Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

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.

Warning: This podcast discusses domestic abuse and sexual violence with occasional graphic content. Ebere* was 31 when she finally fled Nigeria for the UK to study, with hopes she had left domestic abuse behind. But a new relationship soon turned controlling, then violent and brought back memories of the sexual and physical abuse she had experienced as a child. As a black, disabled, queer woman, Ebere has experienced abuse throughout her life and struggled to find an accessible refuge when she needed it most. She hopes that by telling her story, and how she survived, it will help other women to leave abusive situations. Produced and presented by Keiligh Baker. *not her real name. If you, or someone you know, have been affected by domestic abuse or violence, the organisations listed on the links below may be able to help. If you are in immediate danger, you should dial 999. Visit the BBC Action Line page for Information and Support on Domestic Abuse: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3FQFSnx6SZWsQn3TJYYlFNy/information-and-support-domestic-abuse Or the BBC Action Line page for Information and Support on Sexual Abuse and violence: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/22VVM5LPrf3pjYdKqctmMXn/information-and-support-sexual-abuse-and-violence

Warning: This podcast discusses domestic abuse with occasional graphic content. Emma Dalmayne was just 17-years-old when she fled her abusive partner with her baby. Emma, who is autistic, has experienced violence at the hands of two ex-partners and has lived in a women's refuge. Saliha Rashid faced honour-based violence from her family. As a blind woman she thought they were being protective, until she went to university and realised their behaviour was abuse. It took her three attempts to escape. According to the statistics, disabled people are three times more likely to experience domestic abuse - but why is this? Emma, Saliha and Sara Cincurova, a journalist and former domestic abuse support worker, tell their stories and discuss what needs to be done to improve the situation. Presented by Keiligh Baker. If you, or someone you know, have been affected by domestic abuse or violence, the organisations listed on the links below may be able to help. If you are in immediate danger, you should dial 999.Visit the BBC Action Line page for Information and Support on Domestic Abuse or the BBC Action Line page for honour violence and forced marriage. Subscribe with BBC Sounds and say to your smart speaker "Ask the BBC for Ouch"

Seaneen has a bipolar diagnosis, so when she experienced sudden and severe anxiety after having baby Jack in January, the perinatal mental health team came straight away. A medication increase caused further difficulties and an infection landed her in A&E. Recovering now, she feels "robbed" of Jack’s first golden month and worries what impact it has had on him. Plus, we discuss how to talk to your child about Mummy or Daddy's mental health difficulties. And there’s another clanger from the Book of Awkward Questions. Presented by Mark Brown and Seaneen Molloy. Produced by Emma Tracey. Subscribe with BBC Sounds and say to your smart speaker "Ask the BBC for Ouch"Reach our presenters by email: ouch@bbc.co.uk

Our lockdown couple Kate and Holly adopted a toddler with restricted growth during the pandemic. She calms down around dogs, but does she really need therapeutic assistance from an animal? And we drop back in on Kate's story about living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome whilst mostly shielding. She has been offered an operation to help her endometriosis and wonders if she should have paid more attention to a diagnosis of something called FND. The podcast also witnesses Kate's first attempt at using hormone replacement gel as she wonders where to put it (Prepare for cheeky humor) If you've enjoyed this series and have any advice or thoughts to share with Kate, please email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to Ouch's podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Model Lucy Dawson was just 21 when she was wrongly sectioned for three months. Doctors believed she was experiencing a mental health breakdown, but she later learned she had encephalitis – a rare but serious condition in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain in a situation called “friendly fire”. While in hospital, an accident on the psychiatric ward led Lucy to become permanently disabled. "At one point I really thought my life was over, I was so depressed," she says. "But somehow I managed to turn it around - I was so unlucky, but at the same time I'm so lucky to have persevered." Now a successful model and disability advocate, Lucy talks about her time in hospital, why she likes to make sure her mobility aids are pictured on lingerie shoots, and how she deals with online trolls. Presented and produced by Keiligh Baker. If you’d like to get in contact with the team, email ouch@bbc.co.uk. You can hear our latest podcast by saying “Ask the BBC for Ouch” to your smart speaker, plus you can listen and subscribe on the BBC Sounds app.