The Conversation

What's it like navigating the world as a disabled parent? Datshiane Navanayagam speaks to two women from the US and Italy about the reality of parenting with a disability and about why it’s important to reconsider some of the common misconceptions that exist within society around the kind of life that disabled mothers can provide for their children. Jessica Slice is an American disabled author, speaker and essayist who now lives in Toronto with her husband and two children. She was diagnosed with an autonomic nervous system disorder in her twenties after a strenuous hike while on holiday in Greece. The condition changed her life forever – requiring her to use a wheelchair and sometimes experiencing chronic pain - but it also made her consider having children, seriously for the very first time. Her book, Unfit Parent: A Disabled Mother Challenges An Inaccessible World chronicles some of the obstacles that disabled parents face, and examines the societal beliefs that underpin those barriers.Laura Coccia from Italy is a former Paralympian who is now a representative at the European Disability Forum. She now lives in Brussels and says she faces stigma everyday as a mother with a form of cerebral palsy. She wrote a weekly online diary about her pregnancy as a disabled woman in 2019, giving a candid insight to some of the challenges she faced, but also how she was going through the same things as any other pregnant woman. She has also co-authored a children's book called La Sedia Magica della Mamma, created to show disability not as an obstacle but as a natural part of life.Producer: Emily Naylor and Hannah Dean(Image: Jessica Slice (L). Credit Vanessa Heins. (R) Laura Coccia courtesy Laura Coccia)

Across continents and generations, the art of weaving has connected humans for thousands of years. But it’s dying out. Ella Al-Shamahi speaks to two women from The Netherlands and Turkey about their passion for preserving the traditional craft.Turkish social entrepreneur Damla Saydam founded Qirqit Studio to help preserve the endangered tradition of handwoven Turkish rugs. She was inspired by her family’s weaving heritage and memories of helping her aunt weave as a child. Damla collaborates with village women, many of whom have been weaving for decades and otherwise would have stopped, to ensure they receive fair wages and recognition for their craft.Erna Janine from The Netherlands runs Freeweaver Studio in London, driven by her love of sustainable fashion and enthusiasm to share the joy of weaving with others. Both her grandmothers inspired her love of the craft: one was a shepherd who processed her own wool and the other was one of the last women in Holland to wear traditional costume.Produced by Emily Naylor(Image: (L) Damla Saydam courtesy Damla Saydam. (R), Erna Janine credit Ben Veasey.)

After the discovery of a new gene therapy for Huntington's, a devastating brain disease, Datshiane Navanayagam talks to one of the women in the UK who worked on it and a biologist from India who's made recent discoveries that could improve treatment for TB, which still kills over a million people globally each year.Anne Rosser is Professor of Clinical Neuroscience at Cardiff University, combining both academic and clinical work specialising in patients with Huntington’s Disease. Huntington’s is an inherited condition caused by a faulty gene which stops the brain working properly, affecting mobility, learning, thinking and emotions. Anne also directs the Brain Repair Group in Cardiff.Paridhi Sukheja is lead biologist for Tuberculosis drug discovery at Calibr-Skaggs Institute at Scripps Research in the US – a nonprofit research institute looking at drug discovery and treatments for diseases. TB is one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases and, while widely treatable, it still kills 1.2 million people a year. Part of this is due to increasingly drug-resistant strains of the disease. Paridhi's work has been instrumental in the discovery of a potential new treatment for TB, including drug-resistant strains.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Paridhi Sukheja credit Nick Cusato. (R), Anne Rosser courtesy Anne Rosser.)

Artistic swimmers are known for making perfect synchronicity look effortless. Datshiane Navanaygam talks to athletes from Spain and Slovakia to reveal why the sport is far tougher than it appears. Silvia Solymosyová from Slovakia was the first artistic swimmer to reach 1 million followers on social media after videos of her dancing underwater went viral . She is a multiple World Championships finalist and double European Championships medallist in the sport. Silvia used to compete in the mixed duet with her brother and was inspired by her mother, who was also a professional artistic swimmer. Emma Garcia is a Spanish artistic swimmer who currently Vice Chairs the Athlete Committee for European Aquatic. Part of her role involves supporting the mental health of European artistic swimmers and increasing the number of boys and men competing. She is the winner of over 30 medals for the sport.Produced by Emily Naylor

Can women earn more than their partners and still be happy at home? How does a higher income affect family dynamics and the division of household chores? Datshiane Navanayagam talks to an author in the UK and a South African academic who've researched the issues.Dr Bianca Parry is a social psychology lecturer at University College London. While working at the Centre for Mediation in Africa (CMA) at the University of Pretoria, she carried out several research projects on female breadwinners, focusing on the experiences of marginalised and vulnerable communities.Melissa Hogenboom is an award-winning science writer and author (she also works for BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC). Her latest book is called Breadwinners: and other power dynamics that influence your life. She draws on socio-economic research and dozens of candid interviews with female breadwinners, stay-at-home dads and same-sex couples about how unequal earnings affect relationships.Produced by Jane Thurlow(Image: (L) Dr Bianca Parry credit Mariki Uitenweerde. (R), Melissa Hogenboom credit Fran Gomez de Villaboa.)

Datshiane Navanayagam talks to an ice hockey referee from Austria and a football referee from Denmark about their experiences as female officials in men's leagues.Austrian Julia Kainberger played ice hockey professionally for the Salzburg Eagles while also pursuing a career in officiating. She was one of the 12 European officials for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and, in 2024, became the first female referee in a men's Champions League game. Julia looks forward to a day where no female referee has to be 'the first one' anymore and it becomes the norm.Frida Klarlund is a Danish football referee who has officiated international matches since 2015.  In 2021 she became the first woman to referee in the men’s second division. Frida has refereed at major tournaments such as the Women’s Champions League, World Cup qualifiers and the Women's Euros. She currently works in Denmark’s top women’s league.Produced by Emily Naylor(Image: (L) Julia Kainberger courtesy Julia Kainberger. (R) Frida Klarlund credit UEFA.)

What can the sounds of the natural world tell us about the health of our ecosystems? Datshiane Navanayagam talks two sound ecologists in Scotland and Australia about using soundscape monitoring as a tool to help in conservation work.Dr Elizabeth Znidersic is an Australian environmental scientist with a particular interest in sound ecology. She has worked extensively in the US and in Tasmania with the Parks and Wildlife Service. Her current project, 'Eavesdropping on wetland birds' uses sound recorders to detect secretive marsh birds and she is about embark on a world-first trial, looking into the effectiveness of using call-playback systems to help restore terrestrial ecosystems.Dr Denise Risch is a marine mammal ecologist and senior lecturer at the Scottish Association for Marine Science. For twenty years, she’s been involved in the study of aquatic soundscapes and investigates how marine species are impacted by man-made noise pollution. She’s been involved in a project which uses underwater microphones to measure turbine noise in Pentland Firth strait and another, to establish the effects of acoustic signals on harbour porpoises in Scottish waters.Produced by Hannah Dean(Image: (L) Dr Elizabeth Znidersic courtesy Dr Elizabeth Znidersic. (R) Dr Denise Risch credit Jonny Reid.)

Dr. Mona Hanna is a pediatrician and director of RxKids, a program in the US providing cash to new mothers. Dr. Miriam Laker-Oketta, a Senior Research Advisor at GiveDirectly, advocates for cash transfers in Uganda. They discuss how cash helps families manage the financial strains of pregnancy and early motherhood. The guests share compelling evidence that unconditional cash transfers can reduce infant mortality and improve health outcomes. They highlight personal experiences that motivated their shift from medicine to cash-based solutions, showcasing the broader impact on community well-being.

Ella Al-Shamahi talks to two women from South Africa and Germany about reclaiming the craft of brewing beer - something which was historically the domain of women.Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela is a brewmaster and the first black, female co-owner of a craft brewery in South Africa. Her award-winning range of Tolokazi beers pays homage to the female brewers of Africa, inspired by the Tolo Kingdom’s rich brewing history and celebrate ingredients unique to the African continent such as marula fruit and the rooibos bush. Apiwe regularly trains graduates - most of them women - in the art of beer-making at her brewing facility in Johannesburg. She is also an international beer judge and taster.Ulrike Genz is the brewmaster at Schneeeule Brewery in Berlin, which she founded in 2016 after years of developing a recipe thorough scientific study of the Berliner Weisse, a beer that had its heyday in the middle of the 19th century. Once celebrated far beyond Berlin’s borders as the “Champagne of the North” the beer is now, according to Ulrike, a “barely drinkable, mass-produced industrial beer”. Schneeeule Brewery’s mission is to give Berlin back a piece of its culture back…served, of course, in the correct glass! Produced by Hannah Dean(Image: (L) Ulrike Genz credit Markus Raupach. (R), Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela beer4change.)

From mushrooms to sea kelp: Two female foragers in South Africa and Japan tell Datshiane Navanayagam about how picking wild food has helped them to feel more connected to their natural surroundings.Emily Smith is from the UK and lives in rural Japan. She moved there to explore her Japanese heritage and says she felt a deep and calming connection to her natural surroundings. She spends her days learning all she can about edible plants and mushrooms from books, the internet and, most importantly, her elderly neighbours. She is currently working on a project about Japan’s seventy-two micro seasons.Roushanna Gray is a wild food forager, based in Cape Point, South Africa. She’s passionate about teaching people how to source food for free. She takes groups into forests to forage mushrooms, berries, greens and edible weeds, and to tidal pools for seaweed and kelp. Roushanna teaches her international guests about how they can use their senses, as well as the seasons, to find the most nutritious food.Produced by Mora Morrison(Image: (L) Emily Smith, credit Joshua Atkins. (R) Roushanna Gray credit Alex Oelofse.)