Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

Boccia is not just a sport, but a family affair for the McCowan family.Brothers, Scott and Jamie, who both have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, play Boccia for ParaGB while their parents, Gary and Linda, are their ramp assistants.It's created quite the competition between the brothers - especially during lockdown when they turned their living room into a Boccia court so they could continue training.But what's it like to live with your biggest rival? How often do they argue over match results? And what happens when husband and wife are pitted against each other in a match? Presented by Beth RoseSubscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Caz Walton was just 17 when she competed at the 1964 Paralympic Games in Tokyo and won gold for Great Britain. From the wheelchair slalom to organiser of athletes, Paralympic legend Caz Walkon has had quite the sports career. After a memorable opening ceremony in Japan with Crown Prince Akihito, Caz went on to win several gold medals, notably in the wheelchair dash and wheelchair slalom - two sports that no longer appear in the Games. Over the next four decades she won 10 gold medals ... and a mysterious 11th has just come to light... Now aged 74, Caz still works for ParaGB and is out in Tokyo supporting this year's team. Presented by Beth Rose Edited by Drew Miller Hindman Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

The world's eyes are on Tokyo with the Paralympic Games taking place - but what's it like to live in Japan if you're disabled? Mizuki Hsu grew up in Kyoto as a wheelchair-user. Now a mother-of-two and working for Google she says job hunting in Japan can be fraught if you disclose you're disabled - which you have to for its quota system. Josh Grisdale was born and raised in Canada, but became a Japanese citizen a few years ago. He says the accessible bathroom situation and electronic toilets in Japan are tip-top but accessible escalators are terrifying contraptions. From house-hunting to nights out, we've got it covered in this whistle-stop tour of Japan. Presented by Beth Rose. Produced by Damon Rose. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

With just days to go before the Tokyo Paralympics, an international campaign called WeThe15 has been launched to improve the lives of the 1.2bn disabled people around the world. Meet South African Eddie Ndopu. He is an internationally acclaimed writer, or “mover and shaker”, who also works for the United Nations. Eddie, disabled himself, gives us the lowdown of WeThe15 on this podcast. You’ll love him.He also hopes to become the first disabled person in space. While he might have signed several NDAs on these “imminent” plans, Eddie couldn’t help but spill some of the secrets to BBC Ouch. According to the World Health Organisation, 15% of the world’s population is disabled, hence WeThe15. Spearheaded by the International Paralympic Committee and International Disability Alliance, the project has brought together organisations from Unesco to The Valuable 500 big businesses for the first time.Presented by Beth Rose and Emma Tracey.

Indy car driver Sam Schmidt was paralysed from the shoulders down when he reversed into a wall at 200 miles an hour.This summer, and more than 20 years after his accident, Sam made his second racing debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.He drives using a special straw that he “sips and puffs” to accelerate and brake, and cameras that use his head movements to steer.BBC Disability Correspondent Nikki Fox chats to Sam about learning to drive again and how this technology could help other disabled people get behind the wheel.Produced by Drew Miller Hyndman.Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Love Island is in full swing and this year it featured its first ever physically disabled contestant. Hugo Hammond, who has just been dumped, is a 24-year-old PE teacher who was born with a club foot. The show’s producers have previously said the villa can’t be adapted for disabled contestants due the cost of insurance and "budget constraints" - and with Hugo’s disability they didn’t have to change anything. But we, at BBC Ouch, were wondering – could the Love Island villa be made accessible? And if so, how much would it cost? BBC entertainment reporter Alex Taylor, Kamran Mallick, the CEO of Disability Rights UK and access consultant Natasha Davies all get grafting to see if accessibility and Love Island can couple up – or will it lead to someone getting pied? Presented and produced by Keiligh Baker.

The end of lockdown is nigh for many of us! Legal restrictions on mask wearing and social distancing in England are going, the other nations are taking it more slowly.Disability charities like Sense and Scope, are warning disabled people could be "left behind".On this week's podcast we hear from two disabled people about their apprehension and anticipation for the end of lockdown. From going out in their community and using public transport again, to getting back to school and college and finding the confidence to shop alone. What will 'Freedom Day' mean for disabled people? Presented by Keiligh Baker. Produced by Drew Miller-Hyndman.Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. And say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker to hear our latest programme. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk if you have a story to tell us about the end of lockdown or anything else.

Warning: This podcast discusses sexual harassment and assault, so there is occasionally some graphic content. When Dr Amy Kavanagh started using a white cane, she realised she was being sexually harassed far more frequently than when she wasn’t “visibly” disabled.By 2018, the visually impaired activist decided she’d had enough and started the #JustAskDontGrab campaign on social media. It encourages the public to ask disabled people whether they actually need help, rather than just assuming and diving in – sometimes inappropriately. It’s something freelance journalist Melissa Parker and inclusion specialist Roxanne Steel, who both have cerebral palsy, can relate to. Melissa has been inappropriately touched in a nightclub under the guise of being “helped” with her bra strap, while Roxanne changed the way she dressed to try and protect herself from unwanted advances.This ties in with the figures - according to the Office for National Statistics, between March 2015 and 2018 disabled women were almost twice as likely to be sexually assaulted (5.7%) compared with non-disabled women (3.0%):If you, or someone you know, have been affected by sexual or street harassment, the organisations listed on the link below may be able to help. If you are in immediate danger, you should dial 999. Presented by Keiligh Baker. Visit the BBC Action Line page for Information and Support on Sexual Abuse and Violence for more help and support

Kate Monaghan has a painful energy-zapping condition, her wife Holly is on immuno-suppressants and they have two small children. Adjusting to the world as lockdown relaxes has been eventful. Their five-year-old had been at school until positive cases of Covid had been identified in her year. Now she's back to isolating at home... and it's somehow not as simple as before. For Holly, the idea of starting to hug people again feels alien and unnecessary whilst Kate says simple activities she used to enjoy now fill her with anxiety. Produced by Amy Elizabeth. If you want to message Kate or ask her a question, email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

As Covid restrictions ease in the UK, our presenters share their mental health travel stories. Why is Seaneen banned from using one of the budget airlines? Why does Mark stay in hotels instead of with family? And identical twins Claire and Laura explain why seeing the world helps them stay well. We come up with ideas that the travel industry could implement to make life easier for people with mental health difficulties and explore why being told to get out into nature for therapeutic reasons can feel frustrating. With Mark Brown and Seaneen Molloy Produced by Emma Tracey. Write to Mark and Seaneen: ouch@bbc.co.uk Hear the two regularly on Ouch. Subscribe to the Ouch podcast on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker to hear our latest programme.