polific writer Jack Thorne, a man who has lifelong connections with disability, had just come out as autistic. He spoke to us ahead of his then latest drama, Best Interests, about a 13-year-old girl called Marnie on a life support machine. Her parents wanted to keep her alive and were battling the hospital and the courts. Mixed by Dave O'Neill and produced by Emma Tracey, Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker and Alix Pickles. Editor is Damon Rose, senior editor Sam Bonham. Share this podcast with people you know will appreciate it. If you don't , they may never know it exists. Follow us @BBCAccessAll on X, or mail accessall@bbc.co.uk

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 to talk about how her relationship with music changed after she became disabled. She's on air across the festive period including Christmas morning to help set the day up with carols and classics. And, Nikki and Emma on sleep and adorning your house with accessible festive goodies. Presented by Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey. Recorded and Mixed by mixman Dave O'Neill. Produced by Damon Rose, Beth Rose, Emma Tracey and Alex Colins,. The editor is Damon Rose, senior editor Sam Bonham. Follow us on the X platform where we are @BBCAccessAll - or email accessall@bbc.co.uk

From fresh-water wells flooded by salty sea water, to avoiding inaccessible emergency shelters, we hear from Ari in Somalia 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 the most inclusive ever – but was it really? The European Disability Forum’s Gordon Ratray, who attended, gives us his lowdown along with Jodie Santos from The Disability Justice Project who is based in Massachusetts, USA. With Christmas party season under way, presenters Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey give their best tips for accessible fashion, with help from a couple of YouTubers. And world-renowned poet Raymond Antrobus joins the duo to talk about poetry, getting his work on the GCSE syllabus and his children’s book Can Bears Ski? About his deaf experience it has been turned into a theatre show that he can’t wait to take his son to see. Recorded and mixed by Dave O’Neill. Produced by: Beth Rose, Emma Tracey, Damon Rose, Alex Collins and Betty Douglas. The editor is Damon Rose, senior editor Sam Bonham. “Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All” plays the latest edition of the programme. Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @BBCAccessAll and on email we’re accessall@bbc.co.uk.

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 his mum, Anne.Do you find it hard getting a wheelchair through the traditional means? Nick Goldup from the Wheelchair Alliance talks about its latest report which uncovered a postcode lottery when it comes to wheelchair services. We meet 19-year-old Lachlan from Devon who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and needs a wheelchair most of the time, but he's been waiting nearly a year for a chair that fits him properly.And at 24, Ellie Middleton was diagnosed as being autistic and having ADHD. Her book Unmasked talks about why women and girls often get diagnosed late in life, and how she felt vindicated that she wasn't a bad person - something she had come to believe.Presenters: Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey. Recorded and mixed by MC Dave O'Neill. And Produced by Beth Rose, Alex Collins, Hayley Clarke and Emma Tracey. The Editor is Damon Rose, Senior Editor Sam Bonham."Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All" plays the latest edition of the programme. Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @BBCAccessAll and on old-fashioned email we're access.all@bbc.co.uk

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 station. Gogglebox's Simon Minty, and former host of Ouch, joins us and chats about growing up with his non-disabled sister and fellow Goggleboxer Jane and how in recent years he has been competing at the World Dwarf Games…and winning medals! Plus Nikki Fox, host and BBC Disability Correspondent, is given 60 seconds to round-up the latest benefits situation introduced in the chancellor's Autumn Statement. Presenters: Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey. Recorded and mixed by DJ Dave O'Neill. Produced by Alex Collins, Emma Tracey and Damon Rose. Edited by Beth Rose, senior editor is Sam Bonham. Find us on BBC Sounds every week and subscribe there, or wherever you get your podcasts. Holler "Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All". Contact us by email: accessall@bbc.co.uk and follow us on X, formerly twitter, on @bbcaccessall.

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 diehard followers of the blue police box. Shadow disability minister Vicky Foxcroft joins us to talk about her vision for improving the lives of disabled people. From education to cost of living, mental health act reforms and more, see how her plans differ from those currently out there and overseen by Tom Pursglove, her opposite in government who we spoke to a few weeks ago. Plus, with the new series of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here having just hit our screens, which reality show would Nikki be able to do? Our two presenters kick this about with some surprising revelations. Presented by Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey. Recorded and mixed by DJ Dave O'Neill. Produced by Beth Rose, Alex Collins, Betty Douglas and Emma Tracey. The editor is Damon Rose, the senior editor Sam Bonham. The podcast drops late every Monday evening, subscribe on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Also, say "Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All" and you'll hear our very latest episode. We are @bbcaccessall on the X platform - follow us like a baby bear cub follows its mom. Doctor Who is 60 this week, and the first of three anniversary episodes go out on BBC One and iPlayer on Saturday 25 November.

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 benefit changes for people who are unable to work due to health conditions. Social affairs correspondent Michael Buchanan, who got the scoop, fills us in. And Mental Health Act reforms failed to be included in the King’s Speech at the Opening of Parliament which sets out the government’s priorities. What does that mean for the 40-year-old Act widely thought to need an update? Olly Parker from the charity Young Minds breaks it down for us. Presented by Emma Tracey and Nikki Fox. Recorded and mixed by Dave O’Neill. Producers are Beth Rose, Emma Tracey and Alex Collins. The editor is Damon Rose. Senior editor, Sam Bonham. Follow us on X - @bbcaccessall or email accessall@bbc.co.uk. You can hear the latest edition on Alex by telling Alexa “Ask the BBC for Access All”. A transcript of this programme is available too – best found by googling it.

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 deafblind with other complex needs and uses bright colours and designs that work for everyone. Kirkmoore is a new short comedy film about a residential six form college for disabled young people for BBC Three. Writer Andrew Bogle joins us, as does actor Keron Day who also appears in the latest season of Sex Education on Netflix. Presented by Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey. Mixed by Dave O'Neill. Producers are: Bethan Ashmead, Alix Pickles, Emma Tracey and Beth Rose. The editor is Damon Rose, Senior Editor: Sam Bonham. Follow and contact Nikki on @bbcaccessall on the X platform. And don't forget you can hear the latest edition by telling Alexa "Ask the BBC for Access All". A transcript of this programme is available on the BBC site, best found by googling it.

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 secrets with us, from how she preps to commentate on the sequins and how to squeeze in a speedy bathroom break. And there’s a new kids show in town, MixMups uses stop-motion animation to reframe disabled characters and stories for the next generation. Nikki and Emma catch up with the show’s creator Rebecca Atkinson and get introduced to Pockets, Giggle and Spin. Presented by Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey. Mixed by Gareth Jones. Produced by Emma Tracey, Drew Hyndman, Bethan Ashmead, Beth Rose and Alix Pickles. The editor is Damon Rose and the senior editor is Jonathan Aspinwall. Subscribe on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Say "Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All". Email accessall@bbc.co.uk and on X we're @BBCAccessAll.

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 the charity United Response which campaigns against disability hate crime, and Mark Brooks from social care provider, Dimensions, who also shares his personal experience. And we catch-up with the people of York who are overjoyed that Blue Badge parking will return to the city centre. We also look at your feedback about how easy – or not – it is to weigh yourself. Presented by Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey. Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill. Produced by Beth Rose, Alix Pickles, Emma Tracey and Drew Hyndman. The editor is Damon Rose and the senior editor is Jonathan Aspinwall. Subscribe on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Say "Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All". mail accessall@bbc.co.uk and on X we're @BBCAccessAll.

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 difference. Recorded and mixed by Dave O’Neill. Produced by Beth Rose, Alix Pickles and Drew Hyndman. Editor is Damon Rose and exec editor is Jonathan Aspinwall. “Alexa, play Access All form the BBC” is one way of hearing our latest show, and making sure you subscribe on BBC sounds is another. Email the team on accessall@bbc.co.uk

When Lizzie posted on Facebook that she hasn’t been able to weigh herself for 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 22 years since she was last able to get on scales. And Dr Georgie Budd offers some thoughts and suggestions around this dilemma. We talk emotional support animals after an incident in Florida where one particularly scary example was banned from a ball game. And the cruelly named Elephant Man, Joseph Merrick, is depicted on stage like never before courtesy of young actor Zak Ford-Williams who has cerebral palsy but doesn't use prosthetics or alter his facial appearance. Recorded and mixed by Dave O’Neill. Produced by Alix Pickles, Drew Hyndman, Emma Tracey and Beth Rose. Editor is Damon Rose, and exec editor is Jonathan Aspinwall. "Alexa, play Access All from the BBC" is one way of hearing our latest show, and making sure you subscribe on BBC Sounds is another. email the presenters Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey now: accessall@bbc.co.uk

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 people who have dealt with extreme weather events first hand. As well as those who are researching and enforcing change, even in the places you’d least expect it Emma is joined by: Sébastien Jodoin, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law of McGill University, Canada Kera Sherwood-O'Regan, an Indigenous and disabled climate justice advocate, New Zealand Gaele Sobott, writer, living in Sydney, Australia Kemi Yemi-Ese, visual artist from Austin Texas, US Setareki Macanawai CEO, Pacific Disability Forum based in Fiji Presenter: Emma Tracey, BBC Access All Producers: Octavia Woodward and Jordan Dunbar Series Producer: Simon Watts Editor: China Collins Sound Engineer: Nigel Appleton Production Coordinators: Sophie Hill, Jacqui Johnson

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 through your feedback about last week’s episode and our very own Emma Tracey’s new upcoming episode of The Climate Question all about disabled people's safety. And do you know how to be more penguin? If not, find out from Hamzeh who talks about his new play, Penguin. It follows his life from a village in Syria, to a Jordanian refugee camp, and his current home in Gateshead in the North-East of England. Sound recording and mixing by Mike Regaard and Dave O’Neill. Produced by Beth Rose, Alix Pickles and Drew Hyndman. The editor was Damon Rose and the exec editor was Jonathan Aspinwall. "Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All" will bring you the latest episode on your smart speaker. Please X us on @bbcaccessall or email accessall@bbc.co.uk

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 Independent Living group and Mikey Erhardt who is a campaigner from Disability Rights UK. Strictly Come Dancing is back for 2023 and, for the first time, the opening episode was audio described as it was being broadcast. We take a listen to it, and Emma looks at the reaction amongst the blind community on social media. And it’s been five years in the making, but a brand new whodunit has been released in London. Imposter 22 is co-created by learning disabled and autistic actors. We speak to Charlene Salter who has been involved since the beginning. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Emma Tracey presents this week’s show with members of the production team putting in an appearance. Sound recording and mixing by Dave O’Neill. Produced by Beth Rose, Emma Tracey, Jack Taylor, Drew Hyndman and guest Keiligh Baker. The editor was Damon Rose. Exec editor Jonathan Aspinwall Tell your smart speaker “Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All” and you’ll get the very latest edition. Or subscribe to Access All via BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. On the X platform we’re @bbcaccessall, Instagram bbcaccessall and you can email accessall@bbc.co.uk

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 debate around the proposed railway ticket office closures with disability organisations giving evidence about how it could negatively affect disabled people. The government and rail companies say we no longer need constantly staffed offices if people mostly buy tickets online. Access All finds out more. Newly released figures show that since 2020 the proportion of disabled people in science, tech, engineering and maths jobs has fallen dramatically. Research Scientist in Magnetic Resonance Imaging at the University of Manchester, Hamied Haroon, is a mentor for the Lightyear Foundation which helps young disabled people get into science. Access All also talks to Paul Murdin, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge University - the man who first identified a black hole. Both scientists are disabled. Access All is hosted by Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey. It’s recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill and this week’s producers were Drew Hyndman and Jack Taylor. The editor was Damon Rose, with senior editor Jonathan Aspinwall. Remember - say to your smart speaker: "Ask the BBC to play Access All". And find us on X @bbcaccessall

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 children at risk of permanent exclusion and those with other emotional support needs. We talk to Marie about her methods and also to Jayliyah (and her mum) who are also on the TV programme. Jayliyah was given a diagnosis of ADHD and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD) and we look at her new found success. Writer and wheelchair-user Lucy Webster has just released her book - The View From Down Here. She discusses what she calls "sexist ableism" and how she goes about sacking her personal assistants when things start to go wrong... Sound recording and mixing by the talented Dave O'Neill. Produced by Beth Rose, Emma Tracey and Keiligh Baker. The editor was Damon Rose. Exec editor Jonathan Aspinwall. Tell your smart speaker "Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All" and you'll get the very latest edition. It's so simple it's ridiculous. Or subscribe to Access All via BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. On the X platform we're @bbcaccessall and you can email accessall@bbc.co.uk

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 sign language or Deaf culture existed until they arrived in the UK from their original home in Africa, but they soon took it all on board. Find out more about them in our interview. You can visit them on the web here: beinghermonheroda.com This is the last of our summer interview editions. Access All returns to its usual form next week. We hope you've enjoyed the difference, who wants news in late August, right? Mixed by Emma Crowe. Producers: Keiligh Baker, Rebecca Grisedale-Sherry, Emma Tracey and Beth Rose. Editor Damon Rose. "Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All" and you'll get the very latest edition played at you down your smart speaker. And get your pals and colleagues to subscribe on BBC Sounds or wherever you like to get your podcasts.

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 the UK “got into Wordle and banana bread” during lockdown, she got into neuroscience as she tried to figure out how her brain works. And Australian actor Sam Brewer has been wowing crowds with his play described by some as a “woke farce” which changes peoples’ perceptions through the power of comedy. The problem is, the play has a name that simply cannot be said on a BBC podcast… Recorded by, and with huge thanks to the BBC Edinburgh Festivals team. Mixed by Dave O’Neill Produced by Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker and Emma Tracey The editor is Damon Rose Email: accessall@bbc.co.uk and Google us for the latest transcripts. Find us on BBC Sounds, smart speakers and Five Live early on Monday mornings.

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 deep about the experience of writing about her body for the first time, and how it felt as someone with a limb difference, to hear ten thousand people sing her lyrics back at her. Victoria’s UK headline tour starts in September before she sets out on the road across Europe and the US. Actor Tommy Jessop made a big splash in the TV series EVERYONE was talking about – Line of Duty. When the show wrapped however, the phone stopped ringing. So, Tommy decided if he wanted to be a lead actor in a film, he was going to have to make it happen himself. ‘Tommy Goes To Hollywood’ is the new BBC Two documentary which tells the story of Tommy in Tinseltown. Tommy and his big brother, Emmy-nominated documentary maker Will Jessop, tell Emma and Nikki what happened when they tried to break America. You can get Tommy’s book ‘A Life Worth Living: Acting, Activism and Everything Else’ from any good bookshop. Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill, Produced by Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker and Rebecca Grisedale-Sherry. The researcher was Efe Imoyin-Omene. The editor is Damon Rose. Email: accessall@bbc.co.uk and Google us for the latest transcripts. Find us on BBC Sounds, smart speakers, and 5 Live early on Monday mornings. Nikki Fox is the BBC's disability correspondent who can also be seen on The One Show.

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 to try and set one up for her son and others to live in. Samantha Renke joins Nikki Fox to discuss the latest in TV culture: A new dating show hits Netflix for people with Down's syndrome. Snow White's new diverse companions, as one newspaper puts it, are no longer dwarfs. And Hugh Grant, definitely not someone with dwarfism, is now an Oompa-Loompa. And TikTok star Fats Timbo is a celebrity captain in the Superhero Series, a para-sports event. She joins us to tell us more about it, and about her new empowered world as an influencer where she turns frustrating disability moments into video skits. Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill, Produced by Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker and Rebecca Grisedale-Sherry. The researcher was Efe Imoyin-Omene. The editor is Damon Rose. Email: accessall@bbc.co.uk and Google us for the latest transcripts, find us on BBC Sounds (on Alexa too), and 5 live early on Monday mornings. Nikki Fox is the BBC's disability correspondent who can also be seen on The One Show.

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 relaxed or did you feel against the clock? A new survey of 1058 NHS frontline workers has revealed they feel the heat too with 71% saying they don’t have enough time to tend to their patients as they would like. Dr Georgie and Dan Scorer, from Mencap, offer up thoughts and solutions. And Elle McNicoll, the bestselling author behind A Kind Of Spark visits the studio to chat about writing, her amazing neurodiverse cast for the TV series and why office politics were so confusing in her early 20s (just a few short years ago). Produced by: Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker, Rebecca Grisedale-Sherry, Emma Tracey Research by: Efe Imoyin-Omene Recorded and mixed by: Dave O’Neill Edited by: Jonathan Aspinwall Email accessall@bbc.co.uk and say "Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All" for your smart-speaker to play the latest programme we've made.

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. Born without arms, he has perfected how to play the instrument with his feet. We dig deep to find out what a problem solver he really is. And presenters Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey discuss Channel 4's new adaptive fashionable clothing show (yes, I really did write that, and it IS what you think it is) and how much they enjoyed it. Studio Manager was Gareth Jones and sound mixer was Ethan Connolly-Forster. Produced by: Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker, Jack Taylor with intern power from Efe. The editor was Damon Rose. Email accessall@bbc.co.uk and say "Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All" for your smart-speaker to play the latest programme we've made.

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 the hardest. Sassy Wyatt from Blind Girl Adventures talks about how her independence and confidence will go if the ticket offices get shut down. Plus which airports provide the best assistance? The CAA has ranked them for this year, listen in and see if you agree which one is best and which is worst. Recorded, mixed and polished by Dave O'Neill, produced by Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker, Natasha Fernandes and Emma Tracey. The editor was Damon Rose. Also available as a transcript and on 5 Live on Monday mornings, bright and early. You can also say: "Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All" to your smart-speaker. Subscribe on BBC Sounds, or your favourite podcast service. Email accessall@bbc.co.uk to say hi, or find us on Twitter. If we're not where you are, tell us!

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 faced. We tell the story of an asylum centre in Essex which exclusively houses disabled people. It's got level floor access but it has no accessible fittings and fixtures, and no care staff which is causing real hardship. We speak to BBC journalist Simon Dedman, Maria Wilby from RAMA, the charity for asylum seekers, and two people living in the facility, to find out what's going on and who is taking responsibility. And Doug Paulley, a disability rights campaigner from Leeds, joins us to talk about his work. He was the man who famously took First Buses to court to ensure wheelchair spaces on buses were prioritised for…wheelchair users. He also took the government to court over it’s National Disability Strategy and had it ruled “unlawful” last year. But this week, the Court of Appeal overturned that decision and the strategy is set to get back on track. How does Doug feel about that? Thorn in the side to some, folk hero to others, you'll enjoy this interview. Presented by Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey. The sound mixer was Dave O'Neill, and the producers were Beth Rose, Natasha Fernandes and Emma Tracey. Damon Rose was the editor. We’re @bbcaccessall on Twitter, email accessall@bbc.co.uk – Google for our latest transcript and say “Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All”

Paralympian and former Strictly contestant Ellie Simmonds speaks to Emma Tracey about having been given up by her mother, in part, due to concern at her having achondroplasia - a condition which leads to dwarfism. A complicated situation, Ellie holds no anger towards her for the decision. She was soon adopted and it was through the people she thinks of as her parents that she got into swimming and the life she loves. Find out what she discovered about herself when she met her birth mum recently. And rolling round social media right now is a big debate about the title of comedian Rosie Jones new documentary. It's caused controversy because the title contains the R-word, a much disliked word amongst many disabled people. Rosie, however, argues that it helps people to understand what a gut-punch the word is by front-loading her programme it in this way. Debating it is Rachel Charlton-Dailey, Harry Roche and Mik Scarlet. Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill, produced by Emma Tracey, Natasha Fernandes and Beth Rose, editor is Damon Rose, exec'ed by Jonathan Aspinwall. The presenter was Emma Tracey.

Singer Lewis Capaldi’s Glastonbury performance went down in history after the crowd stepped in when his voice cut-out. He’s announced he won’t be touring for the foreseeable as he adjusts to a recent Tourette’s syndrome diagnosis. Friend of the show, and TV personality, Aidy Smith gives us his hot take on why this moment was so important to the Tourette’s community. Think tank, The Work Foundation at Lancaster University reveals to Access All that disabled workers are 1.5 times more likely to be in “severely insecure employment,” compared to non-disabled workers. We hear from Pippa, who went freelance because of the challenges she faced in the office, and Angela from the Business Disability Forum, who gives some top tips on navigating the workplace. And visually impaired writer and disability commentator, Selina Mills, chats to Emma Tracey about her new book, Lives Unseen, a history of blindness through the ages including the moment she discovered there was a blind Neanderthal 50,000 years ago and the time she removed her false eye to prove she wasn’t faking being blind… Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill. Produced by Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker and Emma Tracey. The editor was Jonathan Aspinwall.

In her new documentary, Signs For Change, Rose Ayling-Ellis goes on a personal journey into the deaf experience to ask if attitudes are changing towards deaf people. The actor and Strictly winner pops by to talk about how emotional it was to look back on her childhood and describes her work to make life on set better for deaf people. Presenter Nikki Fox gets excited about a recent visit to a specialist disability-friendly gym, (spoiler alert, she forgot to wear a bra) and co-presenter Emma Tracey explores why blue badge theft is up 41% and what can be done to stop the rise. Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill. Produced by Keiligh Baker, Emma Tracey and Sophie Wallace. The editor was Jonathan Aspinwall.

This year's Download music festival in Leicestershire has received lots of negative feedback on social media from disabled people. From unstable wheelchair stands to tents being pitched too close together and people getting run over. Festival-goers tell us accessibility has taken a nosedive in the year Download marked its 20th anniversary. To get to the bottom of what happened, we hear from three people who were at the festival and the founder of Festability. Nikki Fox returns to the subject of Child Trust Funds set up during the noughties under Labour, and discovers that if you have over £6,000 in savings at 18, and can't spend it due to incapacity rules, your Universal Credit entitlement shrinks. Was that really the plan? And we speak to the founder of Wheely Haunted, Jayne Mortimore, who has not only seen and heard ghosts but has also created a website where you can find that most elusive of things ... an accessible old building that everyone can visit to find paranormal happening. Presented by Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey. Recorded and Mixed by Dave O'Neill, produced by Keiligh Baker, Emma Tracey, Damon Rose and Beth Rose. Edited by Damon Rose. email accessall@bbc.co.uk if you want to chat to the team.

Best Interests is the new BBC One drama about teenager Marnie, who has a life-limiting condition and whose doctors have recommended her treatment should be stopped. Bafta-winning writer Jack Thorne - well known for being a disability advocate - drops in to talk about writing it, making it and also about his recent autism diagnosis. The Cost of Living Crisis rumbles on affecting many disabled people. This week we focus on people with cystic fibrosis and how this makes life more expensive after a report reveals 7% of those with the condition are now getting groceries from food banks - a figure that is twice the national average. We speak to Holly, mum to two-year-old Amelia who has cystic fibrosis, and Ben Kind from the CF Trust. And presenters Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey read out your messages about delays to roadside assistance for disabled people. Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill, produced by Keiligh Baker, Emma Tracey, and Beth Rose, series producer. The editor was Damon Rose.

Sophie Smart was travelling back from a birthday outing with her eight-year-old son Karson, who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, when the car’s clutch failed on the M1. As members of Motability and on a priority-list they expected the RAC to be with them in under an hour - but after repeated calls and further communication with National Highways and the Police over a seven-hour period, no-one ever turned up. Sophie tells Nikki and Emma how the situation became a four-day ordeal and Graham Footer, from Disabled Motoring UK, offers advice on what disabled drivers and passengers should do if they find themselves in a similar situation. Author Lizzie Huxley-Jones visits the studio to discuss their debut novel, Vivi Conway and the Sword of Legend, and we get an update on Daisy Simpson, who has been stuck in an inaccessible flat for more than two years while she waits for an adapted home. Plus listener Rikki sent in a very special message – if you’d like to do the same, email accessall@bbc.co.uk, tweet us @BBCAccessAll or send us a WhatsApp message or voicenote to 0330 123 9480! Sound recording and design was by Ben Anderson and Phil Bull The production team were: Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker and Emma Tracey The editor was Jonathan Aspinwall

Which would you prefer, sand in your swimsuit or sand in your wheelchair? Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey discuss the 300 beaches that have been made accessible for disabled people in Greece. Little AI robots have started using pavements to deliver shopping to homes in Wakefield, one of a handful of towns in the UK where such services have popped-up. We talk to Lisa Johnson from Starship Technologies, the company behind it, which reaches out to disabled people before these robots arrive in new areas. And Steve Tyler, from the charity Leonard Cheshire, talks about his experience of being on the advisory panel. Musician and author, Eliza Hull, talks about parenting as a disabled person and how seeing ramps at music award ceremonies help budding disabled artists "see it to be it", as the phrase goes. Sound recording and design was by Dave O'Neill. The production team were: Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker, Emma Tracey and Rebecca Grisedale-Sherry. Editor was Damon Rose.

It's Mental Health Awareness Week. Nikki and Emma take a deep-dive into the topic of anxiety and find out when feeling anxious can be positive and when it turns detrimental. Faris Khalifa talks about his experience and Stephen Buckley from Mind gives some suggestions on how to find your calm. Model Rosie Viva talks about the year she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after "hallucinating her way around London" and causing Stansted Airport to be evacuated. PRESENTERS: Nikki Fox, Emma Tracey RECORDED AND MIXED BY: Dave O'Neill PRODUCERS: Keiligh Baker, Emma Tracey, Damon Rose ASSISTANT EDITOR: Beth Rose EDITOR: Damon Rose Email the podcast accessall@bbc.co.uk and don't forget you can listen to us on BBC Sounds on Alexa and a transcript is also available.

This week, Noah Matthews Matofsky, reportedly the first actor with Down's syndrome to land a major role in a Disney movie, takes time out to speak with Nikki and Emma about his time on the set of Peter Pan and Wendy. He reveals what Captain Hook (Jude Law) got up to between takes and how he kept up with his schooling while on location in Canada. With Eurovision just moments away (that could be the name of our entry for 2024, right?), we look at the always diverse contest to see which disability inclusive acts you should look out for this weekend. And, a real eye-opener, we find out what your local council wants you to prove before you are considered disabled and homeless … clue, getting a blue badge seems candy-stealingly simple in comparison. We hear from Dr Beth Stone from the centre of Disability Studies at the University of Bristol, she's one of the authors of a new report on the situation, and Charlston a disabled man who has twice been homeless. PRESENTERS: Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey RECORDED AND MIXED BY: Dave O'Neill PRODUCERS: Damon Rose, Keiligh Baker and Emma Tracey ASSISTANT EDITOR: Beth Rose EDITOR: Damon Rose Ask for "Access All from the BBC" on your smart speaker and email us accessall@bbc.co.uk - Search your favourite search engine for a transcript of this show.

TV presenters JJ Chalmers and Ade Adepitan join Nikki and Emma to chat about their roles in the Coronation. From disabled veterans to wellbeing, we unpick the weekend and also take a look at the most accessible ways to enjoy the pageantry. Emma worries that too many stories about disabled people having bad plane experiences will give people compassion fatigue, rather than fix the problem, while Nikki has some exciting intel on the new series of Gladiator. And British-Chinese dancer, Si Rawlinson talks about his new theatre show, Saving Face, based on his experience of serious and numerous food allergies and how he endured pain to cover up who he really was. PRESENTERS: Nikki Fox, Emma Tracey SOUND MIXING: Dave O'Neill PRODUCERS: Rebecca Grisedale-Sherry, Emma Tracey ASSISTANT EDITOR: Beth Rose EDITOR: Damon Rose Say "Alexa, ask the BBC to play Access All" and she will. Search the web if you want a transcript of the podcast, we do one every week. And subscribe to us on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Aged 43, Melanie had never had sex. After a suggestion from her support worker, all this changed. She went online and found Chayse, a sex worker who was able to sensitively meet her needs. In an extended interview, Melanie and Chayse reveal how they went from spending an hour together to overnight stays. He's now helping her to find love through dating which she's relieved about because the escort business is expensive! Disability minister and all-action-hero Tom Pursglove ruffled the feathers of disabled Twitter-users this week after being filmed on a dawn raid of alleged benefit fraudsters. Nikki and Emma discuss. And when we say film, we mean Hollywood, baby. PRESENTERS: Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey SOUND MIXING: Dave O'Neill PRODUCERS: Rebecca Grisedale-Sherry, Emma Tracey ASSISTANT EDITOR: Beth Rose EDITOR: Damon Rose (no relation) Subscribe now, Google to read the transcript, say "Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All" and look out for our articles on the BBC News website too. See how we look after you x

This week Nikki and Emma are joined by British Vogue cover star, Sinéad Burke, who has been assisting its editor-in-chief to embrace disability inclusion. She has the look, she has the words...and she can also make pasta. Hear our extended interview with the Irish activist. And as 30,000 people head to London for Extinction Rebellion’s pro-environment event, we hear from Dan White who will be at the heart of it. He’ll be delivering a speech on the importance of disabled people being at the table when it comes to planning a green and accessible future. Plus, Sam Little gives us her tips on how you can live a climate-friendly life - which can be a bit tricky for some of us, right? PRESENTERS: Nikki Fox, Emma Tracey SOUND AND MIXING: Dave O'Neill PRODUCERS: Becky Grisedale, Emma Tracey and Beth Rose ASSISTANT EDITOR: Beth Rose EDITOR: Damon Rose (no relation) Email Nikki and Emma on accessall@bbc.co.uk or send a voice note on Whatsapp to 0330 1239480. Oh and "Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All" - a nice and accessible way to listen in seconds. Plus, there's a transcript of every single show we've ever done.

BAFTA award winning magician Fergus Flanagan talks to Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey about OCD and how his intrusive thoughts disappear when he performs. And is he able to guess what word Nikki is thinking of? Listen to find out... Covid hastened the dash towards a cashless society after we were told to use contactless cards to stop germs circulating. It might be a bonus for businesses who no longer have to cash up, but, for some of us, cash and coins make far more sense. We speak to Myf who has learning disabilities, Mencap Cymru director Wayne Crocker, and Natalie Seeney who chaired the Access to Cash Review. Plus, the city of York is still in the firing line with disabled campaigners and Channel 4 throws a bunch of celebrities into a darkened warehouse to see how they cope blind (Chris McCausland is in there too). PRODUCERS: George Dabby, Emma Tracey ASSISTANT EDITOR: Keiligh Baker EDITOR: Damon Rose Install the BBC Sounds skill and then say "Alexa, ask the BBC for Access All" Or use your phone to subscribe to us on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Email accessall@bbc.co.uk to get in touch with Nikki and Emma. A transcript is available for every edition we publish.

Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey look at the lack of accessibility when it comes to getting smear tests if you have a physical disability, with the help of Samantha Dixon, the CEO of Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust. The duo decide whether ChatGPT is a disability ally or not after the artificial intelligence chatbot claimed it was "visually impaired" to get a human to help it with an image-related task. Don't worry, we also have BBC Click's Paul Carter on board to explain exactly what ChatGPT is. And author Jenny Ireland talks about how she combined love, chess and arthritis in her Young Adult book, The First Move, which hits the bookshelves next week. Presenters: Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey Producers: Keiligh Baker and Beth Rose Technical producer: Mike Regaard Assistant editor: Beth Rose Editor: Sam Bonham

Claire has been waiting for three years for her council to make adaptations to her home so that she can live in comfort, have a family life and keep danger to a minimum. She talks to Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey about the frustration and how it affects her wellbeing as a wheelchair-using person with MS. Last week, Loose Women's Sophie Morgan shared her thought that Blue Badges could surely become digitised after her car was broken into and her badge stolen. It provoked an unexpectedly unpleasant response and Sophie returns to talk about online hate aimed at disabled women. And fearless documentary-maker, Livvy Haydock, talks to us about disabled gangsters and her own diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, MS. Presenters: Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey Producers: Keiligh Baker, Beth Rose and Emma Tracey Recorded and mixed by: By Dave O'Neill Assistant editor: Beth Rose Editor: Damon Rose Since the recording, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead have responded to the question of why adaptions to Claire's house, featured in the podcast, have not been done three years since applying under Disabled Facilities Grant. They explain residents are at the centre of their decision making processes and they try to assess and complete work as soon as possible but some houses aren't readily adaptable, that engineers need time to explore solutions creatively and that the pandemic has affected some cases. Find us on Twitter @bbcaccessall And you can listen to the very latest episode by telling your smart speaker "Ask the BBC for Access All".

TV presenter Sophie Morgan has been left frustrated and has lost that all-important passport to parking that disabled people cherish. We find out how digital badges are helping some drivers avoid this predicament. The latest Covid vaccine roll-out has been announced, but not everyone who expected to get it, will receive it. BBC News’ Ruth Clegg gives the lowdown on why people with learning disabilities won’t be immunised this spring. Adaptive clothes designer Victoria Jenkins and model Caprice-Kwai visit Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey in the studio to chat about the world of fashion. Producers: Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker and Emma Tracey Recorded and mixed by: Dave O’Neill Assistant editor: Beth Rose Editor: Damon Rose

The chancellor announced the controversial Work capability Assessment is to be scrapped by 2026-27 in favour of a new test based largely on PIP – and it has raised many questions. Emma Tracey speaks to Disability Minister Tom Pursglove and BBC Social Affairs Correspondent Michael Buchanan to try and shine some light on the plans. Abby Cook is Blue Peter's first wheelchair-using presenter. We chat to her about her love of sport, her first assignment abseiling and what it's like to be on BP. A new documentary, Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My Autism, aired this week on BBC One. Carly Jones, who has had similar experiences, walks us through late diagnosis in women and girls, masking and the difficult subject of sexual abuse, all of which were explored by Christine. Presenter: Emma Tracey Producers: Keiligh Baker, Natasha Fernandes and Emma Tracey Assistant Editor: Keiligh Baker Editor: Damon Rose We're on Twitter @BBCAccessAll, on your smart speaker and we’re on Radio 5live. We also have a transcript.

World-renowned US disability rights campaigner, Judith Heumann, died last weekend aged 75. Her friend Lawrence Carter-Long - co-director of DisArt - joins Nikkki and Emma from California to celebrate her remarkable achievements. The Office for National Statistics released figures this week which show disabled people are many times more likely to take their lives than non-disabled people - the figures are for England and Wales. To analyse this very sad and concerning data, Fazilet Hadi, head of policy at Disability Rights UK, speaks with us. Suicide is preventable and, if you need to talk, there are many suicide prevention charities listed on the BBC's website, go to bbc.co.uk/actionline Plus, Ebony Rose Dark, a leading blind drag queen from London, tells us about how they put on make-up, dance on narrow crowded stages in clubs and what inspired them to follow this career. Presenters: Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey Produced by: Keiligh Baker, Emma Tracey and Beth Rose Assistant Editor: Beth Rose Editor: Damon Rose

Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden reveals she was always seen as a "risk" by choreographers and dance partners who feared her Crohn's disease would impact their careers and insurance plans. And, as the government unveils its plan to reform support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England, Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey speak to parents with years experience of the system, Tania Tirraoro and Lucy Bartley, to see how the new plan shapes up. Produced by: Beth Rose, Amy Elizabeth, Emma Tracey and Damon Rose Recorded and mixed: By Dave O'Neill Series editor: Beth Rose Editor: Damon Rose

Comedian Rosie Jones is about to begin her first solo tour called Triple Threat but reveals life in the limelight can be pretty tricky with ableism and imposter syndrome to deal with. She also has Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey in fits of giggles and advises getting into comedy as it helped her buy a lovely house. After announcing a new 10 Year Mental Health Plan and seeking the views of 5,000 people to help shape it, the government scrapped the idea a few weeks ago. Jeremy Bernhaut from Rethink Mental Illness talks about the charity's Keep Your Promise campaign to get the government to reconsider its decision while Rick Burgess from Recovery In The Bin talks about what he'd like to see. Holly Garrow from Transport for All weighs up the pros and cons of street furniture - is it an inconvenient trip hazard or the perfect place to rest? Produced by: Emma Tracey and Amy Elizabeth Recorded and mixed by: Dave O'Neill Series editor: Beth Rose Editor: Damon Rose

Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey, who are standing in for Adam, speak to actor and SNP member Brian Cox about Nicola Sturgeon’s departure, and who he would like to see in charge of the party. And as Rishi Sunak travels to Belfast to discuss the Northern Ireland Protocol, they get the latest on developments from Ireland correspondent Chris Page. More NHS strikes have been announced for March. Baron Victor Adebowale, Chair of the NHS Confederation, talks about how they could be resolved. Today's episode was presented by Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey and was made by Chris Flynn with Rufus Gray, Cordelia Hemming and Miranda Slade. The technical producer is Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Verity Wilde.

With more than 20 billion views of the hashtag #ADHD, some people have turned to TikTok to self-diagnose the condition rather than wait for a formal assessment. BBC journalist, Ben Moore, investigates for Access All having started his own pathway to diagnosis on the social media platform. Henry Shelford from ADHD UK gives advice on what to do if all this sounds very familiar. And why he thinks the name of the condition doesn't accurately reflect what it is. And British Comedian of the Year, Dan Tiernan, joins Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey to talk about his dyspraxia, life on the comedy circuit and the number of jobs he was sacked from. Produced by: Keiligh Baker, Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Recorded and mixed by: Dave O'Neill Series editor: Beth Rose Editor: Damon Rose

Loneliness is part of life and can be difficult to overcome, but Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey come armed with solutions, recognising those solutions are sometimes different for disabled people. Howard Thorpe reveals he flipped his loneliness on its head by setting up events, while Stephen Morris volunteered as a Buddy to help other lonely people with the Sense charity and got a Buddy for himself too. When author Thomas Leeds wrote his first children's book, ten publishing houses fought for it. His fantasy-adventure follows Jayben, a young hero who must save the Elf world despite the fact he has lost his memory. It's a case of art mimicking life as Thomas lost all of his childhood memories when he was hit by a car. Produced by: Keiligh Baker, Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Recorded and mixed by: Dave O'Neill Series editor: Beth Rose Editors: Damon Rose and Sam Bonham

After three years of shielding, thousands of immunosuppressed people are campaigning for the approval of a drug which would protect them against Covid-19, where vaccines have failed. Mark Oakley from The Forgotten 500k campaign and Paul Howard from Lupus UK explain why it's key to the health of half a million people. And we hear from one man who moved to a canal boat to protect himself. And BBC news broadcaster Huw Edwards joins Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey in the studio to talk about his own experience of depression and much more. Produced by: Keiligh Baker, Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Recorded and mixed by: Dave O'Neill Series editor: Beth Rose Editors: Damon Rose and Sam Bonham

The Office for National Statistics have released some disability stats that some are finding a little surprising. The number of people who declared themselves disabled in the 2021 Census didn’t go up in the way people expected, while the number of unpaid carers, unexpectedly, also went down. Carer and founder of the We Care Campaign, Katy Styles, and academic Miro Griffiths, from the famous Centre for Disability Studies at Leeds University, try to work out why. Dr. Amit Patel's recent autobiography revealed how he scoured the world for a solution to his pending sight loss but eventually failed. Amit and guide dog, Kika, visit the studio to talk about how employers couldn't see past his disability when he was applying for jobs. He also chats about his recent CBeebies hit, Dog Squad. And Access All's presenters, Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey get caught up on suits – we’re talking exoskeletons and an electrical zapping suit which can help some people with cerebral palsy minimise their muscle spasms. Produced by: Keiligh Baker and Emma Tracey Recorded and Mixed by: Dave O'Neill Series editor: Beth Rose Editors: Damon Rose, Sam Bonham

Anna Morell visits Nikki Fox to discuss her bad experiences in A&E, which have been magnified by being disabled. While wheelchair-using GP, Hannah Barham-Brown, gives a useful overview of how over-crowding and a lack of staffing affects the health care of people with different impairments. BBC News Health editor Hugh Pym is in the studio to explain the latest NHS England figures. Ron is the new disabled contestant on this year's Love Island, according to the press. But is he actually disabled, wonders Emma Tracey. Plus Lauren Mahon from You Me and the Big C chats about cancer and bringing the award-winning podcast to an end. Produced by: Amy Elizabeth, Keiligh Baker and Emma Tracey Recording / mixing: Dave O'Neill  Editors: Damon Rose, Sam Bonham.

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 Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey hear from five disabled celebs with motivational ideas. Find out what Rosie Jones, Frank Gardner and others are resolving to do in 2023. Producers: Keiligh Baker, Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Recording/mixing: Dave O'Neill Series Editor: Beth Rose Senior News Editor: Damon Rose

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 admitted her boyfriend Dave made her cry happy tears or when the team lost control over trousersnake-gate? Plus visits from some of our favourite guests: comedian Rosie Jones, Actors Leon Harrop and Sarah Gordy, and Stricly star Ellie Simmonds. Warning, prepare for plenty of laughs.

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, extended Christmas fun! Producer: Amy Elizabeth Recording/mixing: Dave O'Neill Senior News Editor: Damon Rose

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 yourself the moment you’ve finished listening to this podcast. And investigative journalist, Marjorie Wallace, who founded mental health charity SANE, talks about The Silent Twins, a new Hollywood film based on a book she wrote about June and Jennifer Gibbons - two sisters from Wales who spoke to no one but each other. Producers: Keiligh Baker, Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Recording/mixing: Dave O'Neill Series Editor: Beth Rose Senior News Editor: Damon Rose

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 listening to her dulcet tones, Emma Tracey gets to meet her favourite TV audio describer - Georgina Rose, - who has worked on everything from kids TV shows to Naked Attraction. Georgina explains the art of describing television programmes and reveals her fantasy of one day describing a particular scene in Indiana Jones. And James Leadbitter, aka The Vacuum Cleaner, and two young people talk about their experiences of being inpatients at adolescent mental health units and making art there during the pandemic. Producers: Keiligh Baker, Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Recording/mixing: Dave O'Neill Series Editor: Beth Rose News Editor: Damon Rose

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 first disabled astronaut, John McFall, chats to the duo about weightlessness, cramming for his surgeon exams and how his kids reacted when the European Space Agency announced him as the world’s first “parastronaut”. Producers: Keiligh Baker, Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Recording/mixing: Dave O'Neill Series Editor: Beth Rose Assistant Editor: Sam Bonham

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 world cup? Nikki and Emma celebrate the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup winners after they defeated France, and attempt ‘The Finlay’ celebratory dance, made famous by footballer Jack Grealish. Producers: Keiligh Baker, Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Recording/mixing: Dave O'Neill Series Editor: Beth Rose Senior News Editor: Jonathan Aspinwall

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 Arena bombing, describes his recovery, how so-called disaster trolls have been questioning that the event ever happened at all, and how this has affected him. Producers: Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker, Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Recording/mixing: Dave O'Neill Editors: Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall

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? Presenters Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey talk about their experiences, plus provide some tips and advice. Billionaire Elon Musk might have bought Twitter, but he also reportedly sacked half of its staff including the entire accessibility team. So what does this mean for disabled people? BBC Click’s Paul Carter and accessibility consultant Leonie Watson help us make sense of a wild week in social media. Producers: Keiligh Baker, Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Recording / mixing: Dave O'Neill Series editor: Beth Rose Senior News Editor: Jonathan Aspinwall

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 songs helps her mark 10 minutes . And Love Island’s Tasha Ghouri, pulls Nikki and Emma aside for a chat to give the lowdown on being the first deaf contestant on the reality TV show, dealing with trolls and what life with her Islander-boyfriend (now housemate) is like, now they’re back in the real world. Producers: Keiligh Baker, Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Recording / mixing: Dave O'Neill Series Editor: Beth Rose Senior News Editor: Jonathan Aspinwall

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 far from alone in her worries. Nikki Fox talks about her discovery of tandem electric scooters while Emma Tracey confesses she hates Halloween fancy dress because she can't see what she's wearing (bin bags, it turns out). And TV pundit Asta Philpot, 40, reveals for the first time that in 2018 he had no choice but to move into a care home for 18 months after his care package failed. He's now living with his parents and has just found love. Hosts: Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey Producers: Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Recording / mixing: Dave O'Neill Series Producer: Beth Rose Senior News Editor: Jonathan Aspinwall

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, reveals he knows people who have started turning off their fridges to save money. Nikki and Emma talk about their appearance at the BBC’s Castfest event in the BBC’s historic Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House in London. Fans of Access All, Newscast, Americast and Ukrainecast watched live recordings of the BBC’s flagship news podcasts. It took place 100 years to the day since the British Broadcasting Company, as the BBC was originally called, was formed in 1922. Access All gets the latest on York's blue badge parking ban. York City Council used to allow blue badge holders to park in the foot streets but that changed last November. We hear about the impact. Fashion designer Victoria Jenkins, who founded an adaptive clothing line, talks about the importance of making accessible but beautiful clothing – and why she hates buttons. Hosts: Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey Producers: Keiligh Baker, Amy Elizabeth Recording / mixing: Dave O'Neill Series Producer: Beth Rose Senior News Editor: Jonathan Aspinwall

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 was blind until she took a driving lesson on her 17th birthday. And we find out what unusual job our presenters both used to do, plus why they both hate networking! Producers: Keiligh Baker, Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Recording / mixing: Dave O'Neill Editors: Beth Rose and Sam Bonham

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 Gunn gives some tips on how to report such incidents. And actors Leon Harrop and Sarah Gordy talk about their brand new BBC sitcom, Ralph and Katie, which follows the highs and lows of two newlyweds who both have Down’s syndrome. Producers: Keiligh Baker, Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Recording / mixing: Dave O'Neill Editors: Beth Rose and Louisa Lewis Head to the BBC's Action Line if you need help or support with any of the issues raised in this edition of Access All https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline

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, describes the heartbreak he’s going through having retired his guide dog, Sammy, after 10 years together and the long wait he’s facing for a new assistance dog. Producers: Keiligh Baker, Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Recording / mixing: Dave O'Neill Editors: Beth Rose and Louisa Lewis

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 blind Instagrammer who used her AI description software to discover that the pictures she had been sent by an interested male were not very flattering about the assets he is presumably rather proud of. Producers: Keiligh Baker, Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Recording / mixing: Dave O'Neill Editors: Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall

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 around. Instead, the Verala's moved into Grandma's one-bed flat with her while the adaptations take place. The council has told the family it could be another 12 months before the work is completed. Paralympic skier Millie Knight tells us about her new sporting venture - making the England team in karate. She explains how she tackles both sports with 5% vision. And Nikki goes to the blue badge queue where disabled people are queuing to see the Queen lying in state. Most of this programme was recorded before the sad news of the Queen's passing. Producers: Beth Rose, Amy Elizabeth and Emma Tracey Sound recording / mixing: Dave O'Neill Editors: Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall

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 which matches disabled people with suitable PAs, says a third of her PAs dropped off the books when Brexit happened. Nikki is settling into her new home, but reveals the astronomical cost of fitting out her new accessible bathroom - think £8,000 for a toilet seat, and we're not talking gold-plated. And comedian, writer and TV presenter Rosie Jones chats about her new children's book and the frustration she's felt at being turned away from gay nightclubs by bouncers who think she's too disabled to be gay or that her wobbliness means she's drunk. With Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey. Produced by Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker and Emma Tracey Sound production by Dave O'Neill The editors were Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall

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 pandemic finally gave him the time to do what he really loves - write. His debut sitcom, Perfect, is broadcast on Friday 26 August. Produced by Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker and Emma Tracey Recorded by Emma Crowe and mixed by James Beard The editors were Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall

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 Rose, Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker and Emma Tracey Editors: Damon Rose and Sam Bonham

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 Paralympics GB, share their thoughts, and Martin Dougan and the BBC’s para-sport reporter Kate Grey pin down the International Paralympic Committee on their plans for the future of the competition. Produced by Danny Wittenberg, Keiligh Baker and Miranda Slade Recorded and mixed by Emma Crowe The editor was Damon Rose With thanks to BBC Sport

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 to the Ukrainecast team Recorded and mixed by Dave O’Neill and Emma Crowe The editor was Jonathan Aspinwall

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 author Chloe Timms talks about her dystopian novel, The Seawomen. She gives some top-tips to aspiring writers and talks about managing her writing career while juggling her care needs and all the disability life admin that goes with it. Produced by Keiligh Baker and Emma Tracey with thanks to Elizabeth Hudson Recorded and mixed by Dave O’Neill The editors were Beth Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall

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. Naomi tells Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey about the threat to tip her out of her wheelchair while Shani recounts how she deals with unwanted filming. And actress and TV presenter Samantha Renke reveals she is now a media triple-threat as she becomes a published author. Produced by Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker and Emma Tracey Recorded and mixed by Dave O’Neill The editors were Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall

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 non-disabled people - big time. With Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey Produced by Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker and Emma Tracey Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill The editors were Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall

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 shopaholic if shopping is inaccessible. Plus founder of SEND Coffee, Harry George, gives some simple solutions to help businesses find their way to wooing more disabled customers ... so they wil happily spend more money. Produced by Beth Rose and Keiligh Baker Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill The editors were Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall

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 take the show on the road to give blind tennis a go (watch out for the video on social media) to see if they're Wimbledon ready. And disabled dancer, Kate Stanforth, talks about re-imagining her ballet career after she became a wheelchair-user and getting her students to tap dance…with their hands. Produced by Beth Rose and Keiligh Baker Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill The editors were Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall

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 failing a job interview for MI5 was probably for the best. Produced by Beth Rose and Keiligh Baker Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill The editors were Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall

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, Grrrls. Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey get to grips with what that really means and the impact such insults have had over the years. And actor Arthur Hughes, whose credits include Then Barbara Met Alan and The Archers, talks about becoming the first disabled actor to play the ultimate (disabled!) villain, Richard III, for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Produced by Beth Rose, Keiligh Baker and Alix Pickles Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill The editors were Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall

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 impact on his mental health and the strategies he uses to cope with it. Produced by Beth Rose and Keiligh Baker Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill The editors were Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall.

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 very frightened". They talk about their personal experiences and how they plan to fight the decision. Blind TikTok star Lucy Edwards joins Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey to talk about her latest fashion campaign, how her two million followers accidentally got her in the dance music chart, and her hopes for future motherhood. Produced by Beth Rose and Keiligh Baker Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill The editors were Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall.

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 annoyance. Aidy Smith was a successful child actor until he developed Tourette's Syndrome and the industry stopped booking him for jobs. With a bit of imagination and a knowledge of drinks he developed and produced the hit TV show, The Three Drinkers. He reveals the highs, lows and horrors of schooling at a time when little was known about Tourette's, and he talks about his brand new documentary which busts myths surrounding the condition Presented by Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey. Produced by Beth Rose and Keiligh Baker With thanks to Mary Doyle and her wheelchair and airport knowledge. The editors were Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall.

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 contributed "more than minimally" to his death. Artur Otega reveals his own harrowing story. He and his guide dog, Mercer, fell onto the rails at a busy London station which didn't have tactile paving. "The guide dog was screaming," he says, with a train just moments away. We ask what's being done to stop these incidents happening again. It's also Mental Health Awareness Week with a focus on loneliness. Sophie Potter, who has Down's syndrome, talks candidly about her experience of loneliness following a bereavement and the closure of her day centre during the pandemic. She also gives Nikki a glimpse into the world of modelling following her recent shoot with Cosmopolitan magazine. With Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey. This week's Access All was made by Beth Rose and Keiligh Baker. The technical producer was Dave O'Neill. The editors were Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall.

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 disabled employees are paid, on average, 13.8% less than their non-disabled peers. And actor Ruth Madeley talks about her latest film project with Rebel Wilson, why every film set should have an accessibility co-ordinator and the best writing advice she got from legendary screenwriter Russell T Davies. With Nikki Fox and Emma Tracey This week's Access All was made by Beth Rose and Keiligh Baker. The technical producer was Dave O'Neill. The editors were Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall.

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, wants to take her terminally ill daughter, Molly, out on day trips but with lifts and suction machines needing to be charged, it’s become impossible to pay for these outings. Nikki and Emma Tracey explore exclusive figures obtained for the podcast from the charity Contact, which surveyed 5,500 families about the impact of increasing energy costs. Almost 2,000 families said they feared their child's condition would get worse as a result of rising prices. Ever wanted to join a gym, but found the biggest barrier is walking through the door? Emma has the lowdown on how to begin your gym-journey while revealing her own blindie anxieties. And baking legend, Briony May Williams chats cake, limb difference, learning to love the ‘d’ word and why she’s so excited about her brand new comedy show. This week’s Access All was made by Beth Rose and Keiligh Baker. The cost of living producer was Alice Cuddy. The technical producer was Dave O’Neill. The editors were Damon Rose and Jonathan Aspinwall.

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 feed for news of an exciting new programme. For now, say to your smart speaker "ask the BBC for Ouch" and subscribe so you're ahead of the game for a new weekly programme to keep you on the inside track.

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 be sharing now the Olympic team has come calling, and want to work with them? Elizabeth Winfield and Simon Allanson from AFPST reveal all, along with Jonny Huntington who experienced a brain bleed in 2014 and took up skiing afterwards. He’s also hoping to become the first disabled person to travel from Antarctica to the South Pole, solo. With Beth Rose. Subscribe to Ouch on BBC Sounds and email the team on ouch@bbc.co.uk

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 Summer Paralympics in 2008, but when President XI Jinping came to power, grassroots disability activism was squashed. Presented by Beth Rose. The editor was Damon Rose (no relation) To listen, say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker, and subscribe on BBC Sounds. email ouch@bbc.co.uk

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 their two years of isolation and consider a future living with the virus. Produced by Keiligh Baker and Emma Tracey. Tell your smart speaker "Ask the BBC for Ouch" and subscribe to us on BBC Sounds to get the latest podcast.

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-of-one” on her own show, Joy’s World The Podcast. The duo also discuss practical advice, a secret “pleasure room” and how disabled people can buy and use sex aids, helping to navigate a topic that is too often taboo. Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker. Presented by Keiligh Baker Produced by Amy Elizabeth *Grand View Research first reported the global sex toys market had been valued at £24bn in 2020: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/sex-toys-market

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.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk Please note this podcast is not to be used as a reference for medical advice; always speak to a professional if you have any concerns regarding covid-19. Listen to Ouch's Isolation Diaries with Kate and Holly right now by saying "ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker. And subscribe now on BBC Sounds.

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 thwarted. Expect tears as Kate records the most intimate and challenging moments - as they happen. If you have any advice or wish to share your experiences with Kate, please email producer Amy Elizabeth at amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk Listen to Ouch's Isolation Diaries with Kate and Holly right now by saying "ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker. And subscribe now on BBC Sounds.

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 Tracey and the studio manager is Dave O'Neill.

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 be funny, if it wasn’t so unfunny. With Mark Brown and Seaneen Molloy, produced by Emma Tracey. Subscribe to Ouch on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker

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. With Seaneen Molloy and Mark Brown. Produced by Emma Tracey. Subscribe to Ouch on BBC Sounds or tell your smart speaker "Ask the BBC for Ouch" email ouch@bbc.co.uk

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 @bbcouch With Seaneen Molloy and Mark Brown - every week in January 2022. Produced by Emma Tracey. Use your smart speaker to "Ask the BBC for Ouch". And subscribe on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

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. Merry Ouchmas! Presented by Emma Tracey, Beth Rose and Keiligh Baker Produced by Keiligh Baker Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

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 managing mental health difficulties and the freedom of living independently for the first time in her mid-20s.

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 navigated by a blind person so, if the lights went down, everyone could get around? And what about making sign language a requirement so everyone could be in on the conversation? Then again, how does signing work when you're floating upside down? Mary Cooper, who has a prosthetic leg, and Sina Bahram, who is blind, are two of the crew members who set out to find answers to these questions on board Mission: AstroAccess's first parabolic flight where they floated around in zero gravity. Presented by Beth Rose. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker. Picture credit: Al Powers at Zero Gravity Corporation

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 moderate heat, research suggests that 20% of those most vulnerable to climate change are disabled. So why is this? And what's being done about it? Professor Sébastien Jodoin, from McGill University in Montreal, and Dr Mary Keogh, the disability inclusion director for charity CBM Global, join us on this episode alongside cameos from a 'lockdown' puppy and a hammering builder - Happy Halloween! Presented by Keiligh Baker. Produced by Damon Rose and Emma Tracey. Useful links if you’d like to learn more: https://www.disabilityinclusiveclimate.org https://ukcop26.org/the-conference/green-zone-programme-of-events/ https://www.cbmuk.org.uk/news/disability-inclusion-in-climate-action-new-guide-published/ https://cbm-global.org/news/disability-and-climate-change-report/

Presenters Seaneen and Mark trade their own war stories about work. Joining them is CEO of the Business Disability Forum, Diane Lightfoot, who helps big companies employ (and keep) disabled staff. Disability Passports, advance statements and reasonable adjustments - learn the jargon and how to use it at work. Our new catchily named feature Maladaptive Coping Strategy of the Month has an airing. Plus, um, chip shops. With Mark Brown and Seaneen Molloy. Produced by Emma Tracey

Aruba had never had a Paralympic team until Shardea Arias de la Cruz, a student in her 20s, decided to make it happen. From finding her first athlete at the supermarket, to his sudden disappearance at the Rio Games, it has been a story of jeopardy, hustling and absolute belief. The charismatic Elliott Loonstra is the island's hope for Tokyo 2020. After working at a scuba dive shop at the weekends and spending his week-days training on Aruba's idyllic beaches, Elliott's ready to take on Tokyo in the para-taekwondo. And it's the first time the sport has featured at a Paralympic Games. Presented by Beth Rose. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Libby Clegg MBE and Samantha Kinghorn, two of Britain’s top female Paralympians, describe their journeys to Tokyo 2020. Libby Clegg won gold at Rio 2016 then dealt with mental health difficulties directly afterwards. She’s defending her Athletics Women's 200m T11 title. Samantha Kinghorn became disabled aged 14 and started wheelchair racing to look cool in front of her friends. She lost out at the 2016 Paralympics because she wasn’t mentally prepared but has already won a bronze medal in the Athletics Women's 100m T53 at Tokyo. She will also race in the 400m and 800m . Samantha and Libby spoke to disabled sports fan Michael McEwan for BBC Radio Scotland.

Boccia is not just a sport, but a family affair for the McCowan family. Brothers, Scott and Jamie, who both have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, play Boccia for ParaGB while their parents, Gary and Linda, are their ramp assistants. It's created quite the competition between the brothers - especially during lockdown when they turned their living room into a Boccia court so they could continue training. But what's it like to live with your biggest rival? How often do they argue over match results? And what happens when husband and wife are pitted against each other in a match? Presented by Beth Rose Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Caz Walton was just 17 when she competed at the 1964 Paralympic Games in Tokyo and won gold for Great Britain. From the wheelchair slalom to organiser of athletes, Paralympic legend Caz Walkon has had quite the sports career. After a memorable opening ceremony in Japan with Crown Prince Akihito, Caz went on to win several gold medals, notably in the wheelchair dash and wheelchair slalom - two sports that no longer appear in the Games. Over the next four decades she won 10 gold medals ... and a mysterious 11th has just come to light... Now aged 74, Caz still works for ParaGB and is out in Tokyo supporting this year's team. Presented by Beth Rose Edited by Drew Miller Hindman Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

The world's eyes are on Tokyo with the Paralympic Games taking place - but what's it like to live in Japan if you're disabled? Mizuki Hsu grew up in Kyoto as a wheelchair-user. Now a mother-of-two and working for Google she says job hunting in Japan can be fraught if you disclose you're disabled - which you have to for its quota system. Josh Grisdale was born and raised in Canada, but became a Japanese citizen a few years ago. He says the accessible bathroom situation and electronic toilets in Japan are tip-top but accessible escalators are terrifying contraptions. From house-hunting to nights out, we've got it covered in this whistle-stop tour of Japan. Presented by Beth Rose. Produced by Damon Rose. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

With just days to go before the Tokyo Paralympics, an international campaign called WeThe15 has been launched to improve the lives of the 1.2bn disabled people around the world. Meet South African Eddie Ndopu. He is an internationally acclaimed writer, or “mover and shaker”, who also works for the United Nations. Eddie, disabled himself, gives us the lowdown of WeThe15 on this podcast. You’ll love him. He also hopes to become the first disabled person in space. While he might have signed several NDAs on these “imminent” plans, Eddie couldn’t help but spill some of the secrets to BBC Ouch. According to the World Health Organisation, 15% of the world’s population is disabled, hence WeThe15. Spearheaded by the International Paralympic Committee and International Disability Alliance, the project has brought together organisations from Unesco to The Valuable 500 big businesses for the first time. Presented by Beth Rose and Emma Tracey.

Indy car driver Sam Schmidt was paralysed from the shoulders down when he reversed into a wall at 200 miles an hour. This summer, and more than 20 years after his accident, Sam made his second racing debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. He drives using a special straw that he “sips and puffs” to accelerate and brake, and cameras that use his head movements to steer. BBC Disability Correspondent Nikki Fox chats to Sam about learning to drive again and how this technology could help other disabled people get behind the wheel. Produced by Drew Miller Hyndman. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Love Island is in full swing and this year it featured its first ever physically disabled contestant. Hugo Hammond, who has just been dumped, is a 24-year-old PE teacher who was born with a club foot. The show’s producers have previously said the villa can’t be adapted for disabled contestants due the cost of insurance and "budget constraints" - and with Hugo’s disability they didn’t have to change anything. But we, at BBC Ouch, were wondering – could the Love Island villa be made accessible? And if so, how much would it cost? BBC entertainment reporter Alex Taylor, Kamran Mallick, the CEO of Disability Rights UK and access consultant Natasha Davies all get grafting to see if accessibility and Love Island can couple up – or will it lead to someone getting pied? Presented and produced by Keiligh Baker.

The end of lockdown is nigh for many of us! Legal restrictions on mask wearing and social distancing in England are going, the other nations are taking it more slowly. Disability charities like Sense and Scope, are warning disabled people could be "left behind". On this week's podcast we hear from two disabled people about their apprehension and anticipation for the end of lockdown. From going out in their community and using public transport again, to getting back to school and college and finding the confidence to shop alone. What will 'Freedom Day' mean for disabled people? Presented by Keiligh Baker. Produced by Drew Miller-Hyndman. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. And say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker to hear our latest programme. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk if you have a story to tell us about the end of lockdown or anything else.

Warning: This podcast discusses sexual harassment and assault, so there is occasionally some graphic content. When Dr Amy Kavanagh started using a white cane, she realised she was being sexually harassed far more frequently than when she wasn’t “visibly” disabled. By 2018, the visually impaired activist decided she’d had enough and started the #JustAskDontGrab campaign on social media. It encourages the public to ask disabled people whether they actually need help, rather than just assuming and diving in – sometimes inappropriately. It’s something freelance journalist Melissa Parker and inclusion specialist Roxanne Steel, who both have cerebral palsy, can relate to. Melissa has been inappropriately touched in a nightclub under the guise of being “helped” with her bra strap, while Roxanne changed the way she dressed to try and protect herself from unwanted advances. This ties in with the figures - according to the Office for National Statistics, between March 2015 and 2018 disabled women were almost twice as likely to be sexually assaulted (5.7%) compared with non-disabled women (3.0%): If you, or someone you know, have been affected by sexual or street harassment, the organisations listed on the link below may be able to help. If you are in immediate danger, you should dial 999. Presented by Keiligh Baker. Visit the BBC Action Line page for Information and Support on Sexual Abuse and Violence for more help and support

Kate Monaghan has a painful energy-zapping condition, her wife Holly is on immuno-suppressants and they have two small children. Adjusting to the world as lockdown relaxes has been eventful. Their five-year-old had been at school until positive cases of Covid had been identified in her year. Now she's back to isolating at home... and it's somehow not as simple as before. For Holly, the idea of starting to hug people again feels alien and unnecessary whilst Kate says simple activities she used to enjoy now fill her with anxiety. Produced by Amy Elizabeth. If you want to message Kate or ask her a question, email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

As Covid restrictions ease in the UK, our presenters share their mental health travel stories. Why is Seaneen banned from using one of the budget airlines? Why does Mark stay in hotels instead of with family? And identical twins Claire and Laura explain why seeing the world helps them stay well. We come up with ideas that the travel industry could implement to make life easier for people with mental health difficulties and explore why being told to get out into nature for therapeutic reasons can feel frustrating. With Mark Brown and Seaneen Molloy Produced by Emma Tracey. Write to Mark and Seaneen: ouch@bbc.co.uk Hear the two regularly on Ouch. Subscribe to the Ouch podcast on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker to hear our latest programme.

Warning: This podcast discusses domestic abuse and sexual violence with occasional graphic content. Ebere* was 31 when she finally fled Nigeria for the UK to study, with hopes she had left domestic abuse behind. But a new relationship soon turned controlling, then violent and brought back memories of the sexual and physical abuse she had experienced as a child. As a black, disabled, queer woman, Ebere has experienced abuse throughout her life and struggled to find an accessible refuge when she needed it most. She hopes that by telling her story, and how she survived, it will help other women to leave abusive situations. Produced and presented by Keiligh Baker. *not her real name. If you, or someone you know, have been affected by domestic abuse or violence, the organisations listed on the links below may be able to help. If you are in immediate danger, you should dial 999. Visit the BBC Action Line page for Information and Support on Domestic Abuse: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3FQFSnx6SZWsQn3TJYYlFNy/information-and-support-domestic-abuse Or the BBC Action Line page for Information and Support on Sexual Abuse and violence: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/22VVM5LPrf3pjYdKqctmMXn/information-and-support-sexual-abuse-and-violence

Warning: This podcast discusses domestic abuse with occasional graphic content. Emma Dalmayne was just 17-years-old when she fled her abusive partner with her baby. Emma, who is autistic, has experienced violence at the hands of two ex-partners and has lived in a women's refuge. Saliha Rashid faced honour-based violence from her family. As a blind woman she thought they were being protective, until she went to university and realised their behaviour was abuse. It took her three attempts to escape. According to the statistics, disabled people are three times more likely to experience domestic abuse - but why is this? Emma, Saliha and Sara Cincurova, a journalist and former domestic abuse support worker, tell their stories and discuss what needs to be done to improve the situation. Presented by Keiligh Baker. If you, or someone you know, have been affected by domestic abuse or violence, the organisations listed on the links below may be able to help. If you are in immediate danger, you should dial 999. Visit the BBC Action Line page for Information and Support on Domestic Abuse or the BBC Action Line page for honour violence and forced marriage. Subscribe with BBC Sounds and say to your smart speaker "Ask the BBC for Ouch"

Seaneen has a bipolar diagnosis, so when she experienced sudden and severe anxiety after having baby Jack in January, the perinatal mental health team came straight away. A medication increase caused further difficulties and an infection landed her in A&E. Recovering now, she feels "robbed" of Jack’s first golden month and worries what impact it has had on him. Plus, we discuss how to talk to your child about Mummy or Daddy's mental health difficulties. And there’s another clanger from the Book of Awkward Questions. Presented by Mark Brown and Seaneen Molloy. Produced by Emma Tracey. Subscribe with BBC Sounds and say to your smart speaker "Ask the BBC for Ouch" Reach our presenters by email: ouch@bbc.co.uk

Our lockdown couple Kate and Holly adopted a toddler with restricted growth during the pandemic. She calms down around dogs, but does she really need therapeutic assistance from an animal? And we drop back in on Kate's story about living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome whilst mostly shielding. She has been offered an operation to help her endometriosis and wonders if she should have paid more attention to a diagnosis of something called FND. The podcast also witnesses Kate's first attempt at using hormone replacement gel as she wonders where to put it (Prepare for cheeky humor) If you've enjoyed this series and have any advice or thoughts to share with Kate, please email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to Ouch's podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Model Lucy Dawson was just 21 when she was wrongly sectioned for three months. Doctors believed she was experiencing a mental health breakdown, but she later learned she had encephalitis – a rare but serious condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain in a situation called “friendly fire”. While in hospital, an accident on the psychiatric ward led Lucy to become permanently disabled. "At one point I really thought my life was over, I was so depressed," she says. "But somehow I managed to turn it around - I was so unlucky, but at the same time I'm so lucky to have persevered." Now a successful model and disability advocate, Lucy talks about her time in hospital, why she likes to make sure her mobility aids are pictured on lingerie shoots, and how she deals with online trolls. Presented and produced by Keiligh Baker. If you’d like to get in contact with the team, email ouch@bbc.co.uk. You can hear our latest podcast by saying “Ask the BBC for Ouch” to your smart speaker, plus you can listen and subscribe on the BBC Sounds app.

The day has finally arrived! After many months of lockdown we’re all finally allowed to meet friends and family – outside and in groups of six or as two households. For Kate, the relaxation means she can see her family, but will her mobility issues get in the way and prove problematic? And for transplant recipient wife Holly, who has been strictly shielding for most of the year, after so long apart will it all feel a bit overwhelming and too awkward to see Kate’s family? Will there be tears? And how tough will it be to not hug each other? Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to Ouch's podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

The UK has just marked one year since it officially went into its first Covid-19 lockdown. It’s the anniversary no one wanted. On this episode we discuss the highs and lows of those 365 days for disabled people across the country. Nikki Fox, the BBC’s disability correspondent, has spent the past year finding out how disabled people are managing in the pandemic and practicing her ukulele. She’s joined by Jonny Benjamin MBE, an author, vlogger and mental health campaigner who talks about the rollercoaster of emotions the pandemic brought up for him, and how he ended up in a psychiatric hospital in the middle of it. BBC Ouch producer and mum Emma Tracey chats about doing the online shop and what lockdown’s been like for blind and visually impaired people, while writer and campaigner Ciara Lawrence reveals what the pandemic has been like for people with learning disabilities - and why she wrote to Boris Johnson. Presented by Nikki Fox. Produced by Keiligh Baker. If you’d like to get in contact with the team, email ouch@bbc.co.uk. You can hear our latest podcast by saying “Ask the BBC for Ouch” to your smart speaker, plus you can listen and subscribe on the BBC Sounds app.

Kate Monahan has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and her wife Holly is a transplant recipient. Filling out the Census form should take 10 minutes they say but it prompted a big debate for this couple. Kate also provides some hot advice for teenage girls who have the same condition as her or who live with pain. If you have any questions you'd like to put to Kate or Holly please email the producer amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk Maybe you want to know more about adopting a disabled child? Or perhaps you have advice to pass on about how to entertain children that requires minimal physical energy from parents (yes please) or on navigating lockdown life. Drop us a mail. Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to Ouch's podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Kate Monaghan has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, her wife Holly is on immunosuppressants, their newly adopted daughter Gracie has dwarfism and four-year-old Scout is returning to school. Want to know what it's really like navigating the pandemic as a disabled family? Kate and Holly deliver the brutal honesty of parenting in a pandemic… Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to Ouch's podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Recently journalist Lucy Webster wanted to join a matchmaking website but, before the company took her subscription fee, they warned she might find it difficult. Lucy was upset by the response and shared their email on social media. On this week's podcast we hear stories from disabled people who have used online dating agencies, as well as speaking to a representative from the industry. What should disabled people expect? Presented by Keiligh Baker. Produced by Drew Miller-Hyndman. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. And say “Ask the BBC for Ouch” to your smart speaker to hear our latest programme. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk if you have a story to tell us about online dating or anything else.

Kate Monahan shares personal moments in this virtual audio diary documenting a family of four in lockdown as a Mum with chronic pain and mobility issues. Four-year-old Scout returns to school after lockdown and mums Kate and Holly experience a range of emotions - especially when the school ring with some bad news which takes Holly off to the hospital - a place she's been avoiding for a year. Not just one but two! Holly has a second trip to hospital but this time she has to travel by train because it's all the way down in London. She received a kidney transplant 11 years ago, but will forever be on immunocompromising medication - a constant source of anxiety during this pandemic though she has now had the vaccine. Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to Ouch's podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Mark's sister Alison died of covid-19 on 14 January 2021. She was 39. On this episode of Mentally Interesting, He and Seaneen explore grief and how it affects your mental health. Seaneen gently guides Mark through the story, while he paints a detailed and moving picture of the loss and devastation of losing his beloved sister. Specialist psychotherapist Julia Samuel brings a professional perspective to the table and suggests how Seaneen might tackle her own debilitating death anxiety. With Seaneen Molloy and Mark Brown. Produced by Emma Tracey. Subscribe with BBC Sounds and say to your smart speaker "Ask the BBC for Ouch" Reach our presenters by email: ouch@bbc.co.uk

Kate Monaghan has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and her wife Holly is immunocompromised, meaning a year of shielding with two young children has been anything but easy! But recent government announcements mean it's all about to change again for this family – one-year-old Gracie is starting nursery and four-year-old Scout is going back to school. And it's a bag of mixed emotions for these two Mummas - relief at the idea of normality and an end to home-schooling (yay!) but also fears about sending their babies into the big wide world alone.... Produced by Amy Elizabeth Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker. If you want to message Kate or ask her a question, email amy.elizabth@bbc.co.uk

With an end now possibly in sight, Kate feels she's letting Holly down. Her painful mobility issues are causing real problems for her this week - she desperately wants to play with the kids but having Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome means that even cuddles are a bit too much sometimes. Home-schooling a four-year-old and entertaining a one-year-old leaves Kate physically and emotionally exhausted, but doesn't her wife deserve some attention too? Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker. If you want to message Kate or ask her a question, email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk

Dating can be tricky at the best of times, but it can come with a unique set of challenges if you have a learning disability and are LGBT. Ben Hunte, the BBC's LGBT correspondent, speaks to three people with learning disabilities and explores the social care barriers faced by the community. Shaun describes how a lack of sex education at special school meant it took him a decade to come out as bisexual. Now he teaches the subject to other people with learning disabilities. Ray talks about awkward encounters on dating apps and the challenges of navigating trans healthcare with a learning disability. And Scott tells Ben about the prejudice he faces as a gay man with learning disabilities and why he joined an organisation called Meet and Match. Producer Ammar Ebrahim Studio Manager Robbie Hayward Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say “Ask the BBC for Ouch” to your smart speaker.

After immune-compromised Holly had her vaccine last week, Kate has now been called to get hers. Excitement levels are high but she wonders how her body will react to the jab. Meanwhile, keeping four-year-old Scout and one-year-old Gracie amused is a struggle, until snow brings some welcome fun. Produced by Amy Elizabeth. If you want to message Kate or ask her a question, email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say “Ask the BBC for Ouch” to your smart speaker.

After almost a year of shielding, Holly gets her Covid-19 vaccination. What's the process once you arrive at the center? How do you feel afterwards? If a family member sidles in, might they get a spare jab if they're lucky? Stand by to live vicariously through Holly and hear one ELATED family! Produced by Amy Elizabeth Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker. If you want to message Kate or ask her a question, email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk

Seaneen Molloy and Mark Brown return with their witty and self-depricating take on mental health. They draw on their personal and professional experiences to talk about the awkward stuff so "you don't have to". This month they discuss feeling shame which Mark describes as his "personal existential musk". Seaneen shares what happened when her first child was born as she prepares to give birth again but this time in a pandemic. And The Book of Awkward Questions asks how to tell a new partner your mental health story. You can hear Mark and Seaneen monthly on the Ouch podcast stream along with Ouch's other programmes. Tell your pals, tell the world and get involved. Producer Emma Tracey Write to Mark and Seaneen, they want to hear from you. ouch@bbc.co.uk

Kate Monaghan has decided to attend her grandma's funeral rather than watch online. But, because wife Holly has had her immune system suppressed, Kate must attend solo and sit in the crematorium bubbled away from her extended family After dropping Kate off, Holly remains in the car outside the crematorium but questions still loom large about whether any of the family should be attending a funeral event at all because the virus could spreadback to Holly… And when exactly will she be getting a date for her vaccination? This is the third in the second series of Isolation Diaries where Kate documents the complexities of life as a disabled person with her family during the lockdowns. Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker. If you want to message Kate or ask her a question, email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk

Lockdown with two small children was never going to be easy but this week Kate is getting severe pain due to her impairments especially when trying to play with and cuddle their newly adopted child. Meanwhile Kate's wife Holly is on an emotional rollercoaster as she awaits a vaccine appointment. She's been shielding for 11 months because she has no immunity system due to meds she is on as a kidney transplant recipient and is finding it tough. Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker. If you want to message Kate or ask her a question, email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk

Ahead of their new documentary, Harvey and Katie Price join Emma Tracey for a Zoom chat. While Harvey’s pasta cooks, he tells us about his love of frogs, trains and drawing. Katie describes the search for a residential college that’s best placed to support her disabled son. We also hear about Harvey’s new house, how he loves holidays and why those who know him join in with all his favourite phrases. UK viewers can watch Katie Price: Harvey and Me on Monday 25 January at 20.30 GMT on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Kate Monaghan has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and endometriosis, whilst her wife Holly is the recipient of a kidney transplant and has been shielding since the start of the pandemic. Last spring Kate documented the personal reality of managing lockdown with the added complexity of being disabled, having a high risk family member and an energetic three-year-old daughter. This winter lockdown threatens to be even harder and as Kate's lockdown household grows we share the highs, lows and everything in-between! Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker. If you want to message Kate or ask her a question, email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk

The government has finally released its recommendations on how to modernise the Mental Health Act. The act is used to detain - section - someone if they are considered to be a risk to themselves or others. Many of the recommendations focus on ensuring patients are seen as individuals who should be involved in discussions about their medication and treatment plans. Raf was sectioned at 18 and spent five years in a forensic mental health unit receiving treatment for schizoaffective disorder which has similar symptoms to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Learning support assistant Ashley was detained under the Mental Health Act twice, once in January 2018 and then in June 2018. For this BBC Ouch special, Ashley and Raf share their experiences of being detained under the act. Presented by Beth Rose. Produced by Beth Rose and Keiligh Baker. If you’d like to get in contact with the team, email ouch@bbc.co.uk. You can hear our latest podcast by saying “Ask the BBC for Ouch” to your smart speaker, plus you can listen and subscribe on the BBC Sounds app.

Learning disabled actress Donna Lavin has played the lead role in the hugely successful BBC Radio Four drama The Pursuits of Darleen Fyles for ten series. Each 15 minute episode follows her and husband Jamie, both with learning difficulties, as they navigate life together. The last decade has seen Darleen tackle everything from dating through to motherhood and in this series, her daughter Frankie starts school in a pandemic. Shielding since March, Donna told us how she adapted to recording from home without her usual support worker present. This involved lots of talking to walls and wrestling with technology. Presented by Emma Tracey Produced by Amy Elizabeth

Meet Mark and Seaneen, the duo who talk about the awkward stuff so you don’t have to. Seaneen Molloy lives in Belfast. She only really leaves the house for the weekly shop and antenatal checks at the moment. Mark lives alone in a WWII prefab with mice, mould and Zoom calls for company. With years of personal and professional experience of mental health difficulty, this month the friends come together to discuss loss, life and the pandemic with their trademark warmth and humour. You can hear them monthly on the Ouch podcast stream along with Ouch’s other programmes. Producer Emma Tracey Write to Mark and Seaneen at ouch@bbc.co.uk

This year’s Ouch Christmas quiz features some very topical dilemmas and questions based on the biggest disability news and events of 2020. Actor Mat Fraser, comedian Rosie Jones and Paralympian ‘Hurricane’ Hannah Cockcroft fight it out for no prizes whatsoever as they share their take on the last 12 months. You’re shielding but your flatmate brings a stranger home from their work Christmas party. Do you get angry, or get even? Why is Mat looking for his special bell? And which contestant isn’t wearing trousers? Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty. Produced by Keiligh Baker and edited by Drew Miller Hyndman. Say to your smart speaker "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to get the latest show, and subscribe via BBC Sounds. Picture: Ouch logo

The first week of November saw the clocks go back and the highest levels of loneliness since the coronavirus pandemic began, according to the Office for National Statistics. It said 4.2million people felt “always and often lonely” during that week, but previous studies have found disabled people are far more likely to feel lonely than non-disabled people. So, how do you battle feelings of isolation? BBC Ouch’s Emma Tracey spoke to award-winning bloggers, Elin Williams and Chloe Tear, and disability rights campaigner George Baker to find out their top-tips. Produced by Keiligh Baker and Drew Miller Hyndman. Say to your smart speaker "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to get the latest show, and subscribe via BBC Sounds. If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this podcast, BBC Action Line has a list of organisations and charities offering advice and support.

The 1800 Seconds on Autism podcast is back by popular demand. Here’s the first episode, which is based on listener emails. Presenter Jamie's assistant Oli gets some appreciation, Jamie describes his game-changing new truck and we talk about paintball - a sport which allows you to REALLY focus: "Whilst you're out on the field playing, nobody is going to come and ask whether you want a sandwich." With Jamie Knight and Robyn Steward - with support plushies Lion and Henry the Bat always present. Featuring producer Emma Tracey and other regulars. Say to your smart speaker "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to get the latest show, and subscribe via BBC Sounds.

On the 25th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act, BBC News Correspondent Nikki Fox asks three generations of disabled people about the impact it has had on their lives. Holly Scott-Gardner is a visually impaired student and campaigner who was a baby when the DDA came in. She has used disability rights law, now embodied in the Equality Act in most of the UK, and calls the process complicated. Mik Scarlet was a TV presenter in his mid-20s at the time and Phil Friend was 50 years old and working with businesses to improve accessibility. They were both campaigners for equality before there was any. They remember fighting to get the law passed, discuss the affect Coronavirus has had on disability rights and look forward to what the future might hold for disabled people. Presented by Nikki Fox. Produced by Emma Tracey and Keiligh Baker. Say to your smart speaker "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to get the latest show, and subscribe via BBC Sounds.

It's 1968 and Sue is in the toilet at a pop festival. Abortion, which has just been legalised, provides a moment of liberation. But for wheelchair user Sue, it also throws up difficult questions about her body and her beliefs. A whirlwind romance has left her pregnant. What should she do now? This story is part of CripTales, a series of fictional monologues, based on factual research and the lived experience of disabled people spanning British history since 1970. Funny, inventive, dramatic and sexy, each one places disabled voices centre stage. Originally recorded for television, BBC Ouch is sharing three of the monologues to mark 25 years since the Disability Discrimination Act was passed. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

In this monologue starring Liz Carr, Meg thinks her neighbour is a benefits cheat. She is compiling details about him in order to shop him for fraud. But, unexpectedly, he forges a friendship with her and encourages her to claim more benefits for herself. The Real Deal is part of CripTales, a series of fictional monologues based on factual research and the lived experience of disabled people spanning British history since 1970. Funny, inventive, dramatic and sexy, each one places disabled voices centre stage. Originally recorded for television, BBC Ouch is sharing three of the monologues to mark 25 years since the Disability Discrimination Act was passed. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

In this monologue from the series CripTales, disabled actor Mat Fraser sits in the waiting room before an audition, dreading how it will turn out. He relives some of his best and worst moments in auditions in the past, taking us back to his childhood, where he unlocks the reasons for his fears, before finding the way to triumph. Or does he? CripTales is a series of fictional monologues, based on factual research and the lived experience of disabled people spanning British history since 1970. Funny, inventive, dramatic and sexy, each one places disabled voices centre stage. Originally recorded for television, BBC Ouch is sharing three of the monologues to mark 25 years since the Disability Discrimination Act was passed. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

In 2004 BBC journalist and author Frank Gardner was shot six times by Islamist extremists while on a reporting job in Saudi Arabia. Against all the odds, he survived. His cameraman, Simon Cumbers, was killed. Nearly two decades on Frank revisits this part of his life to explore what it's like to suddenly become disabled, the physical pain he still feels in his legs 16 years on and how he manages the psychological impact of the attack. He also chats about the years he lived in Cairo and Bahrain, his latest spy novel and his new BBC documentary, Being Frank. Presented by Beth Rose Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

A crash in Morgan Fox's final season as a cyclist left him with fractured ribs and a collapsed lung. Then, an overdose of antibiotics given during his treatment led to almost total hearing loss. Fox says his engineering background helped him cope with deafness, then with learning to hear with a cochlear implant. Now he runs Ireland's first professional cycling programme where reasonable adjustments are in place. Presented by Harry Low. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

From online learning to entire halls of residences being placed in lockdown, students across the country have found themselves at university in extremely testing circumstances. Those with a disability could potentially find it extra tough. BBC Ouch’s Keiligh Baker speaks to students from the University of Aberdeen, where more than 100 people tested positive for Covid-19 at the start of October. Bea is a third year linguistics student who worries disabled students are being treated as an afterthought by universities. She became convener of the Disabled Students Forum to help change that. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Esme is a fresher and lives opposite the halls of residence where everyone is in quarantine … Produced by Kirstie Brewer. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or ask 'Ask the BBC for Ouch' to your smart speaker.

Starting University can be incredibly exciting but also daunting – especially given the current Covid-19 restrictions. And what if you have a disability to manage too? Are you worried it might hold you back from enjoying the full experience? – Pippa and Matt don’t think it will! Taking soon-to-be fresher Tom* under their wings, Pippa Stacey - author of University and Chronic Illness: A Survival Guide - and recent Durham graduate Matthew Prudham share their experiences and top tips. Pippa became a pro at pacing herself to manage her M.E while studying and enjoying the student life at York and Matt, who has epilepsy, has some sound advice on tactfully asking housemates to keep the noise down (and keeping anxious parents off your back!). From Taylor Swift to Bradley Walsh we explore what really happens when you move away from home, and how, even with lockdown, you can still have loads of fun! Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or ask 'Ask the BBC for Ouch' to your smart speaker

As working from home becomes the new normal, is it really all its cracked up to be? Or could it actually be making the situation worse for disabled staff? Simon Minty chats with Nana Marfo who lives with a permanent tracheostomy tube and has been working from home since March. He misses catching up with colleagues, but on the plus side; no commute means a lie-in! Lilu Wheeler has found working from home to be a mixed blessing – staying at home accommodates her auditory processing difficulties and ulcerative colitis – but she can feel out of the loop and misses those watercooler conversations. The government has said it will give financial support to disabled staff who want to work from home in the long term, by extending Access to Work. That's great for those who enjoy it, but could it also prompt some employers to be less accommodating and encourage their disabled staff to stay away from the office permanently? Produced by Kirstie Brewer. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or ask 'Ask the BBC for Ouch' to your smart speaker.

Kate Monaghan has been isolating with her wife Holly and daughter Scout since March. Kate has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and endometriosis and Holly is the recipient of a kidney transplant and falls within the 'high risk' category. They shielded during lockdown and kept an audio diary for BBC Ouch. In this highlights episode, we hear why they suddenly disappeared from your podcast feeds, (Spoiler: It's good news!) and recall some of the best bits. And remember back in April when the supermarket shelves were empty and everyone was stockpiling toilet roll? Or the fear and confusion of that dreaded government text advising strict shielding for 12 weeks? Kate and Holly have been refreshingly honest throughout and many have found this podcast both comforting and laugh out loud funny. Produced and Presented by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or ask 'Ask the BBC for Ouch' to your smart speaker.

Some people recovering from Covid-19 are experiencing chronic fatigue symptoms and struggling to manage their limited energy. Jade Gray-Christie tells her story and gets tips from two women who have lived with chronic conditions for years. Jade worked two jobs and attended the gym several times a week, yet after contracting coronavirus in March her life changed. The 32-year-old now sleeps up to 16 hours a day and is exhausted after doing one household task. Presenter Natasha Lipman, who has managed a variety of chronic illness symptoms throughout her adult life, introduces Jade to Jo Southall, an occupational therapist who has Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. From pacing yourself at work to hosting friends in your pyjamas, Jo and Natasha share the strategies which help them manage long-term pain, fatigue and poor mobility. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Nathalie McGloin is the world's only female tetraplegic racing driver. But as a teenager she had no interest in cars or racing and had plans to become a lawyer. Then, two weeks into her A levels, a car crash changed everything. She broke her neck and lost the full use of her arms and legs. Nathalie spent 11 months in hospital, which she describes as similar to 2020's lockdown. Although it was far from easy, she says the time enabled her to figure out her passions and what she really wanted to do which eventually led her to a professional racing career. If you, or someone you know, has received exam results or is about to make big life decisions, this is the perfect podcast to listen to with plenty of tips on managing a future when plans are turned upside down. Presented by Beth Rose. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Keiligh Baker was diagnosed with chronic leukaemia three years ago and became single just before the pandemic hit - now she's decided to give internet dating a go, but how does that work when cancer's involved? Emily Frost and Kirsty Hopgood join her from their childhood bedrooms to discuss the anxieties around treatment and how that has changed their appearance, the surprising messages they’ve received and whether to upload pictures to dating apps with or without hair. Neil MacVictor was diagnosed with a brain tumour at 25 and, after experiencing low confidence as a result, started taking dating classes with Shine Cancer Support. He found them so useful he now teaches the workshops himself. Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Married couple Kiruna Stamell and Gareth Berliner haven’t been further than the local chemist since early March. That won’t change, they say, unless masks become mandatory in all public places or Gareth’s hospital deems it safe for him to attend appointments. Gareth’s nutrition has been delivered via a line in his chest for 20 years due to short gut syndrome. It keeps him alive but infections have led to numerous bouts of sepsis. Covid-19 would be more dangerous for him than most, so wife Kiruna also stays home to avoid coronavirus. Making Pirate and Parrot TV, a YouTube series for kids, has kept the comedian with Crohn’s and the actor with dwarfism busy during 18 weeks at home. Presented by Simon Minty. Produced by Emma Tracey Subscribe to Ouch on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Face coverings are compulsory in shops and on public transport at the moment (with a few exemptions) – but how will it impact your day-to-day lives? Maddie Molloy lip-reads so sometimes needs people to remove their mask while Drew Miller Hyndman is autistic and rule-breaking makes him anxious. He wants everyone to wear face coverings wherever possible. Emma Tracey is blind and has discovered that wearing a mask changes the way she perceives her surroundings. How are you finding it? You can share your experiences by emailing ouch@bbc.co.uk Subscribe to Ouch's podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Only last year, 28-year-old Ben Robinson's alcohol dependency was so severe he was days away from death. Following a stint in rehab and months of hard work rebuilding his life, he felt his recovery had gone backwards when the world went into lockdown. With limited access to his support network and temptation growing by the day, Ben describes the mental and physical challenges he’s faced over the past three months and why he created his blog, Beyond the Bottle. Produced and presented by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to Ouch's podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Alex Brooker was born with impairments in all four limbs and has been cracking jokes about it on Channel Four’s The Last Leg since 2012. But becoming a dad and losing his own father has prompted Alex to take a more serious direction, and to ask some hard questions about his disability in a BBC Two documentary. How did his parents react when he was born with multiple limb impairments? Do his children mind having a disabled father? And should he really have quit going to hospital appointments as soon as he reached 18? Alex tells Emma Tracey how his kids capitalise on his need to don a prosthetic, about the surgery that went wrong, and the extremely competitive streak which recently got him in trouble at home. Alex Brooker: Disability and Me is available on BBC iPlayer. Presented and produced by Emma Tracey. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" on your smart speaker.

What happens when, as a high risk family, you've been shielding for months and your daughter needs to go to A&E? That’s the dilemma faced by Kate when three-year-old Scout falls over in the paddling pool. Kate has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and is isolating with her kidney transplant recipient wife Holly. Holly takes immunosuppressants, meaning the whole family must shield because she falls within the 'high risk' category. Kate gives a raw and honest account of lockdown frustrations, fears and Frozen re-runs! Produced by Amy Elizabeth - email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk to get a message to Kate and Holly. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" on your smartphone speaker.

Namel and Rick, aka American rap-duo 4 Wheel City, were shot and paralysed as teenagers 20 years ago. Since then, their Hip Hop tracks about gun violence and disability discrimination have taken them all over the world, from the White House to the 2012 London Paralympics. Now stuck at home due to coronavirus, the New Yorkers have turned their unique brand of protest to the Black Lives Matter movement, focusing on how it affects disabled people. 4 Wheel City spoke to Emma Tracey, on a slightly dodgy internet connection, about learning to rap again after a high level injury, pressure sores and how Stevie Wonder played a part in their success. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Finally, a day out is on the cards as one of the family has to have a blood test. Kate, Holly and their three-year-old daughter Scout have been isolating for 12 weeks because Holly has to take immunosuppressants. Now she's been offered a test to see if she's built up resistance to Covid-19 - will it give the gift of freedom she's so desperately hoping for? In addition to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Kate has endometriosis which turns up the volume on her pain levels. Pre-lockdown her doctors decided to artificially put 36-year-old Kate through the menopause to address the problem but is this still the plan? Produced by Amy Elizabeth - email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk to get a message to Kate and Holly. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Jamie Hale is a trans and disabled performer who uses ‘they’ and ‘them’ pronouns. They have been on stage at the Barbican, worked with Netflix and are currently writing a play about lockdown. In the second episode of Meet the Vulnerables, BBC journalist Octavia Woodward talks to them about the V-word (that’s ‘vulnerable’) and how widely it has been used during this pandemic. Jamie also explains how they deal with stage fright, the challenges of navigating the creative industries as a disabled person and how they’re coping with isolation. Octavia has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and both she and Jamie are facing months of shielding at home in accordance with government guidelines. Produced by Sam Judah. Subscribe to Ouch on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Ten weeks into isolation and Kate's painful impairment, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, is exhausting her. A virtual food lesson from her Mum on how to make toad-in-the-hole doesn't quite go to plan and three-year-old Scout has found a fascination with cleaning the house - now that the vacuum cleaner is a robot. Produced by Amy Elizabeth - email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk to get a message to Kate and Holly. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Ouch favourites Mark Brown and Seaneen Molloy have dealt with mental health difficulties for a long time, but when the coronavirus pandemic hit, things changed. Seaneen felt liberated. After years of panic attacks she suddenly felt calm now a crisis had arrived and the rest of the world could finally see how scary the place could be. Mark felt unwell at the beginning and has had dilemmas to deal with. Most recently he met a stranger in the park who confided her mother had recently died and no one had been in touch. How do you offer comfort in a world of social distancing? There’s also a tonne of fun stuff in this episode too from escaped bras to Zoom personalities and talk of a zombie apocalypse. Produced by Emma Tracey Subscribe to Ouch on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

In a new mini-series, Meet The ‘Vulnerables’, Octavia Woodward sets out to find the real people dubbed “vulnerable”during the coronavirus pandemic, and turn the V-word on its head. First up is Baroness Jane Campbell - who ranks as “the most influential disabled person in Britain” according to the Shaw Trust. She is considered a legendary figure within the disabled community for her ongoing fight for disabled rights. Both Jane and Octavia have Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a serious genetic condition that weakens muscles and can cause difficulty with breathing. Jane, who sits in the House of Lords, talks about her pushy parents, her brushes with the law during political protests, multiple marriages and how she struggled to like disabled people until she graduated from university. Presented by Octavia Woodward. Produced by Sam Judah. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

After eight long weeks of isolation with wife Holly and three-year-old daughter Scout, Kate is finding her patience being tested. She has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and is gaining a little bit of weight thanks to comfort eating. It's putting a strain on her already inflamed joints but should she start being disciplined or stop feeling guilty as we are in a pandemic after all! Worst of all, Holly, who is on immunosuppressants - suddenly feels poorly. Is she showing Covid-19 symptoms? Produced by Amy Elizabeth - email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk to get a message to Kate and Holly. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Robyn Steward and Jamie Knight, presenters of the podcast 1800 Seconds on Autism, join the Cabin Fever team to reveal what’s been going on in their lives during lockdown. From the pasta dish Jamie has eaten every day for five years no longer being available at the supermarket, through to Robyn’s solo trip to hospital, a notoriously noisy and discombobulating place. What do you do if you need a solid routine but everything has changed or stopped? Featuring Emma Tracey, and produced by Emma Tracey and Beth Rose. Subscribe to Ouch Cabin Fever on BBC Sounds, or say "ask the BBC for Ouch" to play the latest episode on your smart speaker.

Kate's Elhers-Danlos syndrome is causing her great pain this week, to the point she can't sleep or dress herself. Seven weeks in and she's finding her joints and mental health are suffering from the lack of movement due to isolating. Kate's wife Holly is on immunosuppressants and shielding for 12 weeks, but, together as a family, they make the decision to finally go for a social distanced walk. Was it the right choice? Produced by Amy Elizabeth - email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk to get a message to Kate and Holly. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Hannah McDonald was sectioned before starting a nursing shift in 2008, with her uniform in her bag. Diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, she believes she suppressed the grief she felt for three friends who died suddenly when she was a child. It caught up with her years later when she was working as a nurse - she stopped sleeping, eating, started to self -harm, and had suicidal thoughts. She spent nearly 10 years in acute mental health units and a therapeutic community. At times she felt she’d lost everything but Hannah always knew she wanted to return to nursing. Twelve years on she has successfully returned to work as a hospice nurse. But no one could have predicted her first day would be the day the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a global pandemic. It’s not just caring that Hannah has a talent for, as a keen embroiderer she also got a call-up to work on the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress. But when she revealed to a nurse what she’d been doing, they presumed she was delusional! Hannah speaks openly about the past 12 years and as such topics such as self-harm and suicide arise. Presented by Beth Rose. Subscribe on BBC Sounds or say “Ask the BBC for Ouch” to your smart speaker.

Kate has spent over six weeks in isolation and is trying to manage the symptoms of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and raise three-year-old daughter Scout. Her wife Holly is on immunosuppressants and has to shield for 12 weeks but is now going stir-crazy while Scout is becoming clingy and eating significantly less since lockdown started. Kate weighs up all their mental and physical needs. Produced by Amy Elizabeth - email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk to get a message to Kate and Holly. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Award-winning screenwriter Charlie Swinbourne has plenty to keep him busy during lockdown as he develops storylines for deaf characters with EastEnders and Casualty. He reveals what it's like to be deaf at a time when everyone is social-distancing and where mouths are covered by masks, making lip-reading impossible. The writer and journalist also talks about the hashtag #WhereIsTheInterpreter which raised awareness of the fact sign language interpreters do not appear at the daily British government briefings. The hashtag has now morphed into a crowdfunding project to take the government to court using equality laws but Number 10 says it provides signers via the BBC News Channel. Beyond politics we head to soap-land to get the scoop on Charlie's TV projects and, if you're thinking of giving writing a try, he has some top tips to get you started and keep you going. Presented by Simon Minty and Beth Rose. Subscribe on BBC Sounds or say “Ask the BBC for Ouch” to your smart speaker.

Five weeks into isolation, Kate and Holly embark on something more daunting than tracking down a supermarket delivery slot - their first amateur home haircut. Kate's discomfort from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome intensifies due to her endometriosis, but any hope of alone time is impossible when isolating with a three-year-old. Holly is on immunosuppressants and admits she hasn't packed a hospital bag, as recommended by the NHS, for fear of 'tempting fate'. Can Kate persuade her otherwise? Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk to get a message to Kate and Holly. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Coronavirus is making itself known globally, so Cabin Fever thought it too would hot-foot it around the world to see how disabled people are managing. Lee Kumatat left the UK on 2 January for a brand new life in San Francisco, USA. Three months later we find her trying to live in lockdown in an unfamiliar city with a guide dog....and Pip, the cat she adopted a week ago. Holly Lane in Perth, Australia is doing her best not to touch anything but says that's surprisingly hard when she's "stumbling" about all day on the sticks she uses. Being a person with cerebral palsy, she has to hold onto things around her to keep her balance. She's also cashing in on newly-discovered energy stores after cutting out her three hour commute by working from home. Presented by Emma Tracey. Produced by Beth Rose. Subscribe on BBC Sounds or say “Ask the BBC for Ouch” to your smart speaker.

Week four in isolation is proving frustrating for Kate and her family - Kate has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome whilst wife Holly is on immunosuppressants, and so is classed as high risk. Kate is disappointed with a lack of empathy towards disabled people during the COVID-19 crisis. Mummy guilts are setting in with worries that three-year-old daughter Scout may be picking up on household anxiety, whilst Holly is frustrated with Kate and her untidy Lego obsession. The community finds innovative ways to stay connected, but is anyone else going a little bit mad trying to sign in to all these online play dates and group activities? Email producer amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk to get a message to Kate and Holly. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Beth and Ellen had been enjoying their moment in the spotlight as the Diabetic Duo when coronavirus came along. The type 1 diabetics had become known for their videos on the social media platform TikTok and dispelled myths around the condition, but the current pandemic and self-isolation has meant they’ve had to get creative with how they make their content. In this episode of Cabin Fever the duo reveal why diabetes is classed as High Risk in relation to Covid-19, how their emotions affect their blood sugar levels and their recent obsession with tie-dye loungewear. This week's presenters are having quite different quarantine issues. Simon Minty is a little person and says that had a stranger turned away from him in the street he would have taken it badly a few weeks ago - now it's positively welcome! And Emma feels liberated by lockdown. As a blind mum she says her house and garden are her “castle” and being at the home she knows so well means she can run about and play with her young boys independently. Produced by Beth Rose. Subscribe to Ouch on BBC Sounds and say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

As a recipient of a kidney transplant, Kate's wife Holly falls within the high risk category, so together they are spending their third week in strict isolation. Kate, who has mobility difficulties, admits to feeling guilty she can't do more to help her community or to entertain their daughter Scout. This week's highlight is The Food Delivery which creates both euphoria and a bit of a household debate. Is anyone else disinfecting every single item before allowing them into the kitchen? Plus Kate and Holly introduce a new podcast feature they call Isolation Issues - a game which will unite (or divide) households across Britain. Produced by Amy Elizabeth Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

At the start of this year, 2020, barely three months ago, we all said it was going to be the year we'd all nail it. New job, getting married, holiday-of-a-lifetime, kicking any low confidence in the face, the works. Then coronavirus came along. So, now all your plans have been shelved, how do you cope with the uncertainty when you’re also just starting a new career? Blind YouTuber and freelance journalist Lucy Edwards was all set to present for Radio 1 and get married this summer, then both got cancelled, along with a calendar full of paid jobs. And while Ellis's first shift in his new job for the World Service was taken over by a small virus in a Chinese city called Wuhan, he never expected to be moving back to The Wirral and taking up hand-cycling when that virus went global ... and he also didn't imagine he’d have to school his 81-year-old grandma in the use of FaceTime. Presented by Beth Rose. Subscribe to Ouch on BBC Sounds and say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Kate and Holly digest the latest instructions on how to keep safe against coronavirus - for them it means staying in isolation for longer than 12 weeks. Awkward conversations happen at bath-time about how much they should tell their three-year-old daughter Scout when one of her mums is put in the High Risk category. And, determined to bring people together from a distance, their neighbours find a way to lift everyone's spirits while Kate reveals how to make stale doughnuts fresh again so you can comfort eat with food you might have thrown away - BBC public service at its best, you're welcome. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say to your smart speaker "Ask the BBC for Ouch

In the second episode of Cabin Fever. As 1.5m people wait to receive letters classing them as High Risk in the fight against coronavirus we find out if Octavia made it safely to Somerset after her care package collapsed in London when it became impossible for her PAs to travel through the city. Bryony Hopkins is in a great place with her Crohn’s disease and raring to go, but the new drugs she’s on which make her feel better, put her squarely in the High Risk category and she must shield for 12 weeks. And screenwriter and mental health first aider John Servante says he and some friends diagnosed with Chronic Anxiety pre-pandemic are feeling distinctly average, as more and more people open up about the impact Covid-19 and isolation are having on their mental health. Presented by Beth Rose, from her kitchen table. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say to your smart speaker "Ask the BBC for Ouch"

‘It is scary, it is lonely, it is hard.’ Join Kate Monaghan as she navigates the emotional and practical struggles of home isolation in Yorkshire, during the coronavirus pandemic. She has Elhers Danlos syndrome whilst her wife Holly is on immunity suppressants due to having had a kidney transplant - they are very anxious that they don't get infected. The pair are also desperately trying to keep their three year old daughter Scout entertained! With brutal honesty Kate shares her most personal and intimate thoughts whilst quarantined from the world. Produced by Amy Elizabeth Subscribe to Ouch's podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Welcome to this new pop-up podcast to see you through the days of Covid-19. Let's get started. We've all heard the information that coronavirus can be easily managed unless "you are vulnerable and have an underlying health condition" - but what if you ARE one of those people? Among the doom and gloom of the pandemic is BBC Ouch! A bunch of journalists who will keep it real. Turns out you may have one-up on the general population if you're disabled - you might be used to self-isolating, cutting back on social occasions and working from home. Maybe this is really your time to show the world the way. Emma Tracey is in Scotland and has blind-person concerns about relying on touch so much to get around, Octavia Woodward has SMA with only 25% lung capacity and is about to flee to Somerset because her care-package has gone haywire, and fresh from receiving a food delivery is Natasha Lipman who's a-ok and totally used to working from home 99% of the time. Oh and there's Beth Rose, our token non-disabled. The least we can do is humour her worries about a touch of isolation and bring her around to our way of thinking. Subscribe to 'Ouch - The Cabin Fever Podcast' on BBC Sounds or say to your smart speaker "Ask the BBC for Ouch".

Londoner Jite Ugono never expected to find himself playing blackjack in a North Korean casino having run out of cash, but a few life-changing moments had led him there. In his 30s he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), then 10 years later in 2019 he was offered rare stem cell therapy, involving chemotherapy, on the NHS to help stall the progress of the condition. It was “hopeful”, but he didn’t want this complex treatment to become the main topic of conversation for friends and family so he decided to "do something equally rare, but opposite" and booked his trip to North Korea. But would the country be ready to accept a traveller in a wheelchair and would his guides even turn up? Presented by Beth Rose. Subscribe to Ouch Disability Talk podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

When Ellen and Beth posted a TikTok video before they went out for the night, little did they know it would go viral by morning. The students from Northern Ireland happened to leave the blood sugar monitors in shot. They are are fixed to their arms and help them manage their type one diabetes, and the world wanted to know more. Now the two women from Belfast create TikTok videos as the Diabetic Duo - often just a few seconds long - to show what life with type one diabetes is really like, but in a light-hearted and sometime frivolous way - like the weirdest places they’ve injected insulin into themselves (think a cheerleading human pyramid) and what to do if your blood sugar levels drop at exactly the same time. The Diabetic Duo reveal what its like to become social media stars overnight and how unusual it is that two best friends would both be diagnosed as type one diabetics, a predisposed condition not affected by lifestyle, which only affects 8% of all diabetics. If you have diabetes, please consult a health care professional before drinking alcohol. Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty. Subscribe to Ouch as a podcast on BBC Sounds or ask your smart speaker for BBC Ouch.

Actor George Robinson reveals what it's like to play Isaac, the first disabled character in Netflix's Sex Education. George became tetraplegic just a few years ago when he broke his neck in a school rugby tackle gone-wrong. The question is, did he watch the show - full of teenage sex, angst and mishaps - with his parents? Professional magician Fergus Flanagan first got into tricks when he was 10-years-old - about the same time he realised he was different to everyone else. He'd started to experience intrusive thoughts relating to hitting or kicking disabled people - something he never acted on and has since gone away. But it would be another 10 years before he told anyone about it and it was given a name - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - something he's now created a magic show around. Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty. A full transcript will be available here soon. Subscribe to Ouch on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Liz Carr has just left BBC drama Silent Witness on a high, after eight years playing forensic examiner Clarissa Mullery - So what's next for the disabled actor and activist? Hollywood is the answer. Liz will be hitting the silver screen alongside A-listers including Mark Wahlberg in big budget film, Infinite, set for release this summer. We like to think it was her seven-year stint on the Ouch podcast which set Liz up for the big time, but 80 hours on BBC primetime television might also have given her the necessary experience. During that time, Liz explored storylines close to her heart including caring for, and losing, a terminally ill parent, something she personally went through a year ago with the death of her father. This topic, and the way Liz portrayed it, received a big response from the audience, some of whom said it helped them grieve their own parents. The wheelchair-user also reveals how hard she worked to ensure Clarissa was true to disabled life, "refusing to say lines that were problematic" and making sure the character got decent storylines. Presented by Emma Tracey - once she wins the battle for the microphone. Subscribe to Ouch on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Sky Sports presenter Dave Clark says he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the most "horrible" way. The journalist, now synonymous with darts, says his doctor had a "God-like complex" and first asked how big his mortgage was and whether he had children before delivering the diagnosis. But it was not Clark's first experience of Parkinson's. His father was also diagnosed with the neurological condition at the same age, 44, but chose not to tell anyone about it for years. He later took his own life. The broadcaster, who's now 53 and twice met Muhammad Ali tells BBC Ouch's Harry Low why he's doing everything differently to his father, when it comes to the condition, and why he's planning to climb to the base camp of Mount Everest in November. Read the full transcript. Listen to Ouch regularly on BBC Sounds or tell your smart speaker: "Ask the BBC for Ouch".

Tom Oakley's dreams came true when he got through to the second round of BBC One talent show The Greatest Dancer after judge Oti Mabuse, who also stars in Strictly Come Dancing, called him a "phenomenal dancer". As well as spending more than 20 hours a week at dance college, the 16-year-old has to manage the chronic illness cystic fibrosis which affects his ability to breathe and digest food. When he first started to dance "my lungs used to burn," he says, but now it's made him healthier than ever. Tom chats to BBC Ouch's Beth Rose after a day in the dance studio. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say to your smart speaker "ask the BBC for Ouch" to play the latest edition.

What happens when you take a forthright disabled American comedian and a sublime disabled folk singer and put them in a studio together? The answer is a lively session of Politics 101 – we promise it’s more fun than it sounds. Hear Tilly Moses's song Social Model played live – an unlikely name, but a beautiful song with lyrics for disabled people everywhere. And she gets quite the shock when we surprise her with one of her heroes. Comedian Maysoon Zayid has cerebral palsy and also now has a Her Abilities award. Find out what that is, plus Maysoon's strong take on why non-disabled people should never play disabled acting roles. With Simon Minty and Kate Monaghan. And just a nudge-warning, Maysoon goes into the Father Christmas question, so if you've got kids about, maybe save this for another time. Subscribe to Ouch on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Caitlin Leigh and Brinston Tchana were both young adults when they became disabled and started using wheelchairs. Caitlin loved experimenting with her hair before developing alopecia, at which point she shaved it all off. She started using a wheelchair to remain safe when she has a seizure. Brinston was about to sign as a professional footballer when he was paralysed in a car crash. Both felt their identities had been stripped away when they became disabled and were fed up of people looking at them, so they decided to get into fashion and really give people something to stare at. It’s lead to top modelling jobs for them. This podcast might be about fashion but it's the deepest disability dive you'll hear before 2020 arrives. Enjoy. Presented by Natasha Lipman.

Sinead Burke is all about fashion and equality and in September appeared on the front cover of British Vogue. At three and a half feet tall, she is a fair few notches below average height and describes herself as a "little person". Find out what happens when you are too short to be able to reach up and lock the toilet door behind you? Or what if the most fashionable choice of clothes you have are in the children's department and have "Daddy's Little Princess" written on them? In this month's Ouch podcast from the BBC, Sinead explains how she has used people's interest in fashion to shine a light on inclusive design in public spaces and equality generally and how it has led to other opportunities and the launch of her own podcast. Inspiration is a hideously over-used word when talking about disabled people but I think we can safely say this is a genuinely uplifting listen which gives plenty of great ideas, different ways of looking at life and, if you are disabled, it may well stoke your self esteem a little. One of the hosts of our programme, Simon Minty, is also a little person which lets us dive deep into areas most interviewers wouldnt' think to ask which also brings plenty of wicked humour. With Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty Ouch is on BBC Sounds and available on your smart speaker by yelling "ask the BBC for Ouch".

Migraines are so much more than a headache according to Rachel Creeger. In a fascinating discussion with the comedian, we hear how her various identities impact on her – that’s being disabled, Jewish and a woman. But also, that the disabling form of migraine she has is also linked to her senses, speech and her ability to play musical instruments among other things. Our reporter Emma Tracey caught up with Creeger back in the summer after her run at the Edinburgh Fringe. Photo credit: Ruth Bloch Email: ouch@bbc.co.uk or find us on Twitter @bbcouch Rachel’s condition feels like one of those things which people probably sit at home frantically Googling about so here are some keywords from the podcast audio to help search engines find out more about this unusual collection of symptoms. atypical hemiplegic migraine with prolonged aura, plucking hair, shot in head, stabbing pain, synesthesia, migraine, headache, words, trigger, sounds, smells, Myelin sheaths, genetic disorder, neurological, inherited migraine, MS, onomatopoeia.

Souleyman Bah was the first disabled contestant on BBC One's The Apprentice. But just three weeks into the season he was fired by Lord Sugar and told he was “brave” for being there - how did he feel when he was served up with that cliche from the famous businessman? And what was it like behind the scenes?(*) The Vacuum Cleaner, aka James Leadbitter, has run his mental health project Madlove for five years. It’s all about giving people a say in what their care should look and feel like. He tells Ouch about his new project where he has taken over a former branch of Argos in St Helens, Merseyside, and turned it into a mental health sanctuary, complete with its own blend of tea. How hard is it to be green when you’re disabled and have to use more taxis and avoid the easy to use products with throwaway packaging, for instance. Sam Little gives us some tips and tricks on being environmentally friendly. And we take a wry look at the newly published power list of disabled people from Shaw Trust. Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty. Spread the word, subscribe to us on your BBC Sounds app and say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker to play the latest episode. (*) On the podcast, Souleyman said his top moments hadn't made the final edit on The Apprentice. It was also suggested he needed more support. In a statement from The Apprentice, a spokesman says: “The team worked hard to ensure that appropriate measures were taken throughout the production process and one-to-one support was given to Souleyman during tasks to enable him to participate in the process fairly alongside the other candidates. Production continually worked with Souleyman to decide upon and ensure the appropriate adjustments were made at every stage, both in the house and whilst on task.”

Bella Parkhouse is a typical teenager. She spends her time juggling college, a part-time job and seeing friends. But she's also among the 10% of people who live with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) under the age of 18. Bella tells us how she navigates treatments and medication as well as managing her social life and chronic fatigue. She's also had to confront a few bullies along the way but remains determined not to let MS dictate her life... especially when, she admits, she experiences FOMO - a Fear Of Missing Out. Bella's mum, Sarah, also gives a few top tips for parents on how to support your child with a chronic illness. Presented by Niamh Hughes and Emma Tracey. A full transcript will appear here soon. Listen to Ouch regularly on BBC Sounds or tell your smart speaker: "Ask the BBC for Ouch".

When Damon's guide dog DeeBee visits the vet for a check-up there is some unexpected news. He is weighed and found to be 5kg overweight - that's slightly more than your average cat. Damon must get DeeBee back to a healthy weight or risk having him temporarily taken away while he is slimmed down. So what can you do when your guide dog gets out of shape? Find out in the latest edition of Ouch - the irreverent disability talk podcast from BBC News. With Damon Rose, Niamh Hughes and Beth Rose. Listen to Ouch regularly on BBC Sounds or tell your smart speaker: "Ask the BBC for Ouch".

Comedian Joe Wells talks about the one time in his life that making eye contact with another human being wasn't uncomfortable. Recently diagnosed as autistic, he also explains why he has to block out men's voices by playing loud music in his headphones. Also on the podcast: Sarah Collins tells the story of the OCD moment where she strongly believes she's swallowed an entire packet of paracetamol. And Tom Leeds on how an accident obliterated all of his childhood memories until hearing an '80s song brought some of them back. To hear our podcast regularly, tell your smart speaker: "Ask the BBC for Ouch" or find it on your BBC Sounds app. Produced by Ed Morrish and the Ouch team.

When we put three disabled comedians together round a picnic table we hadn’t banked on hearing one of the best disability love stories we’ve ever heard. We're a hard-bitten cynical bunch at Ouch sometimes but this was a beautiful moment from Spring Day about her relationship with BBC Three's one and only Jerk, Tim Renkow. The story packs even more of a punch when you find out about her history and how much fun they’ve been having as a couple ever since. Features the "catholic cure for stammering", body positivity and more in the podcast that does disability differently - almost like it's normal. With Jon Long and Aidan Greene. Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty, Produced by Emma Tracey and recorded at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019.

Life can be a bit different if you're disabled or have a mental health difficulty, but sometimes it is just be plain hilarious. Andy Duffy, Sajeela Kershi and Janine Hammond take to the stage at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to tell true stories on the theme of Lost and Found. From Andy's missing wheelchair battery which almost sparked the evacuation of a London museum, to Sajeela's recent hearing loss which meant she mistook a rude, insulting man, for someone paying her a compliment. Reece Finnegan, who's blind, wakes up hungover and without any of his possessions in his boss' house, and must somehow find his way out. Then there's Janine Hammond who lost her nipples, twice. First to cancer, then to showbiz. This is the first episode of BBC Ouch: Storytelling Live 2019, hosted by comedian Chris McCausland. Subscribe to Ouch on BBC Sounds. Like us, rate us and leave a nice review - this helps others find our programmes. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk Tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook.

Everyone in the theatre company Elektric Apple has a learning disability. Using important themes from life, like mental health, sexuality and loneliness, they tell stories in their own words. We sat down with actors Carl and John and their director Andrew Sinclair to talk about what they love most about performing and the message they want to spread with their productions. Presented by Niamh Hughes Recorded at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe - @bbcouch

If you are disabled and believe that a product to solve your problem doesn’t exist yet, listen up. A network of volunteer engineers are on-hand to help. When Sarah Stones realised leaning heavily on her left arm was taking its toll but couldn’t find a device to help, she reached out to Remap, a charity that makes bespoke solutions for disabled people. Engineer Akshaya Ahuja made her an armband with a pressure-sensitive alarm that would make her straighten up. About to go to market is an accessible toy kitchen which is suitable both for kids who use wheelchairs, and those who stand. Designer Bex French works for Demand, a similar charity to Remap which creates cool stuff for disabled people. We put Bex and Akshaya on the spot with challenges from listeners, the presenters, and blind geek extraordinaire Robin Christopherson. Will Kate get a new skin to stop her joints from moving out of place? Why was Simon admiring Sarah’s seat? And what’s all the hype about buckwheat pillows? Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty. Produced by Emma Tracey. Subscribe now to BBC Ouch in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC"

Living your best life when death is closer than you'd like it to be - that's what we're talking about on this month's long podcast. It's a very upbeat show about tricky disability stuff. Doctors told Lucy Watts she wouldn't make it to the age of 18 - she's now 25 and has survived sepsis 14 times. Her assistance dog Molly licks her hand three hours before any symptoms appear which gives Lucy time to get life-saving treatment. Her story about living while dying, growing up fast and realising that she's worthy of a sex life comes with warmth, energy and belly laughs. BBC Tech correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones went public with his Parkinson's diagnosis after people noticed his hand shaking on live TV. Since then, the Government have recruited him to their Disability Confident campaign, he has been part of a study and tech innovations designed for people with the condition are being pushed his way. Psychotherapist Mel Halacre, who specialises in disabled people and their mental health, also lends her expertise Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty. Produced by Emma Tracey.

An A&E consultant, a psychiatrist, and two junior doctors swap notes on being disabled in the medical profession. Emergency medicine consultant, Dr Cieran McKiernan, speaks on the perils of self-diagnosis. He lost his leg after failing to treat a blister which became a 5cm-sq hole in his foot. Trainee GP, Dr Hannah Barham-Brown's wheelchair means she's regularly mistaken for a patient, while Dr Emily Burns spotted one patient's 'diagnosis' of Query Malingering - a euphemism for faking it - was actually Ehlers Danlos syndrome, a rare condition she has herself. Dr Caroline Walker says she hasn't got to go far to find doctors who, like her, have mental health difficulties. The foursome chat about the ups and down of the medical profession, the ambition to embrace diversity and how working less than full-time hours could be beneficial to all junior doctors. Produced by Emma Tracey

In a week where a tweet about a London pub went viral after a member of staff told a customer “we don’t serve disabled people”, meet the Mathies. Ben Mathie loves live music but venue options are limited because he’s only 12-years-old and uses a wheelchair and venues are often inaccessible. He was a regular at gigs in the local pub, The Harrow Inn Freehouse in Boughton, Nottinghamshire, before plans were made to shut it down. Then, in an unexpected move to save Ben's favourite venue, his mum and dad gave up their farm shop and took over the pub. Ben now has the important role of Events Manager and books all the live acts at the pub to ensure it’s as inclusive and welcoming as possible. Presented by Emma Tracey. Subscribe now to BBC Ouch in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".

The Shalva Band were favourites to represent host country Israel at Eurovision but pulled out when the dress rehearsal was scheduled for Friday - the Jewish holy day of rest. The group of eight musicians, who all have disabilities, had been voted through on a national TV programme. Their popularity rose at the same time research revealed 90% of parents in Israel didn't want their offspring to attend after-school clubs with disabled children. The band released a campaign song called Open The Door in response to the research. It went viral and they say it's changing attitudes to disability. Vocalists Anael and Dina told BBC Ouch they are now stopped for selfies wherever they go. Despite opting out of Eurovision, The Shalva Band will perform A Million Dreams, from The Greatest Showman, during the 2nd Eurovision semi-final on Thursday. With apologies for the occasional sound difficulty on the line from Jerusalem. Subscribe now to BBC Ouch in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".

Natalie Pearson is a primary school teacher and one of a few in the world to also have Tourette's syndrome. Tourettes causes her to swear, sometimes in class, and also jerk her body - but she says her students and colleagues have embraced it The science teacher was diagnosed with late-onset Tourette's syndrome at the age of 21 and believes a traumatic rape at university was the trigger. Natalie's story was originally heard on the BBC's Multi Story podcast. Presented by Becca Bryers. Subscribe now to BBC Ouch in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".

From being a working class disabled person to waiting for that brown envelope to arrive for your benefits reassessment. This show, recorded in front of a live audience, moves from one emotion to another. Comedian Jackie Hagan describes how she went from feeling she had to prove she could still do everything and more, after having one leg amputated, to realising she didn't actually have to become a hero. Performer Conor A has fibromyalgia, an impairment usually associated with women. He reveals how he was treated by doctors and how he learned to build access needs into his own show such as a prompter for when he goes all 'fibro fog'. Presented by Simon Minty and Kate Monaghan at the I'm Here, Where Are You? festival in Cambridge. A transcript will be available soon. Subscribe now to BBC Ouch in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".

Getting rid of single-use straws is a simple way to reduce plastic waste...unless you're one of the thousands of disabled people who rely on them everyday to drink independently. From bamboo to pasta, glass to metal, there's a variety of alternatives already out there, but do any of them actually work? After a petition emerged this week calling for McDonald's to reinstate its plastic straws because the paper versions go soggy, Esther Weber, The Times political reporter and daily straw-user, gives us the lowdown on her straw-strife. This is more than just how to drink a milkshake before the straw disintegrates. Presented by Beth Rose with Emma Tracey, Niamh Hughes and Damon Rose. A transcript will be available soon.

Have you ever been lost in a passionate moment only to realise your hips are about to dislocate? Well, Xandra Lee has been in that precarious place more times than she'd like to remember and set about writing a sex and relationships manual for people with 'dodgy hips'. Diagnosed with hip dysplasia as a teenager, she quickly realised there was no information out there - medical or otherwise - for safe, painless sex, especially if, like her, you are a younger person. So, she set about changing that by writing a book: Sex, with these Hips?. The other guest on the programme is Mel Halacre, a mental health counsellor who specialises in disability. She talks to Ouch about how the constant drip drip drip of low-level discrimination can build into bigger problems, and provides useful coping strategies for listeners. Presented by Emma Tracey and Simon Minty

Martin O'Brien has lived beyond his life expectancy twice - first at the age of five, and then again at 30. He was born with the life-limiting disease, cystic fibrosis. Now aged 31, he identifies as a Zombie - half-dead and half-alive - which he tries to convey through his physical artwork - he even spent his 30th birthday in a morgue, for art's sake. Sometimes controversial, he talks about how he uses the sexual, and consensual, practice of BDSM to illustrate life with a chronic illness and where the line between raising awareness and exploitation is drawn. Presented by Beth Rose with Emma Tracey. A transcript will be available soon. Subscribe now to BBC Ouch in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".

London poet Raymond Antrobus was thought to be dyslexic with severe learning disabilities, until his deafness was discovered at the age of six - this week he won the Ted Hughes Award for new work in Poetry (hence why we're repeating this fab interview). At school, the hearing kids taunted him because he had to sit at the front to hear the teacher, and deaf kids called him a "baby signer" because he came to British Sign Language late and wasn't as proficient as the rest of them. Later, Raymond became a teacher himself and now also writes poetry about speech therapy and other experiences deaf people have. Here, he talks eloquently about his life and reads two new poems for us. With Emma Tracey, Beth Rose and Damon Rose. Subscribe now in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC". Picture courtesy of Naomi Woodis.

After years on the circuit, American comedian Tim Renkow has just released his first TV series - Jerk. The BBC Three show follows a "heightened" version of Renkow, who has cerebral palsy. TV Tim is "too lazy" to sort out his own visa, so instead he plays on and uses his disability to mess with people and take advantage of every situation. Tim reveals to BBC Ouch how much truth was behind the sitcom, how he got The Soprano's actress Lorraine Bracco to play his mother and what it was like to have a fist-fight with fellow comedian and Britain's Got Talent winner, Lost Voice Guy, who also has cerebral palsy. Bashir Aziz, who has vitiligo, and Rachel Reynolds who has thousands of tumours on her body, talk about living with visible differences and what it was like to live together for 10 days in new Channel Five show, The House of Extraordinary People. Presented by Simon Minty and Kate Monaghan. Subscribe now in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC". Picture courtesy of Roughcut Television Ltd.

Suzanne Bull loves live music. But after several accidents, including getting crushed at a gig, she wanted to challenge venues that weren’t accessible to her and other disabled music fans. Taking matters into her own hands she started up Attitude is Everything in 2000 - a disability-led charity that aims to improve Deaf and disabled peoples’ access to live music venues. Since then, she’s been made an MBE and was included in Music Week's Women in Music Roll of Honour. Suzanne tells BBC Ouch what it’s like to be honoured by the Queen and what being recognised as a disabled woman in the music industry tells us about the changing landscape for accessibility. She also gives us a glimpse into the organisation’s plans for the future. Presented by Niamh Hughes. Subscribe now in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".

We already knew it anyway, but the hashtag #DisabledPeopleAreHot has gone viral - about time too. People from around the world have been rocking their best looks and posting them proudly on social media for everyone to see. Originator of the hashtag, Andrew Gurza, gives us the lowdown on his hope for the movement, the 'merch' he's going to get made for it and how it's a lot more than just a flash in the pan trend. Presented by Emma Tracey with Niamh Hughes. Subscribe now in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC". Image copyright: Alejandro Santiago Photography

"A kick in the gut" is how Actor Jack Binstead describes his initial response to news that daughter Daisy has osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bones) like him. But now he thinks differently. Pippa Bolton and husband describe themselves as having learning disabilities - Pippa joins us to talk about the six month fight to be allowed to bring her daughter Rain home from hospital. They now have two children and no involvement from social services. When Eliza Hull realised she wasn’t being represented in any parenting books, she interviewed disabled mums and dads from all over Australia for her ABC podcast series We’ve Got This. In a disabled parent special (if we can say special?) Jack, Pippa and Eliza tell their own stories and ponder what passers-by think and whether they feel they can ask for help amongst many other things. They also pass on their very own disabled parenting hacks.

The hashtag #ThingsDisabledPeopleKnow has gone viral in the last few days. Started in America by Imani Barbarin a week ago, it's got tweeters from all corners of the disability community and globe sharing those annoyances disabled people know, but which might never occur to anyone else. We hear from Imani about why she started it in the first place, why Damon thinks people break wind in his presence and whether this could be a #MeToo moment for the disability community. With Damon Rose, Emma Tracey and Niamh Hughes. Subscribe now in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".

As Annalisa D’Innella’s sight deteriorates, people become more awkward around her. Why is this and what can she do about it? UK teen Tilly Griffiths had some awkward conversations when arranging 24-hour care for university in America but spoiler alert, she got there. And Jordan Statham’s standoffs with teachers were pretty #awkward before he was diagnosed autistic. One raised five million pounds for charity, one wrote Simon’s favourite song and another’s 9-year-old daughter has the same jumpsuit as grown-up Kate. Find out which is which on the latest talk show. With Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty. Subscribe now in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".

Thriller writer Liz Nugent deals in dark worlds with flawed characters, but she has experienced her fair share of challenges and tough times too. After falling from the stair banister aged six onto her brother’s tricycle she experienced a brain haemorrhage. A second accident in her 20s triggered Dystonia, a condition which causes the muscles in her leg to uncomfortably contract, making walking difficult. Her recovery has so far included an accidental stint in a psychiatric ward, plenty of Botox (cosmetic and medical) and learning to type her award-winning novels with one hand. The Irish writer chats about her latest novel – Skin Deep – and how she has perfected her streamlined writing style, with minimum description, because every word costs her energy. There are even a few tips for aspiring writers in there too. Presented by Emma Tracey with Beth Rose. A transcript will is available here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/disability-46864514 Please subscribe to BBC Ouch on BBC Sounds and get in touch on Email: ouch@bbc.co.uk; Twitter: @bbcouch or find us on Facebook.

Happy New Year from the BBC Ouch team! As a little treat, we thought we’d give you another chance to listen to some of our fabulous performers on BBC Ouch: Storytelling Live at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2018. Going out is meant to be fun, but add in an unpredictable disability or mental health problem and you could have an unwanted challenge or serious embarrassment on your hands - especially if these real-life tales are anything to go by. From the agoraphobic woman who took an extreme 15-hour bus journey so she didn't have to remain overnight after her best friend's wedding, to a man with Crohn's disease desperately hunting for a toilet in the unfamiliar flat of the person he spent the night with. Plus, the woman who faced a beautician's interrogation when she was trying to get to grips with depression and anxiety and just wanted to buy some soap. Lucy Jollow, Philip Henry and Laura Lexx revealed their embarrassing encounters for BBC Ouch: Storytelling Live, a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on the theme of Going Out. Hosted by Lost Voice Guy. And watch out for updates on how you can get involved in the 2019 show! Subscribe to Ouch, or wherever you get your podcasts from. Like us, rate us and leave a nice review - this helps others find our programmes. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk Tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook.

Merry Christmas from the BBC Ouch team! As a little gift to you from us, we thought we’d give you another chance to listen to some of our fabulous performers on BBC Ouch: Storytelling Live at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2018. Going out can be fun, but add in a disability or mental health problem and it can become fraught with challenges - and embarrassment - if these real-life tales are anything to go by. From passionately kissing your "mum" to prove a point, to suffering a wardrobe malfunction in the middle of Manchester and receiving a diagnosis of ADHD after risking everything and taking a pill in a nightclub - you're probably going to have second thoughts about ever leaving your house again after hearing these stories. Aaron Simmonds, Fran Aitken and Jessica Donohoe revealed their embarrassing encounters for BBC Ouch: Storytelling Live, a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Hosted by Lost Voice Guy. And watch out in 2019 for the opportunity to step onto that stage yourself - Merry Christmas! Subscribe to Ouch, or wherever you get your podcasts from. Like us, rate us and leave a nice review - this helps others find our programmes. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk Tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook.

It’s Christmas Eve and you’ve missed your flight – technically it’s your fault – but would you play the ‘disability card’ to try and get another for free? And what would you do at the work Christmas party if you desperately needed the accessible toilet but saw a couple heading into it - together? BBC headliners Frank Gardner and Gary O’Donoghue and Touretteshero, Jess Thom, reveal all in this game of Christmas dilemmas with a disability twist, obviously. Presented by Beth Rose with Niamh Hughes.

From the young blind YouTuber whose make-up channel led her to being the poster girl for Cover Girl to the man who found out he has MS at the same time as having his first child. Why our guests all seem to have a bit of a crush on their surgeon, the buildings round the world which recently lit-up purple to show support for disabled people and Derek Paravacini our star pianist who is sometimes called an autistic savant - as well as being Ouch's good friend – performs the most Christmassy of music on demand. Our festive show is packed with emotion and well worth a listen. With Simon Minty and Kate Monaghan. Subscribe now in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".

Eye-opening stories from three people who "wear a bag" instead of being able to use the toilet naturally. Thousands of people have them in the UK and, permanent or temporary, it is as a result of ill health within the digestive system. Hear why one person likes to pop the undigested peas she finds in her bag, and about the process which leaves you with a Barbie butt. YouTube star Hannah Witton, an expert on sex and relationships, recently had her colon removed. She chats to Sam Cleasby and Blake Beckford who also use stoma bags. A full transcript is available here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/disability-46473741 Go to BBC Sounds website or app and look for Ouch to subscribe.

Why does self-employment often suit disabled people better than the nine to five? Three winners of this year’s Stelios Award describe their businesses, explain why they like working for themselves and give tips for future disabled business-owners. BBC Ouch's Emma Tracey meets Joshua Wintersgill, who has developed an aircraft sling for wheelchair users, chocolatier Samona Williams and Rachel Shapey who has designed a music-making app. A full transcript is available below. For more Disability News, follow BBC Ouch on Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to the weekly podcast on BBC Sounds.

There She Goes, a BBC Four comedy series about raising a learning-disabled child, has just ended. In this week’s Ouch podcast, the man who wrote it, Shaun Pye, meets journalist William Kremer, who wrote about his own learning-disabled daughter for the BBC. Shaun describes some of the real life events that inspired the series – like his regular encounters with his well-meaning but hapless neighbour. “We’d make stilted conversation while my daughter licked the pavement,” he says.

The Great British Bake Off contestant Briony Williams has a missing left hand but some viewers didn’t spot it until episode three. How did she get by in that famous tent without any help or disability adjustments? BAFTA-nominated Ruth Madeley is currently filming with Emma Thompson, but in the summer she made a Horizon documentary about her impairment, spina bifida. Ruth got to watch pioneering surgery on an unborn baby with the condition and ask how her own mum reacted when told she was carrying a disabled daughter. Kitch, the rapper with a stammer and a great back story, performs at the end of the show. Presented by Simon Minty and Shannon Murray. A full transcript will be available soon. For more Disability News, follow BBC Ouch on Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to the weekly podcast on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts from.

Beatboxing has long been associated with the hip hop world. But creating beats is not only a form of self-expression; it could help to unlock the full potential behind the human voice, especially for those with a speech impediment. We’re exploring how a music class for disabled children at The Lavelle School for the Blind in New York City uses beatboxing as an effective form of speech therapy. James Kim is the executive director of Bridging Education and Art Together (BEAT) and one of the masterminds behind Beat Rockers, a beatboxing and self-expression programme aimed at young people in New York City. Joining James is a professor of cognitive neuroscience, Sophie Scott who has studied the ways beatboxing challenges what we know about the human voice to examine just how helpful it can be. Presented by Niamh Hughes. A full transcript is available below. (Photo: Rapper and microphone/Credit: Getty Images)

Returning to work after maternity leave can be a daunting experience - especially if you have a disability. So, with Emma Tracey back at Ouch HQ, what better time to discuss how she is getting on? Emma is joined by disability activist Kaliya Franklin. Kaliya has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and has a two-and-a-half year old son. From pregnancy to the first days or motherhood and the dreaded poppers on babygrows, Emma and Kaliya describe what it’s like to navigate motherhood from a different perspective. Presented by Emma Tracey.

It's been a week of triumph and celebration at the Invictus Games in Australia as 500 servicemen and women competed on the sports field. But for one competitor the memories of the battlefield returned as an overhead helicopter triggered his PTSD. Find out which song, from a popular animated film, helped get him through it. And BBC presenter, Alex Jones, learned a "mortifying" lesson at the event, according to her co-host JJ Chalmers, which he decided to spill to BBC Ouch. Presented by Beth Rose with JJ in Australia.

Bethany Hickton was about to reveal her new boyfriend to a friend, when she slipped down a marble staircase and fractured her spine. She had just started her PhD in Bristol and had a busy social life, but all of that had to stop. As she slowly recovered from the physical injury, she found she had other battles to face - depression and symptoms similar to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Presented by Beth Rose with Niamh Hughes.

The comedian Tanyalee Davis, who recently gained attention on social media after an incident involving her mobility scooter and an unhappy train guard, believes that the rules and attitudes in the UK are way behind those in North America - and they stop disabled people from getting around. She says: "Where's your carer" and "That's against health and safety" are the kind of typical remarks she hears in the UK from people in authority. She says they block her from having the freedom she enjoys in her home country Canada, and in the US. Tanyalee is joined in the studio by poet Raymond Antrobus who explores deafness and being a mixed race Londoner in his poetry and spoken word performances. "I really like the quote 'if your classroom doesn't represent the make-up of the society that you live in, you've been miseducated'," he says, in an honest and engaging interview. Scroll down to read a transcript in the Related Links section of this page. Presented by Simon Minty and Kate Monaghan. Get BBC Ouch's disability talk programme delivered to your device every week. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts from.

Just like the spoken word, you can make sign language more meaningful by altering your moves to create something more touching or, the opposite, distressing. On this podcast we speak to Paula Garfield from Deafinitely Theatre which has recently adapted a hard-hitting play about mental health to include a strong emotionally coded visual language that all audiences can understand. 4.48 Psychosis, by playwright Sarah Kane, is at the New Diorama Theatre in London until October 13. Presented by Damon Rose Scroll down to Related Links for a transcript Subscribe to Ouch as a podcast Email ouch@bbc.co.uk, tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook

Lee Kumutat is blind and moving home. So, if she can't choose what decor she likes, or the look of the building, what choices does she make and why? From colour to audio ambience, and where friends can help, she takes us through how she's been tracking down the perfect home in Manchester, where she'll be moving next month. With Damon Rose and Beth Rose (not related!). A transcript will appear on this page soon. Subscribe to Ouch, or wherever you get your podcasts from. Like us, rate us and leave a nice review - this helps others find our programmes. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk Tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook.

Going out is meant to be fun, but add in an unpredictable disability or mental health problem and you could have an unwanted challenge or serious embarrassment on your hands - especially if these real-life tales are anything to go by. From the agoraphobic woman who took an extreme 15-hour bus journey so she didn't have to remain overnight after her best friend's wedding, to a man with Crohn's disease desperately hunting for a toilet in the unfamiliar flat of the person he spent the night with. Plus, the woman who faced a beautician's interrogation when she was trying to get to grips with depression and anxiety and just wanted to buy some soap. Lucy Jollow, Philip Henry and Laura Lexx revealed their embarrassing encounters for BBC Ouch: Storytelling Live, a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on the theme of Going Out. Hosted by Lost Voice Guy. Subscribe to Ouch, or wherever you get your podcasts from. Like us, rate us and leave a nice review - this helps others find our programmes. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk Tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. A transcript will appear on this page soon.

Going out is meant to be fun, but add in an unpredictable disability or mental health problem and you could have an unwanted challenge or serious embarrassment on your hands - especially if these real-life tales are anything to go by. From the agoraphobic woman who took an extreme 15-hour bus journey so she didn't have to remain overnight after her best friend's wedding, to a man with Crohn's disease desperately hunting for a toilet in the unfamiliar flat of the person he spent the night with. Plus, the woman who faced a beautician's interrogation when she was trying to get to grips with depression and anxiety and just wanted to buy some soap. Lucy Jollow, Philip Henry and Laura Lexx revealed their embarrassing encounters for BBC Ouch: Storytelling Live, a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on the theme of Going Out. Hosted by Lost Voice Guy. Subscribe to Ouch, or wherever you get your podcasts from. Like us, rate us and leave a nice review - this helps others find our programmes. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk Tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. A transcript will appear on this page soon.

Going out can be fun, but add in a disability or mental health problem and it can become fraught with challenges - and embarrassment - if these real-life tales are anything to go by. From passionately kissing your "mum" to prove a point, to suffering a wardrobe malfunction in the middle of Manchester and receiving a diagnosis of ADHD after risking everything and taking a pill in a nightclub - you're probably going to have second thoughts about ever leaving your house again after hearing these stories. Aaron Simmonds, Fran Aitken and Jessica Donohoe revealed their embarrassing encounters for BBC Ouch: Storytelling Live, a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Hosted by Lost Voice Guy. Subscribe to Ouch, or wherever you get your podcasts from. Like us, rate us and leave a nice review - this helps others find our programmes. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk Tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. A transcript will appear on this page soon.

Being a parent is hard, but when you're disabled it can come with its own unique set of challenges and advantages. From the mum who insisted on building an accessible house extension so her husband had to do night-duties, to the visit to A&E with a child who had jammed his leg a wheelchair spoke after using it as a climbing frame. Three disabled dads on the comedy circuit - Chris McCausland, Steve Day and Laurence Clark - take over the BBC Ouch podcast to talk parenting skills, wins and fails. Produced by Emma Tracey.

When we got three women with obsessive-compulsive disorder round a table, the conversation ranged from the need to tic or twitch, and what that feels like, through to getting naked at the front door to minimise the spread of germs after a hospital visit. This "takeover" podcast was recorded in Edinburgh, the contributors - two writers and one actor - all feature in the 2018 festival Fringe: Lucy Danser, Lucy Burke and Kerry Fitzgerald. Scroll down to Related Links to find a transcript Produced by Emma Tracey

Gianluca Trombetta, who is deaf, confesses he hated it when his girlfriend talked before he was ready to listen, so he decided to teach her a lesson. This story was recorded in March 2017 at an event held by BBC Ouch at the Backyard Comedy Club in London. Share this page on social media and pop over to iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts from, and be sure to rate and review the Ouch podcast. Tell us what you think by emailing ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook.

Hannah Jenkins was cycling in her local park when she collided with another cyclist and fell-off her bike. She sustained a serious head injury and was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. But when she woke up, she was confused to discover no-one spoke the same language as her - and later discovered the crash had caused her brain to erase English. Presented by Beth Rose. A full transcript is available below. Subscribe to Ouch or wherever you get your podcasts from. Like us, rate us and leave a nice review - this helps others find our programmes. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk Tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. A transcript will appear on this page soon.

Shoes - it’s a hot topic amongst disabled people. Buying them and wearing them can be a nightmare, especially if it means regularly wearing them out. Throughout the ages, shoes have been either practical or decorative but rarely both and we in the disabled community often have to adapt what’s on offer to suit our needs. So, why do so many of us have to pick function over fashion – and does having that choice really matter? BBC Ouch chats all things shoes to lifestyle and fashion YouTuber, Jessica Kellgren-Fozard, whose vintage style and taste for high heels often raises eyebrows in the context of her disabilities. Actor and comedian Tim Renkow also joins us in the studio. He has Cerebral Palsy but doesn’t wear shoes because, he says, they’re just not worth the hassle. Presented by Niamh Hughes with Beth Rose.

The Archbishop of Canterbury and two of his daughters talk frankly about their experiences of disability and mental health and how the church can be more inclusive. In her first interview, Ellie Welby chats about her learning disability and how she can feel she's on the edge of church-life and Katherine warns that offering to pray for someone could be side-stepping a more important opportunity to talk to them about their worries. Archbishop Justin also reveals his surprising TV choices, what it was like to officiate at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and his plans for the upcoming christening of Prince Louis. Vicar of Dibley co-writer and comedy producer Paul Mayhew-Archer joins the Welby family in the studio to talk about life with Parkinson's Disease and his new Edinburgh show about it, and published author, Frasier, who's just 10-years-old, charms everyone with his book about refugees. Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty.

Rich Osborn had the perfect summer job as a scuba diving instructor in Cyprus - but it would become a job which led to him becoming paraplegic. On a day off, the then 21-year-old and three instructor friends decided to go for a carefully planned deep-dive. At 40m under the ocean's surface the group ran out of air. With nothing left in the tanks they had a decision to make - drown there and then, or rocket to the surface and risk catastrophic injuries from the benz. Presented by Beth Rose with Rich Osborn. Subscribe to Ouch or wherever you get your podcasts from. Like us, rate us and leave a nice review - this helps others find our programmes. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk Tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. A transcript will appear on this page soon.

Ali Jawad was told the night before an operation that he should prepare his friends and family for the worst - he might not wake up again. The powerlifter, a double above-knee amputee, had fallen ill a few years before at his first Paralympic Games and was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, an illness he'd never heard of, a few weeks later. He had to get his head around the disease quickly and it came with an ultimatum - choose health or gold medals. Presented by Beth Rose with Ali Jawad.

After Lost Voice Guy won Britain’s Got Talent, Rosie Jones, another comedian with cerebral palsy, tells this week’s Ouch podcast how she was approached to take part in the show – and said ‘no’. Also taking part in the programme is American performer Nina G, who talks about her career as a stuttering comedian. And we meet Vanessa Boachie, Founder and Creative Director of mental health charity, Inside Out UK. The charity is aimed at young people, especially in the black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) community. She is joined by her colleague, Isaac Fletcher to talk about why their work is so important.

Everyone has a story to tell and this could be your chance to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival on the BBC’s main stage. BBC Ouch is presenting Storytelling Live on 9 August and wants you to be part of the show. All you've got to do is tell a true story on the theme of Going Out (whatever that means to you) which relates to your disability or mental health challenge. It’s as simple as that, but to help you along, we’ve got some top tips from award-winning comedy producer, Ed Morrish, about what makes a good story and how to make yours stand out. If you get through to the show, you’ll get to work with Ed before the performance. Presented by Beth Rose with Ed Morrish, Frank Burton who performed at the event last year and Damon Rose from the BBC Ouch team. If this opportunity sounds up your street take a closer look at the application requirements in the link below and send your story to ouch@bbc.co.uk by 09:00 on 18 June.

Everyone has a story to tell and this could be your chance to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival on the BBC’s main stage. BBC Ouch is presenting Storytelling Live on 9 August and wants you to be part of the show. All you've got to do is tell a true story on the theme of Going Out (whatever that means to you) which relates to your disability or mental health challenge. It’s as simple as that, but to help you along, we’ve got some top tips from award-winning comedy producer, Ed Morrish, about what makes a good story and how to make yours stand out. If you get through to the show, you’ll get to work with Ed before the performance. Presented by Beth Rose with Ed Morrish, Frank Burton who performed at the event last year and Damon Rose from the BBC Ouch team. If this opportunity sounds up your street take a closer look at the application requirements here and send your story to ouch@bbc.co.uk by 09:00 on 18 June.

Amelia Cavallo has mastered the art of aerial performance on silks and the trapeze at great heights above the floor. As someone who is registered blind, how does she know how high up she is and where the silk or trapeze will be when she lets go as part of a trick? And how often does she end up on the crash mat? Cavallo is performing as part of new circus show, What Am I Worth? It’s a collaboration with disabled performers and musicians and asks society a very pertinent question. Presented by Beth Rose.

Reading is often one of the first things to go when you're busy - your bag's already full and you've got your phone to play with - but could picking up a book be one simple way to help boost or maintain your mental health? It's Mental Health Awareness Week and here at BBC Ouch we're not missing out so this podcast is all about how a good book could be a good thing - and we're not talking self-help books - we're talking any and every genre. It's thought books can help you set targets and find focus, even if you can't get out of bed because of depression. They let you see that awkward situation you've been anxious about for weeks from someone else's perspective and you might even learn how to be empathetic or find your way into a new community. Presented by Niamh Hughes with Beth Rose, blogger Harriet Allner and academic Dr Paula Byrne

Tatyana McFadden was born in Russia with spina bifida - a deformity of the spine - and placed in a Russian orphanage. Aged six she was adopted by an American and became one of Team USA's most successful athletes. In the second part of the interview with the McFadden's, Tatyana's adopted mother, Deborah, talks about the rare illness which temporarily paralysed her from the neck down and Tatyana explains the snowy challenge she took on to meet up with her birth-mother. Presented by Beth Rose with Tatyana and Deborah McFadden. You can find a link to part one of the interview, From Russian orphan to Team USA, in the related links.

Verne Troyer played Mini-Me in the Austin Powers films. Following his recent death, fellow short person Eugene Grant says the character normalised violent attacks against others with dwarfism. Plus, as exam season gets underway, what’s it doing to your mental health? We talk to campaigner Jonny Benjamin, who runs mental health workshops in schools, and we hear how your teacher could have given you maths anxiety. And meet the artist who gives her drawings away - as therapy. Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty. (Photo: Verne Troyer Credit: Reuters) Clip of Britain’s Got Talent courtesy of FreemantleMedia

Tatyana McFadden was born in Russia with spina bifida - a deformity of the spine - and placed in Orphanage Three, Saint Petersburg. But at the age of six, a chance meeting with an American dignitary would change her life. She would discover wheelchair racing and go on to win 17 Paralympic medals and multiple marathon titles for Team USA, but there would also be a high profile legal battle against the US government. Presented by Beth Rose with Tatyana McFadden and her adopted mother, Deborah.

The game Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice has won many awards and fans for its story and the way it depicts psychosis. It follows Nordic warrior, Senua, on a quest to rescue the soul of her dead lover. She hears voices, and experiences hallucinations throughout, disorientating the player. Gamers and experts rate its portrayal of the mental illness - but does it go down well with people who have psychosis in real life? Danny Bowyer first experienced psychosis in his early 20s and has played the game. He explains how he hears voices continually - including while talking to the BBC Ouch team on this podcast. Presented by Beth Rose with Kathleen Hawkins and Niamh Hughes.

Comedian Lost Voice Guy tells Ouch that the late Stephen Hawking made it more acceptable for people like him, who speak using a voice synth. Also, should the professor's voice be used again by someone else? And the heat is getting turned up as we hear more stories from wheelchair-users like the BBC's Frank Gardner who have had their wheelchairs damaged when travelling by plane. And, as we continue our programme dedicated to Stephen Hawking, we speak with Peter Benie. He is one of the team who helped recreate Hawking's distinctive electronic voice because it was thought the original one which he had been using since the 80s, would break down. They managed to complete the long-running project just before he died. Baroness Jane Campbell and journalist Ellis Palmer are in the studio. Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty. Subscribe to Ouch wherever you get your podcasts. Like us, rate us and leave a nice review - this helps others find our programmes. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk Tweet @bbcouch and find us on Facebook. A transcript will appear on this page soon in the Related Links section below.

Inspirational speaking and work has long been a part of the disability landscape. But how do you inspire without sounding like a cliché? It’s a confidence boosting takeover on this week’s BBC Ouch podcast. Martyn Sibley and Amar Latif, both of whom are disabled, talk about how they try to instill positive thoughts in others, often using their own achievements to get people into a go-ahead mode. But they are both well aware that the word 'inspiration' can be used in a less than positive way when applied to disabled people. If you have an idea for a future programme, email ouch@bbc.co.uk. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast and, if you wouldn't mind, we'd be delighted if you reviewed us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from - it helps other people find us.

Two 19 year old women brought home all seven medals for Great Britain from the Winter Paralympics. On the last day, Menna Fitzpatrick and her guide Jennifer Kehoe won a gold medal in the visual impairment slalom. And it was bronze for Millie Knight and guide Brett Wild as the team hit their medal target. Moments after the British flag was raised and the national anthem sung the venue was being dismantled. So what’s next for the Winter Paralympics and PyeongChang? Presented by Beth Rose with JJ Chalmers and Chris Osborne.

Could you cover 60km on difficult terrain using just your arms? British Nordic Sit-Skier Scott Meenagh has attempted that this week in the Biathlon and Cross-Country events. He’s the first competitor Paralympics GB has had in Nordic Skiing for 20 years. Meenagh lost both legs after an explosion in Afghanistan. Beth Rose talks to her fellow presenter, JJ Chalmers, about their time in rehab together and the time Scott tested out his new prosthetics on a log-flume.

It’s the biggest crowd draw – the ice-hockey – and the locals came out in force to watch South Korea take on Canada. It was a match full of Mexican waves, K-pop and attempts to break the venue’s decibel record for the most amount of noise a crowd could make. With the home team playing, the stadium was packed and the players put on a show when it came to speed, crashes and smashes. Presented by Beth Rose with Chris Osborne.

We’re going for a younger sound in this week’s podcast. As part of BBC School Report day 2018, three disabled schoolchildren give us their take on life in the classroom and playground, and much more. Carys, Ashleigh and Kelsey take it in turns to answer questions pulled out of the Ouch tea caddy. Listen to find out what they think about mainstream v special school, uniforms and how the word “blind” translated badly on a trip to France. BBC School Report gives 11-18 year olds across the UK the chance to develop their media literacy skills and produce their own stories about subjects that matter to them. Produced by Lucy Edwards and Damon Rose.

More limbs are broken at the Paralympics than any other sporting event - prosthetic limbs to be precise. But the athletes need not fear, Ottobock provides a 24-hour emergency pit stop for repairs. They’ve already helped over 200 athletes since the winter Games began on 9 March, this includes a few rather unusual requests. Beth Rose spoke to Peter Franzel from the company.

From DJs to cheerleaders and a Gangnam Style dance off, the Paralympic snowboard cross competition was the place to be in PyeongChang. Three members of ParalympicsGB were competing - Ben Moore, James Barnes-Miller and Owen Pick - but missed out on the medals. Afterwards they had to head to the anti-doping tent to make sure they were free of banned substances, but why was being hydrated so bad for their tests? Presented by Beth Rose and Chris Osborne.

Not often, I imagine. But for Plymouth snowboarder Ben Moore that’s exactly how he made it on to the first ever ParalympicsGB snowboarding team, after he missed the bus to work when he was living in Canada. At the time Ben was coming to terms with a life-changing injury caused by a motorbike crash. Presented by Beth Rose.

From the stunning scenery to the unusual way the blind athletes measure their downhill performance, Beth Rose and Chris Osborne present this podcast - while attempting to use the ski lift. The GB team achieved its first medal on Saturday, day one. Millie Knight and her guide Brett Wild gained silver. It's been a tough 12 months for the pair who had two massive crashes which made Millie fearful of even putting on her skis. But the day wasn't so bright for fellow GB'ers Menna Fitzpatrick and her guide Jen Kehoe as they crashed out. Subscribe to this podcast for regular behind-the-scenes chat, interviews and analysis from Pyeongchang. Contact the team in South Korea on ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Instagram.

It was a freezing night in the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics - but we’re here to warm you up with the latest from the Games. We chat K-pop, skateboarding bears, North Korean athletes and toe-chilling weather after a night at the opening ceremony. On top of that, we meet the fans and supporters who beat the chill to watch the celebration. Presented by Beth Rose with Lily Freeston and Chris Osborne.

GB snowboarder Owen Pick talks to Beth Rose on the first edition of our podcast from the Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang. Back indoors, Beth and the BBC team chat about being in South Korea, robots, the upcoming opening ceremony... and the state of the snow. Subscribe to the feed and you'll receive our semi-sporty podcast almost every day from the big shivering disability event. Email the team in Pyeongchang on ouch@bbc.co.uk with any questions you would like to have answered and they will try to answer them. Also tweet @bbcouch and find us on Facebook and Instagram too.

Many women of childbearing age suffer from Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). Cramps, mood swings and anxiety are among the many symptoms that come around every month. They tend to start a few days before your period begins then disappear a few days later. But some women have symptoms so severe it stops them living a normal life and can cause mental ill health. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) affects around one in 20 women in the UK. Young mum Lucie tells the BBC’s Natasha Lipman how a hysterectomy was her final option.

How do you deal with chronic pain? Do you search for an answer or try to manage it long term? Former star of Grange Hill and lead singer of the 1980's band Monsoon, Sheila Chandra, lives with burning mouth syndrome. She describes it as "when you grab a hot cup of tea and take a huge mouthful of scolding tea....". Julia Buckley travelled the world searching for a cure for her Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). After taking part in a voodoo ritual in Haiti Julia finally found a healer in Brazil who took her pain away. We also speak to Mya Choudry from the EDS support group. And Ouch's Beth Rose gives us the lowdown on the upcoming Paralympics before she heads off to Pyeongchang. Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty. Produced by Damon Rose. We welcome your feedback. Subscribe, like, share or review us on Apple Podcasts or whichever service you get your podcasts from. The more you do this, the more you'll flag this programme to other disabled people who might appreciate it. Send us your ideas and feedback or just say hello: email ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook.

With just days to go before the Winter Paralympics get under way in South Korea there’s plenty to say about the Great Britain team. From medal hopes to new sports, the Russian doping scandal and a touch of…canoeing… GB’s Chef de Mission, Penny Briscoe gives us the lowdown on all things Paralympic – and explains what her job title actually means (hint: It’s nothing to do with cooking). Presented by Beth Rose.

It's a source of anxiety for many disabled people that they will be forever overlooked in the love stakes, or that it might be too hard for some people to keep a relationship going with them. On this week's takeover show from Ouch, three non-disabled women, Mel, Jo and Candy discuss the life they have with their disabled partners. Find out how Candy reacted when someone assumed she was either a carer or getting paid for being with her boyfriend. What special circumstances led to Mel being particularly positive about dating a disabled man. And how Jo thinks communication is the absolute key. Plus much more in an in-depth edition of the podcast you won't want to miss. Scroll down to related links for a transcript. Produced by Damon Rose. We'd like to hear about your relationship and how you make it work. Or perhaps you don't have a partner and believe your impairment is at the heart of the situation. email ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. Please like, share and give us 5 stars and a great review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast from. No pressure.

This week Amit Patel, owner of Kika the guide dog, has been in the news again. Last year BBC Ouch made a video about how he straps a video camera to her harness in order to record the looks, stares and reactions from people around him on the street. When he comes home, he shows it to his wife who gives him a commentary on what happened that Amit wasn't aware of ... or was suspicious of. Now that camera has caught a fellow London Underground commuter persistently asking Amit to move to one side on the escalator so he could pass - even though it might be dangerous. This podcast is a re-run of an interview with Amit a couple of weeks after his story gained all that initial attention last year. It's very interesting indeed. Stand by for a transcript. Like us, favourite us, share us. You can get in touch by emailing ouch@bbc.co.uk or tweeting @bbcouch - we're also on Facebook.

St Valentine's Day is almost here. It's a time for chocolates, champagne and swiping right. But disabled people often have some extra uncertainties to factor in. When is the right time to tell your internet date that you are disabled - before you meet, or when you meet? And is it much harder to snag a date if you're disabled and also transgender, for instance? Presenters Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty attempt to answer some of these questions with guests Mik Scarlet, Pipa Riggs, Mills and Boon author Ellie Darkin and Abbi Brown. The producer is Damon Rose. Please tell your friends about us. Like and share Ouch on social media, and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from.

Youtuber Stef Sanjati talks about her Waardenburg syndrome and being transgender.

Do you procrastinate to the point that you get very little done? And how do you break free? Presenters Mark Brown and Seaneen Molloy-Vaughan call it the Faff Zone and say it hijacks your mind. It's a mental health takeover on this week's BBC Ouch podcast. Drop in on the two as their lively and reassuring discussions give a bit of necessary focus and humour to living with mental health difficulties. We welcome your feedback. email ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. And please like, share and review the programme on your social media and podcast services - it helps those who would appreciate the programme to find it.

Ever been told “you can’t do that” in the gym because you’re disabled? Wheelchair-using gym instructor Kris Saunders-Stowe gives us the lowdown on everything you can do, including "wheelchair spinning" classes, and Bad Education star Jack Binstead talks about his love of the gym. We also talk to Becky who’s seeking a hot date on the latest series of The Undatables and do the public, whoever they are, still assume disabled people don't have sex? That's surely just a cliche, right? Wrong, says Kate - our host who's disabled and in a same-sex marriage, who found herself having a very awkward conversation at the hospital recently. Plus, Robin Christopherson talks about the latest technology trends which could make disabled peoples’ lives easier in 2018. Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty. Subscribe, like, share or review us on Apple Podcasts or whichever service you get your podcasts from. The more you do this, the more you'll flag this programme to other disabled people who might appreciate it. Send us your ideas and feedback or just say hello: email ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook.

In a festive first we pit BBC Washington Correspondent Gary O’Donoghue against Watchdog’s Nikki Fox and BBC Ouch’s Simon Minty in a ferocious battle over disability dilemmas. Would they disturb a couple getting close in an accessible loo if they were desperate? Would they swipe left or right on a dating app if the person in question was also disabled and we get the lowdown on the horror stories of appearing on Celebrity Mastermind. Presented by Beth Rose. Produced and edited by Emma Tracey and Helen Weaver.

Chris McCausland is a stand-up comedian from Liverpool and about to take on Live at the Apollo. Some of you might know him from his acting stint on the BBC1 drama series “Moving On” or from the CBeebies show “Me Too” where he plays Rudy, the market trader. Chris is also blind and he joined Ouch’s Lucy Edwards to have a chat and a laugh about comedy, his sight loss and about his upcoming TV appearance. (Live at the Apollo on 4 January 2018 on BBC2).

Fanny Fust was a young learning disabled woman who was kidnapped and forced to marry a man who was after her fortune in 18th Century Bristol. Her tale has been rewritten by an organisation called Openstorytellers who support people with learning disabilities. They use true stories about disabled people not only from history but from their own lives as well. As part of Disability History Month, Openstorytellers Clemma Fleat and Nicola Grove chatted to Ouch’s Emma Tracey. If you have an idea for a future programme, email ouch@bbc.co.uk. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast and, if you wouldn't mind, we'd be delighted if you reviewed us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from - it helps other people find us. Pic: Getty Images.

Chris Young describes himself as a cuddly and warm person but says that when dissociating due to borderline personality disorder nothing feels real, the world goes “seriously fuzzy” and touching his wife becomes “like handling meat”. He’s walking and talking his way around the UK to raise awareness of the condition. Also in studio are two young stroke survivors who fell in love, and US disability rights advocate Lawrence Carter-Long on why for him, the word disabled trumps differently abled or special needs. Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty. The Producer is Emma Tracey. Please tell your friends about us. Like and share Ouch on social media, and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from.

It seems that using the acronym LGBT has allowed people to talk more openly about gay community issues more easily. So, if the disabled community replaced the D-word with some letters, what would they be and would it sweep away the worries people have about using that word. First heard in February 2015. With Damon Rose, Kate Monaghan and Lee Kumutat Please tell your friends about us. Like and share Ouch on social media, and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from.

Robyn knows a lot about trumpet playing and Jamie watches hours of milling machine videos each night to wind down. They’re both autistic and love talking at length about what they call their “special interests” - that obsessive geekiness often considered a classic autism trait (just Google 'hacker' and 'Asperger' to get the gist). But while obsessing and learning can bring deep knowledge, its intensity can have a less positive side. (Scroll down the page to Related Links if you want to read the transcript) This is the first in a three-part series of the Robyn Jamie and Lion Show, where two autistic people and a helpful cuddly toy bring their unique perspective to BBC Ouch.

Jennifer Brea has ME, known to many as chronic fatigue syndrome, and is director of the multi-award winning documentary film Unrest. In it, she documents her personal journey by video on a smart phone - including those moments where she finds herself lying flat out on the floor. She and husband Omar spoke to the BBC's Natasha Lipman who also has the condition.

How does America’s Got Talent star Mandy Harvey hit the correct notes and tour successfully with a live band when she can’t hear? Why did a conversation in the radio studio change bipolar comedy songster Chris Smith’s stance on having children? And who were Bristol’s Brave Poor things? The latest BBC Ouch Talk Show is presented by Kate Monaghan and weather presenter Lucy Martin. Produced by Emma Tracey.

The Labour Party has suspended MP Jared O'Mara after he posted misogynistic and homophobic comments online, but who is he? BBC Ouch's Damon Rose met the MP earlier this year after O’Mara unexpectedly knocked former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg off his Sheffield Hallam seat in the general election. The 35-year-old, who was born and bred in Sheffield, has cerebral palsy and, for accessibility reasons, is the only MP to be allowed to wear a t-shirt in the House of Commons.

Ambulances were white when Damon lost his sight over 30 years ago and Lucy’s mental image of her sister, Alice, hasn’t changed since she went blind in 2013. Having been born blind, Emma has no real interest in what colour represents. The three blind journalists take a light-hearted look at what colour does and doesn’t mean to them with the help of token sighted person Beth. If you have an idea for a future programme, email ouch@bbc.co.uk. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast and, if you wouldn't mind, we'd be delighted if you reviewed us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from - it helps other people find us.

Is Robyn the only autistic person who doesn’t love fidget-spinners? And what's this about Jamie's T-shirt? We gave two autistic people free rein in a studio with a tin full of questions only “neurotypicals” would ask. The result is an entertaining and enlightening chat about stimming, social gatherings and sensory overload. This podcast is one of a series of takeovers, produced by Damon Rose and Emma Tracey. If you have an idea for a future programme, email ouch@bbc.co.uk. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast and, if you wouldn't mind, we'd be delighted if you reviewed us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from - it helps other people find us.

They're talked about a lot at the moment, but can "sex robots" help disabled people? Also, the disabled teen punk who left home to find an independent life for herself in the less-accessible 80s. And the action movie where sign language is a super-power. Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty. Subscribe to the Ouch podcast and have our programmes delivered to your device every week. And please like, review and share Ouch so that others can find it more easily.

Vlogger Charles Michael Duke, 22, posts comedy songs and videos about life with cystic fibrosis on YouTube. People with CF shouldn’t meet face to face due to fear of cross-contamination. So they hang out online, where Charles feeds the community with his niche CF references such as having fingers like ET and potent flatulence caused by a low-functioning pancreas. The Southampton-based actor has been waiting two and a half years for a double lung transplant and is working hard to stay well enough for the operation. Interview by Emma Tracey Subscribe to Ouch, share it on social media and be sure to review it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from, so that others who are interested in disability and mental health can find us more easily.

Being part of the male gay scene can be tricky when you “wobble and spasm like I do” says Robert Softley Gale. The actor with cerebral palsy says there is also a lack of accessibility in "queer" pubs and clubs. But for now Robert has a big enough challenge putting on tights in his new touring stage show Blanche and Butch, where he plays a drag queen. Interview by Emma Tracey. Subscribe to Ouch, share it on social media and be sure to review it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from, so that others who are interested in disability and mental health can find us more easily.

Ria found herself in prison after she set light to her home when she was in it. She had been suffering from psychosis brought on by distress at the death of a friend. While on remand, she worked hard to make herself better. With Beth Rose and Damon Rose Subscribe to Ouch, share it on social media and be sure to review it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from so that others who are interested in disability and mental health can find us more easily.

Warning: this programme contains discussion of a sexual nature. Disabled writer and performer Penny Pepper join the team this week. (see Related Links for a transcript) This is a replay of a fascinating interview from early 2016. Pepper talks openly about how she found out about the joys of sex thanks to friends at a hospital boarding school she was at in the 1970s. Though the interview is full of humour and tips, Pepper has some serious messages for disabled people about intimacy with those you can trust. There's also a surprising revelation about cotton buds that we'll gloss over now but you can hear in full on the podcast. We're going red just thinking about it. Rate us, review us, share us. It's the disability podcast everyone should hear.

The playwright who experiences pain as sounds and pictures, Tourettes Hero Jess Thom on performing Beckett’s play Not I, the comedian with cerebral palsy whose slow speech is part of her act and the man whose poem OCD has 62 million YouTube hits. The sounds and images in The Shape of the Pain represent how playwright Rachel Bagshaw experiences chronic pain so accurately, that watching her own show makes it worse. Rosie Jones’ slow talking speed is a feature of her stand-up comedy routine. The funny woman with cerebral palsy offers her take on this month’s disability news. Jess Thom’s relaxed performance of Beckett’s Not I has been adapted to work with her untypical brain and body. She can’t quite believe how much “a non-disabled dead man” has captured her experience of Tourettes syndrome. Neil Hilborn is a performance poet with diagnoses of bipolar and obsessive compulsive disorder. His poem OCD has 62 million YouTube hits but he performs a new piece exclusively for us at the end of the show. Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Produced by Emma Tracey, the production assistant was Paul Johnston. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast and, if you wouldn't mind, we'd be delighted if you could review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from - it helps other people find us.

Lost Voice Guy uses an iPad to speak and has become an expert handler of awkward questions as a result. “Can you really not talk?” and “have you ever tried to speak to see what would happen?” are just two questions put to the comedian with cerebral palsy by drunk people after gigs. His many witty comebacks, including pretending he has a side-line as a satellite navigation system, are revealed in the 2nd of our podcasts from the BBC Ouch storytelling night at this year’s Edinburgh Festival. Also featured are Maura, an autistic woman with hair envy and “the social skills of a used teabag”, and Frank, who was rescued from a partial seizure by Al Pacino. The show is presented by Sofie Hagen and the producer is Ed Morrish. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast and, if you wouldn't mind, we'd be delighted if you could review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from - it helps other people find us.

Awkward! This week’s podcast, the first of two recorded live in Scotland, is all about a badly timed dislocation, a wheelchair user who stunned a nun by walking and the depressed man who got too good at pretending to like people. BBC Ouch recently took five listeners and two comedians to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where they told awkward tales relating to their disability or mental health difficulty to a live audience. It happened to Abbi Brown when she stunned a praying Parisian nun by getting up and walking away from her wheelchair. Angela Clarke forgot to tell a masseuse that her bones regularly dislocate, with predictably humorous consequences. Mark Granger’s social butterfly persona masks his depression and a genuine dislike of people so well that even the briefest of interactions can give them the wrong impression – especially single ladies. And awkward interactions with people won’t stop comedian Juliette Burton talking about her mental health and eating disorders at gigs. Presented by Sofie Hagen. Produced by Ed Morrish. This is the first of two podcasts from Ouch’s Storytelling Live event in Scotland. Next week we’ll meet Lost Voice Guy, an autistic woman with hair-envy and the man with a surprising Al Pacino-related strategy for combatting his non-epileptic seizures. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast and, if you wouldn't mind, we'd be delighted if you could review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from - it helps other people find us.

No doctors, no charities, no family members - just a frank conversation between two women with chronic illness, about navigating life when energy is at a premium. Faced with a box of random questions such as “do people think you’re lazy?” researcher Catherine Hale and blogger Natasha Lipman praise left-overs for dinner, extreme flexible working and the online chronic illness community. Ironing, and suggestions like “have you ever tried telling it to just go away?” get short shrift. This podcast is one in a series of monthly Ouch take-overs, produced by Damon Rose and Emma Tracey. If you have an idea for a future take-over, email ouch@bbc.co.uk. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast and, if you wouldn't mind, we'd be delighted if you could review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from - it helps other people find us.

With stories of running away to Skegness aged 14 and the culture-clash of going from a council estate to Cambridge University, it’s fair to say Allan Hennessy stole the show this month. He’s that visually impaired Iraqi refugee whose recent BBC video went viral after he graduated with a first class law degree. Also in the studio is autistic trumpeter Robyn Steward who sparked a lively debate on the language of disability. And playwright Jackie Hagan recalls the weeks after her leg amputation when she had to use a food bank. She was forced to leave a trail of elderflower water and custard creams behind her because the parcel was too heavy to carry home while she was using her crutches. Jackie's play, Cosmic Scallies, about disability, poverty and friendship, is at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer. Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty.

Comedian John Scott was labelled schizophrenic for five years before he ended up in crisis in hospital and face-to-face with the psychologists who had gone to his show. During their night out the medics had decided the performer they were watching was definitely bipolar. The chance encounter meant the second time they met - in hospital - John was correctly diagnosed and treated. John has experienced psychotic delusions, but he doesn’t think they are talked about widely enough, so he’s made them the subject of his latest comedy show Delusions, which will be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. During his interview John touches upon self-medication and some of the causes and content of his delusions, which may affect you if you're having a tricky time at the moment. With Emma Tracey and Beth Rose. Write and tell us what you're up to - email ouch@bbc.co.uk, tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast and, if you wouldn't mind, we'd be delighted if you could review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from - it helps other people find us.

Mark Neary’s recurring nightmare is that six months after his own death, son Steven who has autism and learning disabilities will end up in a residential unit similar to the one where he was detained in 2010. Later that same year, a human rights court case ruled that Steven’s detention was unlawful. Nowadays he lives independently, with support painstakingly managed by dad, Mark. It's a tough thing to have to think about. Routine is vital for Steven, so Mark hopes that a comprehensive death plan document including everything from details on paying staff to instructions for making compilation tapes, will ensure Steven thrives after he’s gone. With Emma Tracey. Write and tell us what you're up to - Email ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast and, if you wouldn't mind, we'd be delighted if you could review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from - it helps other people find us.

Dr Hannah Barham-Brown made the news recently after revealing she couldn't afford the fairly modest £2,000 wheelchair she wanted but managed to raise the money through online crowdfunding in just 24 hours. She says what was being offered for free wasn’t fit for purpose. Barham-Brown talks about navigating a busy hospital on wheels and how she is very used to talking about disability because many of her family were disabled but not with the same impairment as her, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (which she explains in fulll on the programme). She has learnt some unexpected things in 18 months of using a wheelchair, including the fact that it can make your boobs bigger. With Emma Tracey. Write and tell us what you're up to - Email ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast and, if you wouldn't mind, we'd be delighted if you could review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from - it helps other people find us.

Meet heavyweight boxer Joe Joyce who was born almost 30 years ago to his mum Marvel Opara, then a teenager with a visual impairment. The mother and son combo from London have done many challenges together but have now gone solo - Joe won silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics and Marvel is about to climb Kilimanjaro. Glaswegian comedian Ray Bradshaw is a child of deaf adults - also known as a CODA. His 2017 Edinburgh Fringe show, Deaf Comedy Fam, is about growing up with parents who can't hear and he plans to simultaneously sign and speak it which is even harder than you might imagine, apparently. From helping pay the bills through to pointing out the right bus, Joe and Ray trade stories on life with disabled parents. Also, Samantha Renke discusses accessible housing in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster and Naomi Lawson-Jacobs tells us about Autistic Pride Day. Plus Kate Monaghan saves someone's life this month. Presented by Simon Minty and Kate Monaghan. Produced by Emma Tracey. Write and tell us what you're up to - Email ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast and, if you wouldn't mind, we'd be delighted if you could review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from - it helps other people find us.

Meet Jared O'Mara. He's the MP who knocked former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg off his Sheffield Hallam seat in the recent General Election. It was one of the most talked about scalpings from the early hours of 9 June and O'Mara himself didn't expect to win. [Find a full transcript in the Related Links section below] The 35 year-old was born and bred in Sheffield and has cerebral palsy. A former activist, he knows his disability politics well and proudly says his impairment is part of him and it has helped create the man he is. With Damon Rose and Beth Rose. Write and tell us what you're up to - Email ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast and, if you wouldn't mind, we'd be delighted if you review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from - it helps other people find us. Share and like Ouch too. Thanks. Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty are back next week with another installment of their hour-long monthly talk show. That's all on this feed.

Fewer than 6% of people with a learning disability have a job. Government figures show that disability employment rates are going up but Mencap says that employment in this group is going down. Mencap's CEO Jan Tregelles and employee Vijay Patel, who has a learning disability, came in to tell us how things could be different. Patel loves his work and says it’s unfair that more people with learning disabilities aren’t given the chance to be employed. Some great insight and depth in this programme, it's well worth a listen. With the Ouch team: Damon Rose, Beth Rose and Emma Tracey. Write and say hello - Email ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast and please review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts from - it helps other people to find us.

The podcast this week dives into some of the stats and happenings around disability at the 2017 general election with two interesting guests. [For a transcript, scroll down to the Related Links section on this page] "Deaf people were more engaged than during any other election," says Charlie Swinbourne, editor of popular deaf news blog Limping Chicken. Facebook and other social networks allowed British sign language users to easily post videos, and deaf politics groups were over-run with comments on community matters. Eleanor Lisney is one of the founders of hashtag #CripTheVoteUK, a campaign to get lots more disabled people voting. Find out how many users they reached and how it got into the UK's trending top 5. As this was a snap election, there was less time than usual to produce party manifestos in alternative formats like BSL and easy read ... so they were published very close to polling day, rather late in the day says Daniel Gordon who worked on Ouch's election coverage. We discuss how this impacted on those who need extra time and support to make a decision. Presented by Emma Tracey with Dan Gordon. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. Tell us what you think, and tell us your story. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast. Please review us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. If you do this then more people who'd like the show will get to hear about it. And you can help too by sharing it, and liking it on Twitter or Facebook. We're back next week.

Tom Skelton adds his bizarre sense of humour to the Ouch podcast and talks about his forthcoming Edinburgh Fringe show Blind Man's Bluff. (Scroll down to the Related Links section to find a transcript) In the show he brings historical blind figures to life to help him tell the tale of his sight loss eight years ago. But they’re not the usual blind role models you might think of - gone is David Blunkett, in is Samson of Old Testament fame who went blind after having his strength-giving hair chopped off. And have you ever heard of Bella the Blind? - a Hungarian king of old. Skelton's sight difficulties come courtesy of a disorder which has been passed down through his family, known as Leber hereditary optic neuropathy. He talks to Simon Minty and Kate Monaghan about this and admits he hasn’t spoken seriously about it before. And then he and Kate flirt. A lot. Produced by Damon Rose. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. Tell us what you think, and tell us your story. You can subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast. It's about disability, but it's also not. Please review Ouch on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts - people who'd like the show will get to hear about it if you help us with this small request. Please also like and share it on Twitter or Facebook. See you next Friday

This podcast contains discussions about suicide. If you are struggling at the moment, you may choose to leave this episode for another day. Why are so many students dropping out of university due to mental health problems? And what's so great about disability-focused private Facebook groups? Comedian and mental health campaigner Juliette Burton, and TV personality Mik Scarlet, take us through the stories grabbing their attention on social media this month with good humour and the benefit of their personal experience. "I can't face another winter with multiple sclerosis," said Colin, in a TV interview about plans to end his life at a Swiss clinic. Fellow MSer Rona was watching, and realising he lived locally, tracked Colin down and convinced him to halt the process. They have since become friends. In an emotional conversation for everyone around the table, Colin and Rhona discuss how a person comes to contemplate assisted suicide, the support that is and should be available for people with MS, and stem cell treatment. Presented by Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty. The producer was Damon Rose. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. Tell us what you think, and tell us your story. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast. It's not about disability, it's just disability-ish. Please review us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. If you do this then more people who'd like the show will get to hear about it. And you can help too by sharing it, and liking it on Twitter or Facebook. We're back next week.

London poet Raymond Antrobus was thought to be dyslexic with severe learning disabilities, until his deafness was discovered at the age of six. (for a transcript, scroll down this page and find it in Related Links) At school, the hearing kids taunted him because he had to sit at the front to hear the teacher, and deaf kids called him a "baby signer" because he came to British Sign Language late and wasn't as proficient as the rest of them. Later, Raymond became a teacher himself and now also writes poetry about speech therapy and other experiences deaf people have. Here, he talks eloquently about his life and reads two new poems for us. With Emma Tracey, Beth Rose and Damon Rose. Please share this programme on social media, plus rate it and leave comments on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts from. If you want to get in touch, email ouch@bbc.co.uk, tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. WHAT IS OUCH ALL ABOUT? We think it's an intelligent and funny insight into being disabled, made by people who know. The Radio Festival think it's an "authentic" disability voice. Social workers call it a "resource". And The Telegraph said it's the best thing about the BBC's website and it's "not too patronising" - which was nice of them really. At the beginning of each month you'll find a new hour-long roundtable talk show from Ouch. And every Friday for the rest of the month we do shorter 15 minute interviews or team chats usually about topical stuff, but sometimes we do random chats if something has caught our attention or made us laugh.

Why office treats and commenting on people’s lunch choices can be unhelpful (Scroll down to the Related links section to find a transcript of this podcast) Eleanor Bowes struggled with bulimia at university but now works in an office and, perhaps due to her food related difficulties, has noticed a rise in “cake culture” – where people bring treats in to share. Because she has found this difficult, and knows others do too, she has put together some tips for supporting people with eating problems at work. Suggestions include not pressurising colleagues to take part in food, alcohol or sports related activities, keeping treats in the kitchen, and not commenting on the lunch choices of co-workers. With Emma Tracey, Beth Rose and Damon Rose. Please share this programme on social media, plus rate it and leave comments on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts from. If you want to get in touch, email ouch@bbc.co.uk, tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook.

Dave Mercer had been married for three years when he had encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, which changed his personality and relationship forever. He says the illness turned him into a "moody teenager" with behavioural problems. His wife says if she met him now, she would never marry him. (scroll down to the Related links section to find a transcript of this podcast) During rehabilitation Dave started going to Headway East London, a brain injury charity, and discovered a passion for art that hadn't existed before his illness. BBC Ouch's Beth Rose and Helen Weaver met Dave at the pop-up Submit To Love Gallery in Hoxton where brain injury survivors have been selling their art. Please share this programme on social media, plus rate it and leave comments on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts from. If you want to get in touch, email ouch@bbc.co.uk, tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook.

The snap general election is on the horizon so it would be remiss of a disability podcast if we didn't look at the accessibility of voting. It may be 2017, many might assume we've solved these issues by now, but it is still a work in progress. Meet Jordan Smith who has mild learning difficulties and Tracey Garcia from charity Dimensions who tell us more (A transcript can be found in the related links section of this page) In our look at social media this month, the creator of hashtag #disabledandcute, Keah Brown, goes for Netflix's teen suicide drama 13 Reasons Why, and she explains #cripthevoteuk. Then we meet Claire Connon and vlogger Carrie Beckwith-Fellows - both of whom don't eat food. Instead they have nutrients intravenously fed to them, in one case, directly into the heart. How does it all work? Presenters Simon Minty and Kate Monaghan ask Claire and Carrie the top questions: Does it mean you no longer poo? And if you invite a date back to your bedroom... how do you casually introduce the fact you've got tubes hanging out of you? Email ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. Tell us what you think, and tell us your story. Subscribe to Ouch as a weekly podcast. It's not about disability, it's just disability-ish. Please review us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. If you do this then more people who'd like the show will get to hear about it. And you can help too by sharing it, and liking it on Twitter or Facebook. We're back next week.

Actor Mat Fraser speaks with Ouch's Emma Tracey about his role in Richard III at the Hull Truck theatre starting in May. (A transcript can be found in the related links section of this page) The outspoken and hilarious Fraser discusses everything from queuing for a plane through to kickboxing and acting in this wide-ranging conversation. A must listen. Please like, share and review this podcast on iTunes and wherever you are enjoying it or downloading your podcasts from. Contact us by emailing ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. We want to hear from you. Email us and say hi, tell us what you'd like to hear on the podcast, and let us know how you think we're doing. Back next week with an hour-long monthly talk show with Simon Minty and Kate Monaghan.

In a bit of a first for us, interlopers Seaneen Molloy-Vaughan and Mark Brown takeover the Ouch podcast to discuss a matter they fully know the ins and outs of - mental health. And they bring a fascinating personal angle to it. Launched by the younger royals, the Heads Together campaign has been all over the newsmedia this week with great responses to their calls to smash the stigma and 'talk' about mental health. Amongst other things, our two podcast hijackers discuss how some mental health difficulties are less easily understood by the public and so harder to bring out into the open. And they wonder what the next step is after sharing the fact you are having difficulties. Please share this programme and rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. If you want to get in touch with us, email ouch@bbc.co.uk, tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. Next week, on this very page, we'll be putting up some more info about this week's hosts Seaneen and Mark so you know where they're coming from and can share a tweet with them.

This is the final in a series of seven entertaining and enlightening stories from people who are disabled or have mental health difficulties on the subject of love and relationships. In this edition, Harriet Dyer's best friend and boyfriend blamed her "paranoia" on her mental health difficulties, but she soon found out they were having an affair, a discovery which landed her in a police cell. The stories were recorded in March 2017 at an event held by BBC Ouch at the Backyard Comedy Club in London. Share this page on social media and pop over to iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts from, and be sure to rate and review the Ouch podcast. Tell us what you think by emailing ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook.

This is the sixth in a series of seven entertaining and enlightening stories from people who are disabled or have mental health difficulties on the subject of love and relationships. In this edition, Gianluca Trombetta, who is deaf, confesses he hated it when his girlfriend talked before he was ready to listen, so he decided to teach her a lesson. The stories were recorded in March 2017 at an event held by BBC Ouch at the Backyard Comedy Club in London. Share this page on social media and pop over to iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts from, and be sure to rate and review the Ouch podcast. Tell us what you think by emailing ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook.

This is the fourth in a series of seven entertaining and enlightening stories from people who are disabled or have mental health difficulties on the subject of love and relationships. In this edition, Georgie Morrell speaks about the loss of her sight in her 20s and having to give up her "sexy London life", until her brother played a prank on her - and taught her how to laugh and live life again. The stories were recorded in March 2017 at an event held by BBC Ouch at the Backyard Comedy Club in London. Share this page on social media and pop over to iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts from, and be sure to rate and review the Ouch podcast. Tell us what you think by emailing ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook.

This month's talk-show is all about the stage as playwright Nicola Werenowska reveals her new play is based on her late diagnosis of dyspraxia. Director Stephen Unwin talks about how his disabled son, Joey, inspired him to look through the history books and create a play about disabled children in Nazi Germany. And musician Ruth Patterson chats about her band Holy Moly and the Crackers. Presented by Simon Minty and Kate Monaghan, produced by Emma Tracey. If you want to contact us email ouch@bbc.co.uk, tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook. Rate and review us on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts from, it helps people to find the show. Also, please like us and share our programme on your social media.

This is the third in a series of seven entertaining and enlightening stories from people who are disabled or have mental health difficulties on the subject of love and relationships. In this edition, John talks about how he liked to make sure everyone felt just as miserable as he did when he was depressed, until a chance argument over an audition led him to finding the "light in his life" in the form of his long-term girlfriend. The stories were recorded in March 2017 at an event held by BBC Ouch at the Backyard Comedy Club in London. Share this page on social media and pop over to iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts from, and be sure to rate and review the Ouch podcast. Tell us what you think by emailing ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook.

Men rarely talk about male sexual function when it goes wrong, if you know what I mean. So when Mik Scarlet became impotent after his spine collapsed he fell into depression, didn't talk about it, and wondered how he could possibly have an intimate relationship with anyone. (scroll down to Related Links for a transcript of this programme) But then, entirely by accident, a solution arose. You won't be surprised when we tell you this programme contains adult themes. And a big thanks to Mik for being so open about this subject. We hope it'll help others. It's also funny and fascinating. Please rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts - it helps this podcast to be heard by others who would enjoy it or find it useful. Contact us on Facebook, tweet us @bbcouch or email ouch@bbc.co.uk - tell us what you thought of this programme and what you'd like to hear more of. We're continuing to broadcast more Storytelling podcasts on this feed and mix them in with our regular shows. Kate and Simon are back on April 7 with the hour-long talk show.

This is the second in a series of seven entertaining and enlightening stories from people who are disabled or have mental health difficulties, all of which are on the subject of love and relationships. In this edition, Ruby - who had never stepped on a stage before this night - talked about a disastrous date which fell foul of her co-ordination and other symptoms due to dyspraxia. (please scroll down to Related Links to find a transcript of this programme) The stories were recorded in March 2017 at an event held by Ouch at the Backyard Comedy Club in London. Share this page on social media and pop over to iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts from, and be sure to rate and review the Ouch podcast. Tell us what you think by emailing ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook.

Sofie Hagen presents our short series of entertaining and enlightening stories from people who are disabled or have mental health difficulties. This is one of seven podcasts which will go out over the next few weeks, all of which are on the subject of love and relationships. In this edition, the Danish comic tells her own story about the relationships she has with her therapist,friends and food. Share this page on social media and pop over to iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts from, and be sure to rate and review the Ouch podcast. Feedback by emailing ouch@bbc.co.uk tweet @bbcouch and find us on Facebook.