Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

For years, many people living with ME and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have battled to have their experiences of ill health heard and validated. Now, two recent studies have shown there could be differences within their blood and DNA compared to the general population. We meet the scientist behind the research – Professor Chris Ponting – and Laura Boyles who has been living with the condition for 15 years.Blind podcaster, Evie Roberts, has only just finished her GCSEs but is already getting A listers to appear on her show and is keeping Emma Tracey on her toes.And we meet our second professor of the day – Professor Cathy Bully – who’s part of the team behind a new shoe which is helping people with foot drop, walk again. And in one case get back into the mountains, hiking. Presented by Emma Tracey with Kirsteen Knight Sound mixed by David O’Neill Produced by Alex Collins Series producer is Beth Rose Editor is Damon Rose

When Sarah Ezekiel was 34 and pregnant with her second child she was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). She lost the use of her hands and all “intelligible speech” within months, and her marriage broke down. Twenty-five years later, a family VHS tape filmed in the 1990s, resurfaced. Amongst the blaring TV and people talking in the background was eight seconds of Sarah chatting - barely audible at best. Despite the unlikelihood of rescuing anything from it, assistive tech company Smartbox set to work. Simon Poole looped and cleaned the scratchy audio with a variety of tools until the cockney accent and lisp , Sarah used to hate, returned in all their glory. Sarah can now use her own voice with her eye gaze technology. For her now grown-up children, Aviva and Eric, it was the first time they had ever heard their mother’s voice. Presenter: Emma Tracey Sound design: Dave O’Neill Producers: Emily Selvadurai and Beth Rose Editor: Damon Rose

Be kind to yourself, GCSE and A-Level results are on the horizon and some of us get much higher doses of anxiety and stress than others Emma Tracey, with BBC journalist Hayley Clarke, examine the experience for neurodivergent students and give some tips on the build up. They talk to Paddy, who went through difficulties at school thanks to his OCD brain, and feared the very worst when his A-level results came around. He is now a YoungMinds activist shouting out for other young people. And they chat with Dr Sarah Hughes, who never got her GCSE in maths, but is now CEO of Mind. The boss of a hugely respected national charity! Parents, she has your back here too.We also have your feedback on what disability minister Sir Stephen Timms told us recently, a chip shop made from felt, and Lewis Capaldi's disability anthem.Access All has disability stories in the way you want to hear them. Mail us your experiences: accessall@bbc.co.uk or find us on social media MIXED BY: Dave O'Neill PRODUCER: Alex Collins SERIES PRODUCER: Beth Rose EDITOR Damon RoseSay to your smart speaker: "Ask BBC Sounds for Access All".

Access All’s Emma Tracey chats to three comedians taking to the stage at Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer. Joe Tracini has been battling with borderline personality disorder (BPD) his whole life but is in a good place and ready to wow the crowds in Scotland with his show, alongside the negative voice in his head, Mick. This year marks 20 years since comedy troupe Abnormally Funny People was formed, made up of a collection of comedians with disabilities or mental health conditions. Two of those performing this year include Juliette Burton and Harriet Dyer. Juliette talks about the A-Z of conditions she’s been diagnosed with since she was a teenager and how a recent diagnosis of autism and ADHD may have just made the previous 30 years of her life make sense. And Harriet Dyer, who lives with bi-polar disorder, reveals how she accidentally fell into comedy after telling the true story about how she died twice, to a classroom full of students. Presented by Emma Tracey Sound design: Dave O’Neill Producers: Ivana Davidovic and Emma Tracey Series producer: Beth Rose Editor: Damon Rose

Disability minister Sir Stephen Timms talks to Access All's Emma Tracey a month after the government climbdown on benefits changes. They discuss the Access To Work scheme which Sir Stephen says is no longer the government's "best kept secret" because more people are using it. Plus they talk about a newly announced set of five collaboration committees featuring people with lived experience of disability and other stakeholders on important areas like youth employment. PRODUCERS: Emma Tracey, Ivana Davidovic EDITOR: Damon Rose MIXED BY: Dave O'Neill Email accessall@bbc.co.uk or find us on social media.

It's 35 years this week since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) came into being. In the UK we waited a further five years until we got an equivalent act, the DDA as it was then known. we take a look at how it came about with journalist Eric Garcia. Later we bring you top tips on how to be a total "gig pig" if you're a disabled person. The lowdown on Nimbus cards and booking accessible tickets to see your favourite band with a man who is going to 100 gigs in the next year using his wheelchair. No, it's true! And much more besides with Emma Tracey, featuring TV's Paul Carter. RECORDED AND MIXED BY: Dave O'Neill PRODUCERS: Ivana Davidovic, Emma Tracey EDITOR Damon Rose

Presenter and model, Christine McGuinness, has thrown herself into dating for the first time since discovering she is neurodivergent. She reveals to Access All some of her autistic dating tips and tricks and talks about her new BBC podcast, Situationships. She also chats about campaigning for more accessible playgrounds for disabled and neurodiverse kids. When he heard we were chatting about dating, BBC journalist, Alex Taylor, rolled by. He recently declared on his social media that he's re-launching on the apps. He thinks they can really help disabled people get out there but admits juggling dates and carers can result in some very awkward situations. Plus Emma Tracey and Paul Carter debunk the rumour going around that singer Stevie Wonder, who recently gigged in the UK, isn't really blind, and try to decide whether he's the most famous disabled person in the world right now. This is a fun episode, but if you're Alex's mum, this one is not for you! Sound recorded and mixed by: Dave O'Neill Produced by Ivana Davidovic Series producer: Beth Rose Editor: Damon Rose Email us: accessall@bbc.co.uk

Comedian Robin Ince speaks with Emma Tracey about his relatively new diagnosis of ADHD. He has written a book to try and help neurodivergent people "walk unafraid through the world" as he puts it. The Infinite Monkey Cage comedian speaks personally about distraction, creativity, intense interests and - perhaps the worst part of ADHD - RSD, Rejection Sensitivity Disorder. Recorded and mixed by: Dave O'Neill Producers: Emma Tracey, Damon Rose Series producer: Beth Rose Editor: Damon Rose

After weeks of debate and political rebellion, proposed changes to the health element of Universal Credit have cleared the House of Commons.The government's bill sets out that new claimants from April 2026, who have limited capacity to work and have been approved to receive the health top-up of the benefit, will receive £50 a week, compared to £97 for current claimants who will continue to receive that amount. The Universal Credit Bill is expected to be classed as a money bill, meaning it could become law after one month, with or without the approval of the House of Lords.Emma Tracey gets reaction and analysis from Big Issue reporter, Isabella McRae, Conservative counsellor Lana Hempsall and Jeremy Bernhaut from Rethink Mental Illness.Presented by Emma Tracey Sound mixed by Dave O'Neill Produced by Beth Rose and Adele Armstrong Editor: Damon Rose

This week, the programme is about cute disabled kids, how attitudes to disabled people are different in New York, kettles, faces, headlines, hackathons and a brilliant woman who's bringing education to kids spending time in a hospice in Wales. Paul Carter joins Emma Tracey in a show where we've deliberately edited out all the stuff about that welfare bill for the sake of all our sanities. It'll be back again soon enough though. It's disability like in real life, on a podcast, from the BBC. You're welcome. PRODUCERS: Adele Armstrong and Alex Collins RECORDING AND MIX: Dave O'Neill SERIES PRODUCER: Beth Rose EDITOR: Damon Rose