Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

The Autumn Budget was pronounced today and, as expected, it came with some changes to VAT exemptions on higher-end Motability cars and the types available. Emma Vogelmann from Transport for All gives us the charity's reaction.It's the BBC's Scam Safe week and, as Trading Standards reveal that neurodivergent people are 50% more likely to fall for a scam, we speak with cybersecurity expert Holly Foxcroft, about why the figures are so high. Holly is autistic and lives with "thriving ADHD".Former BBC editor Mark Mardell made headlines a few weeks ago when Turkish Airlines refused to let him fly without a doctor's note, owing to his Parkinson's. Mark has an update on what he's planning to do next to stop anyone else experiencing what he went through.Presented by Emma Tracey with Hayley ClarkeSound mixed by Dave O'NeillSeries producer is Beth RoseEditor is Damon Rose

In this insightful discussion, BBC journalist Alex Taylor shares a jarring experience of being targeted in a TikTok prank, exploring the intersection of disability and public harassment. Award-winning podcaster Grace Gigi Ogun dives into her journey with Crohn's and kidney cancer, revealing her innovative self-care strategies and the cathartic power of podcasting. Nichola Griffith pays tribute to Alice Wong, highlighting her impactful writing and community-building efforts in the disability space, encouraging listeners to cherish her legacy.

Comedian and author Cariad Lloyd says her "heart exploded" when she was invited to take part in her latest TV project, Playtime.The show sees neurodivergent comedians work alongside students who receive SEND support to come up with a play and perform it. Joining the conversation is Playtime’s autistic director, Céin McGillicuddy, who explains the joy of making the programme in just one day.Emily and Olivia are sisters who run Wheely Good Ceramics. They tell Access All how they have worked together to create a successful business - Olivia throws and sculpts the products while Emily mouth paints the designs.Comedian, TV star and disability consultant, Simon Minty, joins Emma in the studio throughout.Presented by Emma Tracey with Simon Minty Sound mixed by Dave O'Neill Produced by Emma Tracey and Alex Collins Series producer is Beth Rose Editor is Lisa Baxter

After a summer of discontent and rebellions around welfare reform, the government has announced how it will look into the future of Personal Independence Payments (Pip) with the Timms Review, named after the Government minister in charge. That Minister is Sir Stephen Timms and he joins Emma to reveal who will be working with him on the review and how you can get involved. He also admits delays with Access to Work are getting worse, not better. Natasha Bloor had no idea she would be making headlines when she decided to train as a hairdresser. But the deaf stylist who communicates in British Sign Language (BSL) has become quite the hit, with deaf people from around the world flying in and booking their appointments with her so they can relax and chat while in the salon. Disabled influencer Eliza Rain, aka Disabled Eliza, also joins Emma Tracey in the studio to chat about what she does, and rolling, not running, the London Marathon. Presented by Emma Tracey Sound mixed by Dave O'Neill Produced by Emma Tracey and Alex Collins Series producer is Beth Rose Editor is Damon Rose

There have been lots of rumours and speculation around Motability recently, especially when it comes to eligibility and price rises. The scheme enables some disabled people to lease and adapt vehicles using an element of their Personal Independence Payments. We get myth-busting with the CEO of the Motability Foundation, Nigel Fletcher, to find out what's really going on.And buildings around the world will turn purple next week as part of Purple Tuesday - an initiative to improve the consumer experience for disabled people. Founder of the event, Mike Adams, reveals it's reached countries including Pakistan and Malaysia and has inspired companies to pledge commitments including the six-second rule...Presented by Emma Tracey and Paul CarterSound mixed by Dave O'NeillProduced by Emma Tracey and Alex CollinsSeries producer is Beth Rose and this episode's editor was Lisa Baxter

The first driverless taxis are coming to London in 2026 courtesy of Google's sister company, Waymo. They'll be on trial in the capital, but will they become an access wonder or woe?Emma Tracey and Paul Carter quiz Amanda Ventura from Waymo on all the ins and outs on what the new vehicles could mean for disabled people. We also speak to American tech journalist, Steve Aquino, who as a man with anxiety and a visual impairment loves using them to get out and about. And we find out if Emma Vogelmann, the co-CEO of Transport for All, and a powerchair user, would take one for a spin.Plus, our very own producer Amy Elizabeth is in the studio because she has just won Carer of the Year! As well as juggling a career as a journalist, Amy decided to move in with her grandmother, Helen, who has been living with dementia for 10 years.Produced by Alex Collins, Kevin Satizabal Carrascal and Amy ElizabethSound mixed by Dave O'NeillSeries producer is Beth RoseEditor is Damon Rose

Since appearing on Strictly Come Dancing last year, and winning, comedian Chris McCausland tells Access All that he's "more open" and hadn't appreciated that showing vulnerability and a struggle to achieve really connects with people. Tune in for a really insightful conversation between Chris and Emma Tracey, who is blind like Chris, and asks questions other interviewers would never think of. He also talks about how he sometimes does up to three shows a day on his current stand-up tour. Paul Carter presents in Emma's absence as we return to the ongoing worries about the Access to Work (ATW) scheme and how campaigners like Dr Shani Dhanda from pressure group the Access To Work Collective believe cuts are happening with no announcement. Disability Correspondent Nikki Fox brings us up to date with this week's ATW figures which have just been released to show how much the government has spent on the scheme this last year.Sound mixing by Dave O'Neill, produced by Kevin Satizabal Carrascal and Alex Collins. It was series produced by Beth Rose with Damon Rose as editor. Share the podcast, please, subscribe on BBC Sounds or on your preferred podcast platform, or listen to us on your smart speaker by saying "Ask the BBC for Access All". Email Emma or Paul on accessall@bbc.co.uk.

Black people are four more times likely to be sectioned compared to white people, according to the mental health charity, Mind. That number is rising, but why?As the new Mental Health Act 2025 rumbles through Parliament, hoping to address some of these inequalities, we meet Shocka, a former member of the grime collective, Marvell. He has been sectioned four times and tells us what time in a psychiatric unit can feel like. Kadra Abdinasir, Associate Director of Policy for the Centre for Mental Health, joins us too to talk about why a framework around racial inequalities is crucial to improved mental health outcomes for black people and other minority groups, and the worry she and others have that it won’t be included as a priority in the Act and legally binding.Actress and model Ellie Goldstein has made a strong start in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing competition with her professional partner, Vito Coppola. We go behind the fake tan and sequins with Sam, who has learning disabilities, and his dance teacher, Jo Banham from Sensational Care Provisions, to find out how the duo might be pacing themselves, the moves that might not work for them and how they are managing to learn a new dance every week.Presented by Emma Tracey with Kirsteen Knight Sound mixed by Dave O’Neill Produced by Emma Tracey and Kevin Satizabal Carrascal Series producer is Beth Rose Editor is Damon Rose

John Davidson has been the poster boy for Tourette syndrome since 1988, when a documentary about him called ‘John’s Not Mad’ aired on BBC One. It showed the then 16-year-old from the Scottish Borders, living with explosive, often sweary tics, in a world that didn’t understand the condition. Three decades on, we’re much more aware of Tourette syndrome and that’s in no small part down to John and his campaigning. Now, a film based on his life - ‘I Swear’ - starring Maxine Peake and Robert Aramayo is about to be released.In this episode, John talks to Emma Tracey about the challenges of teenage tics, being shut in a school cupboard by a teacher so he didn’t distract the class, and the impact the physical tics are having on his joints and muscles as he gets older. Presented by Emma Tracey Sound mixed by Dave O’Neill Produced by Emma Tracey and Cordelia Hemming Series producer is Beth Rose Senior News Editor is Lisa Baxter

It's not often the BBC has to debunk announcements made by presidents for public health reasons - but that's the case this week after President Trump claimed that taking Paracetamol during pregnancy may cause autism. We speak with Eric Garcia, an autistic political journalist in the US, who tells us what the autism community is saying and why focusing on the mother as the catalyst for autism has unpleasant echoes from the past. How would you feel if a major European football club took a video of you and seemingly used it for fun in one of their social media videos? We speak to Welsh TikTok creator, Jessie Yendle, who had thought she was teaching the world about stammering but got a hurtful surprise. Plus comedian Juliette Burton joins Emma Tracey to shoot the breeze about some of the disability stories around including Blue Badge fraud and what the new DWP chief told BBC employment correspondent, Zoe Conway. Sound mixed by Dave O'Neill, producers were Beth Rose and Emma Tracey, the editor is Damon Rose. Email accessall@bbc.co.uk and say to your smart speaker "Ask BBC Sounds for Access All"