Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

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