Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

Polly Crosby opens up about living with the life limiting condition cystic fibrosis. As a newborn, she was the first person in the world to test positive for CF through a heel prick test. Being diagnosed so early helped her mother manage her condition but many of her childhood friends died very young. And she’s been reflecting on that period in her latest novel, The Vulpine.Also in this episode, we hear complaints that maternity services don’t give equal care to wheelchair users.Plus, could comedy become available at the doctor’s? We explore.And we end with a tribute to our former colleague and GB Volleyball squad member, Kat Hawkins, who recently died. PRESENTER: Emma Tracey PRODUCERS: Daniel Gordon, Alex Collins EDITORS: Beth Rose, Ben Mundy SOUND RECORDING AND MIX: Dave O’Neill

To mark the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we catch-up with Oleksii and Raisa who previously spoke to Access All. Oleksii has learning disabilities and, after initially re-locating to Denmark, returned to his group home in Ukraine a few months ago. Raisa runs a nearby respite centre for disabled people.And we hear from Sara Cincurova, a human rights journalist, who has recently visited a specialist school in Ukraine for disabled children.This episode also shines a spotlight on teen actress Niamh Moriarty, who has cerebral palsy and was thrilled to break away from the stereotype of disabled characters and play a bully in her new film, September Says.Plus we hear how surf therapy is becoming a craze for the over 50s in Wales with mental health challenges.PRESENTER: Emma Tracey PRODUCERS: Daniel Gordon, Alex Collins EDITORS: Beth Rose, Ben Mundy SOUND RECORDING & MIX: Dave O’Neill

Corie Mapp, a double leg amputee, is fresh from winning gold at the Para-bobsleigh World Championships in Switzerland. Corie took up the sport after he was injured in Afghanistan and says “going down an ice chute in a bath tub” has given him a fresh perspective on disability and risk. Also on this episode, a suicide charity which runs the UK’s only 24-hour phone line staffed by trained, paid, call handlers, says it’s desperately short of funding. Emma Tracey talks to Francesca, a long-term user of Papyrus who credits the service with saving her life, and CEO Ged Flynn. And Chantal Nasseri, the Access Coordinator for the Hollywood film Wicked, describes how she made every aspect of the production accessible, from transport to costumes. Presenter: Emma Tracey Producers: George Sharpe, Daniel Gordon, Alex Collins Recorded and mixed: Dave O’ Neill Editors: Beth Rose, Ben Mundy

Niamdh Braid took her local council to a tribunal at the age of 16 (and won!) after they refused to provide her with a BSL interpreter in class. She tells Emma Tracey how Fife Council had argued that she was able to access her education using hearing aids and lip reading. But after an expert witness told the tribunal that Niamdh could only hear 70% of what her teachers were saying, it ruled in her favour. Also on this episode, meet Alex Mitchell, the self-described queer, autistic, disabled comedian who found fame on Britain’s Got Talent. Presenter: Emma Tracey Producers: Daniel Gordon, Alex Collins, George Sharpe Recorded and mixed by Dave O’Neill Editors: Beth Rose and Ben Mundy

Actor Michael Patrick has just picked up an award for his unique portrayal of Shakespeare’s Richard III, which gives the play a fresh twist inspired by his own experience of living with motor neurone disease (MND).Michael is no stranger to MND. His father died from the condition and his sister is also living with it, although drug trials for the siblings have given them more hope for the future.Also on this episode, the charity Mencap says it fears for peoples lives after the NHS dropped annual health checks for people with learning disabilities from its priorities plan.We speak with Mencap CEO, Jon Sparkes, as well as Nigel and Rahima about their experiences of the Health MOTs.And we meet Japan’s Nobuyuki Tsujii, a blind pianist who’s played at concert venues around the world including the Sydney Opera House.Presented by: Emma Tracey Produced by: Daniel Gordon, Alex Collins and George Sharpe Sound recording and design by: Dave O’Neill Editors: Beth Rose and Ben Mundy

Adults diagnosed with ADHD have shorter life expectancies, according to a groundbreaking new study.University College London (UCL) crunched nine million GP records to find that, on average, women with ADHD die nine years earlier, and men seven years earlier than those without ADHD.Josh Stott, professor of ageing and clinical psychology at UCL, the lead researcher, explains to Access All why this is happening. We also hear from broadcaster Christo Foufas, who has ADHD, and describes how his struggles with binge eating and recreational drugs eventually led him to a diagnosis of ADHD. Teenager Phoebe-Rae Taylor talks about her starring role in the Disney film Out Of My Mind, a coming of age story about a girl with cerebral palsy who has a new communication aid. And we meet Dan Harris, who had the alphabet tattooed on his arm to make it easier for his non-verbal son, Joshie, to talk to him. Presented by Emma Tracey Produced by Alex Collins and Daniel Gordon Sound recorded and mixed by Dave O’NeillEdited by Beth Rose and Ben MundyYou can contact the team on accessall@bbc.co.uk

Facing the California wildfires when you’re disabled and marking Holocaust Memorial Day As the California wildfires continue to burn we hear the stories of disabled Los Angeles residents, Carrie and Joci, who had to make decisions around whether to evacuate or not, and if so, how they would do it without plans in place. To mark Holocaust Memorial Day, Dr Helen Atherton talks to Access All about the Nazis' Aktion T4 programme which killed thousands of disabled people they considered “undesirable”. Dr Atherton discovered 13 of those killed were British-born and has created an exhibition to honour them called Finding Ivy. We also talk to Nancy Jennings, the great niece of one of the victims, Zdenko Hoyos. Plus Katie the Wheeled Piper plays for us on her adapted bagpipes. The 18-year-old had the honour of piping in the haggis for the BBC’s Burns Night Extravaganza which is broadcast on 25 January and will be available on BBC iPlayer afterwards. Presented by Emma Tracey Produced by Alex Collins and Daniel Gordon Recorded and Edited by Dave O’Neill Edited by Sara Wadeson and Beth Rose

A mum of two tells Emma Tracey about spending more than half of the family’s income on her children's special educational needs (SEND).Alice moved her two daughter’s to a private school after she felt they weren’t being supported in state education. But, from 1 January, private schools lost their charitable status and now must pay VAT of 20% with many schools passing those costs onto parents. Alice fears her family’s financial will only worsen as a result. The Department for Education (DfE) said the government was "making progress" on the issue with a £1bn investment in SEND. We also hear from Luke Sibieta, an economist from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, who shares his recent research into the state of SEND education in England.Emma also catches up with adventurer Jonny Huntington who became the first disabled person to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole.And, we meet Tina and Jack from Daylight Studio, a music charity which supports people with learning disabilities, whose song Watermelon Fantasy has been sampled by Snoop Dogg!Presented by Emma Tracey Produced by Dan Gordon and Alex Collins Recorded and mixed by Dave O’Neill Editor: Beth Rose

Owen Tooth, the first wheelchair user to direct EastEnders, shares his journey from film to television after feeling invisible in the industry. He discusses the unique challenges he faced and highlights the importance of representation in film. Sam Lewis, a London lawyer dealing with rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s, reveals her struggles with inaccessible rental properties and the reluctance of landlords to accommodate disabled tenants. Their insights shed light on the urgent need for improved accessibility and support in housing and media.

Our expert panel looks ahead to what 2025 is likely to bring for disabled people and mental health service users. On the panel are: John Pring, founder and editor of Disability News Service; Richard Taylor of the disability equality charity Scope and Lucy Schonehevel of Rethink Mental Illness. They discuss ongoing issues which are likely to carry on making headlines in 2025 – such as the Assisted Dying Bill and changes to disability benefits. We also hear from disabled BBC correspondents in the worlds of sport and entertainment on what’s coming up. Presenter: Emma Tracey Producers: Daniel Gordon, Alex Collins Editors: Farhana Haider, Beth Rose Recorded and mixed by Dave O’Neill