Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

Kate Monahan shares personal moments in this virtual audio diary documenting a family of four in lockdown as a Mum with chronic pain and mobility issues. Four-year-old Scout returns to school after lockdown and mums Kate and Holly experience a range of emotions - especially when the school ring with some bad news which takes Holly off to the hospital - a place she's been avoiding for a year. Not just one but two! Holly has a second trip to hospital but this time she has to travel by train because it's all the way down in London. She received a kidney transplant 11 years ago, but will forever be on immunocompromising medication - a constant source of anxiety during this pandemic though she has now had the vaccine. Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to Ouch's podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Mark's sister Alison died of covid-19 on 14 January 2021. She was 39. On this episode of Mentally Interesting, He and Seaneen explore grief and how it affects your mental health. Seaneen gently guides Mark through the story, while he paints a detailed and moving picture of the loss and devastation of losing his beloved sister. Specialist psychotherapist Julia Samuel brings a professional perspective to the table and suggests how Seaneen might tackle her own debilitating death anxiety. With Seaneen Molloy and Mark Brown. 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

Kate Monaghan has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and her wife Holly is immunocompromised, meaning a year of shielding with two young children has been anything but easy! But recent government announcements mean it's all about to change again for this family – one-year-old Gracie is starting nursery and four-year-old Scout is going back to school. And it's a bag of mixed emotions for these two Mummas - relief at the idea of normality and an end to home-schooling (yay!) but also fears about sending their babies into the big wide world alone....Produced by Amy Elizabeth Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker. If you want to message Kate or ask her a question, email amy.elizabth@bbc.co.uk

With an end now possibly in sight, Kate feels she's letting Holly down. Her painful mobility issues are causing real problems for her this week - she desperately wants to play with the kids but having Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome means that even cuddles are a bit too much sometimes. Home-schooling a four-year-old and entertaining a one-year-old leaves Kate physically and emotionally exhausted, but doesn't her wife deserve some attention too? Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker. If you want to message Kate or ask her a question, email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk

Dating can be tricky at the best of times, but it can come with a unique set of challenges if you have a learning disability and are LGBT.Ben Hunte, the BBC's LGBT correspondent, speaks to three people with learning disabilities and explores the social care barriers faced by the community. Shaun describes how a lack of sex education at special school meant it took him a decade to come out as bisexual. Now he teaches the subject to other people with learning disabilities. Ray talks about awkward encounters on dating apps and the challenges of navigating trans healthcare with a learning disability. And Scott tells Ben about the prejudice he faces as a gay man with learning disabilities and why he joined an organisation called Meet and Match. Producer Ammar Ebrahim Studio Manager Robbie Hayward Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say “Ask the BBC for Ouch” to your smart speaker.

After immune-compromised Holly had her vaccine last week, Kate has now been called to get hers. Excitement levels are high but she wonders how her body will react to the jab. Meanwhile, keeping four-year-old Scout and one-year-old Gracie amused is a struggle, until snow brings some welcome fun. 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.

After almost a year of shielding, Holly gets her Covid-19 vaccination. What's the process once you arrive at the center? How do you feel afterwards? If a family member sidles in, might they get a spare jab if they're lucky? Stand by to live vicariously through Holly and hear one ELATED family! Produced by Amy Elizabeth Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker. If you want to message Kate or ask her a question, email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk

Seaneen Molloy and Mark Brown return with their witty and self-depricating take on mental health. They draw on their personal and professional experiences to talk about the awkward stuff so "you don't have to". This month they discuss feeling shame which Mark describes as his "personal existential musk". Seaneen shares what happened when her first child was born as she prepares to give birth again but this time in a pandemic. And The Book of Awkward Questions asks how to tell a new partner your mental health story. You can hear Mark and Seaneen monthly on the Ouch podcast stream along with Ouch's other programmes. Tell your pals, tell the world and get involved. Producer Emma Tracey Write to Mark and Seaneen, they want to hear from you. ouch@bbc.co.uk

Kate Monaghan has decided to attend her grandma's funeral rather than watch online. But, because wife Holly has had her immune system suppressed, Kate must attend solo and sit in the crematorium bubbled away from her extended family After dropping Kate off, Holly remains in the car outside the crematorium but questions still loom large about whether any of the family should be attending a funeral event at all because the virus could spreadback to Holly… And when exactly will she be getting a date for her vaccination?This is the third in the second series of Isolation Diaries where Kate documents the complexities of life as a disabled person with her family during the lockdowns. Produced by Amy Elizabeth.Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker. If you want to message Kate or ask her a question, email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk

Lockdown with two small children was never going to be easy but this week Kate is getting severe pain due to her impairments especially when trying to play with and cuddle their newly adopted child. Meanwhile Kate's wife Holly is on an emotional rollercoaster as she awaits a vaccine appointment. She's been shielding for 11 months because she has no immunity system due to meds she is on as a kidney transplant recipient and is finding it tough. Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to the podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker. If you want to message Kate or ask her a question, email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk