Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

Keiligh Baker was diagnosed with chronic leukaemia three years ago and became single just before the pandemic hit - now she's decided to give internet dating a go, but how does that work when cancer's involved? Emily Frost and Kirsty Hopgood join her from their childhood bedrooms to discuss the anxieties around treatment and how that has changed their appearance, the surprising messages they’ve received and whether to upload pictures to dating apps with or without hair.Neil MacVictor was diagnosed with a brain tumour at 25 and, after experiencing low confidence as a result, started taking dating classes with Shine Cancer Support. He found them so useful he now teaches the workshops himself.Produced by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Married couple Kiruna Stamell and Gareth Berliner haven’t been further than the local chemist since early March. That won’t change, they say, unless masks become mandatory in all public places or Gareth’s hospital deems it safe for him to attend appointments. Gareth’s nutrition has been delivered via a line in his chest for 20 years due to short gut syndrome. It keeps him alive but infections have led to numerous bouts of sepsis. Covid-19 would be more dangerous for him than most, so wife Kiruna also stays home to avoid coronavirus.Making Pirate and Parrot TV, a YouTube series for kids, has kept the comedian with Crohn’s and the actor with dwarfism busy during 18 weeks at home.Presented by Simon Minty. Produced by Emma TraceySubscribe to Ouch on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Face coverings are compulsory in shops and on public transport at the moment (with a few exemptions) – but how will it impact your day-to-day lives? Maddie Molloy lip-reads so sometimes needs people to remove their mask while Drew Miller Hyndman is autistic and rule-breaking makes him anxious. He wants everyone to wear face coverings wherever possible. Emma Tracey is blind and has discovered that wearing a mask changes the way she perceives her surroundings. How are you finding it? You can share your experiences by emailing ouch@bbc.co.uk Subscribe to Ouch's podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Only last year, 28-year-old Ben Robinson's alcohol dependency was so severe he was days away from death. Following a stint in rehab and months of hard work rebuilding his life, he felt his recovery had gone backwards when the world went into lockdown. With limited access to his support network and temptation growing by the day, Ben describes the mental and physical challenges he’s faced over the past three months and why he created his blog, Beyond the Bottle. Produced and presented by Amy Elizabeth. Subscribe to Ouch's podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Alex Brooker was born with impairments in all four limbs and has been cracking jokes about it on Channel Four’s The Last Leg since 2012. But becoming a dad and losing his own father has prompted Alex to take a more serious direction, and to ask some hard questions about his disability in a BBC Two documentary. How did his parents react when he was born with multiple limb impairments? Do his children mind having a disabled father? And should he really have quit going to hospital appointments as soon as he reached 18? Alex tells Emma Tracey how his kids capitalise on his need to don a prosthetic, about the surgery that went wrong, and the extremely competitive streak which recently got him in trouble at home. Alex Brooker: Disability and Me is available on BBC iPlayer. Presented and produced by Emma Tracey. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" on your smart speaker.

What happens when, as a high risk family, you've been shielding for months and your daughter needs to go to A&E?That’s the dilemma faced by Kate when three-year-old Scout falls over in the paddling pool. Kate has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and is isolating with her kidney transplant recipient wife Holly. Holly takes immunosuppressants, meaning the whole family must shield because she falls within the 'high risk' category.Kate gives a raw and honest account of lockdown frustrations, fears and Frozen re-runs!Produced by Amy Elizabeth - email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk to get a message to Kate and Holly.Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" on your smartphone speaker.

Namel and Rick, aka American rap-duo 4 Wheel City, were shot and paralysed as teenagers 20 years ago. Since then, their Hip Hop tracks about gun violence and disability discrimination have taken them all over the world, from the White House to the 2012 London Paralympics. Now stuck at home due to coronavirus, the New Yorkers have turned their unique brand of protest to the Black Lives Matter movement, focusing on how it affects disabled people. 4 Wheel City spoke to Emma Tracey, on a slightly dodgy internet connection, about learning to rap again after a high level injury, pressure sores and how Stevie Wonder played a part in their success.Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Finally, a day out is on the cards as one of the family has to have a blood test.Kate, Holly and their three-year-old daughter Scout have been isolating for 12 weeks because Holly has to take immunosuppressants. Now she's been offered a test to see if she's built up resistance to Covid-19 - will it give the gift of freedom she's so desperately hoping for? In addition to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Kate has endometriosis which turns up the volume on her pain levels. Pre-lockdown her doctors decided to artificially put 36-year-old Kate through the menopause to address the problem but is this still the plan? Produced by Amy Elizabeth - email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk to get a message to Kate and Holly.Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Jamie Hale is a trans and disabled performer who uses ‘they’ and ‘them’ pronouns. They have been on stage at the Barbican, worked with Netflix and are currently writing a play about lockdown. In the second episode of Meet the Vulnerables, BBC journalist Octavia Woodward talks to them about the V-word (that’s ‘vulnerable’) and how widely it has been used during this pandemic. Jamie also explains how they deal with stage fright, the challenges of navigating the creative industries as a disabled person and how they’re coping with isolation. Octavia has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and both she and Jamie are facing months of shielding at home in accordance with government guidelines.Produced by Sam Judah.Subscribe to Ouch on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

Ten weeks into isolation and Kate's painful impairment, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, is exhausting her. A virtual food lesson from her Mum on how to make toad-in-the-hole doesn't quite go to plan and three-year-old Scout has found a fascination with cleaning the house - now that the vacuum cleaner is a robot. Produced by Amy Elizabeth - email amy.elizabeth@bbc.co.uk to get a message to Kate and Holly. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.