Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

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 AspinwallEmail 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.