Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

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