Access All: Disability News and Mental Health

The onset of motor neurone disease (MND) left Sarah without a voice and the use of her hands at the age of 34. It was within months of her becoming a mum for the second time.

As they were growing up, her children Aviva and Eric only ever heard her speak through a machine with an emotionless robotic voice.

But 25 years on, artificial intelligence (AI) has recreated their mum's real voice from just eight seconds of audio on a scratchy ...

In our pick of the year's best interviews on Access All, we look back at a year of perceptive interviews by Emma Tracey with great people and their great thoughts on living this disabled life.

We hear from author of The Vulpine, Polly Crosby, who has cystic fibrosis and tells us she writes "little and often" so she can write comfortably with the condition she has. Comedian Chris McCausland now feels he can talk openly about being b...

Do you know anything about disability beyond your own? We test three well-known disabled people. Featuring BBC Chief North America Correspondent Gary O'Donoghue, Coronation Street's Jack Carrroll and writer-comedian Juliette Burton. In this poignant parody game, blind, cerebral palsy and mental health are respectively their HOME impairments so will our brave contestants choose to answer questions about their HOME condition, or go...

When Crystal Palace play Manchester City on 14 December, Neale Ormston will become the first visually impaired commentator of a premier league football match. That's thanks to a new headset which has allowed him to see games in detail for the first time in years. He’s nervous and excited to join Crystal Palace’s specialist commentary team and wants more clubs to buy into the GiveVision headsets which have revolutionised his match-d...

It's 3 December, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). While everyone chooses to mark it differently - from focusing on leveling up work places, to reminding people to be more inclusive - we've decided to celebrate with some big names from the disability world!

Dr Shani Dhanda speaks to us from Tokyo where she's delivering a keynote speech at the world's first Accountability Summit which has brought together 500...

The Autumn Budget was pronounced today and, as expected, it came with some changes to VAT exemptions on higher-end Motability cars and the types available. Emma Vogelmann from Transport for All gives us the charity's reaction.

It's the BBC's Scam Safe week and, as Trading Standards reveal that neurodivergent people are 50% more likely to fall for a scam, we speak with cybersecurity expert Holly Foxcroft, about why the figures are so...

We pay tribute to US writer and community-builder Alice Wong who died this week at 51. Known for her Disability Visibility project and #CripTheVote, we hear from her friend Nichola Griffith who collaborated with her on a writing project called #CripLit. She never actualy met her offline yet they made a big connection. If you didn't know of her in life, here's your chance for her to inspire you with the spirit she created.

Journalist...

Comedian and author Cariad Lloyd says her "heart exploded" when she was invited to take part in her latest TV project, Playtime.

The show sees neurodivergent comedians work alongside students who receive SEND support to come up with a play and perform it. Joining the conversation is Playtime’s autistic director, Céin McGillicuddy, who explains the joy of making the programme in just one day.

Emily and Olivia are sisters who run Wh...

After a summer of discontent and rebellions around welfare reform, the government has announced how it will look into the future of Personal Independence Payments (Pip) with the Timms Review, named after the Government minister in charge. That Minister is Sir Stephen Timms and he joins Emma to reveal who will be working with him on the review and how you can get involved. He also admits delays with Access to Work are getting wors...

There have been lots of rumours and speculation around Motability recently, especially when it comes to eligibility and price rises. The scheme enables some disabled people to lease and adapt vehicles using an element of their Personal Independence Payments. We get myth-busting with the CEO of the Motability Foundation, Nigel Fletcher, to find out what's really going on.

And buildings around the world will turn purple next week as p...

The first driverless taxis are coming to London in 2026 courtesy of Google's sister company, Waymo. They'll be on trial in the capital, but will they become an access wonder or woe?

Emma Tracey and Paul Carter quiz Amanda Ventura from Waymo on all the ins and outs on what the new vehicles could mean for disabled people. We also speak to American tech journalist, Steve Aquino, who as a man with anxiety and a visual impairment loves u...

Since appearing on Strictly Come Dancing last year, and winning, comedian Chris McCausland tells Access All that he's "more open" and hadn't appreciated that showing vulnerability and a struggle to achieve really connects with people. Tune in for a really insightful conversation between Chris and Emma Tracey, who is blind like Chris, and asks questions other interviewers would never think of.

He also talks about how he sometimes do...

Black people are four more times likely to be sectioned compared to white people, according to the mental health charity, Mind. That number is rising, but why?

As the new Mental Health Act 2025 rumbles through Parliament, hoping to address some of these inequalities, we meet Shocka, a former member of the grime collective, Marvell. He has been sectioned four times and tells us what time in a psychiatric unit can feel like.

Kadra Abd...

John Davidson has been the poster boy for Tourette syndrome since 1988, when a documentary about him called ‘John’s Not Mad’ aired on BBC One. It showed the then 16-year-old from the Scottish Borders, living with explosive, often sweary tics, in a world that didn’t understand the condition.

Three decades on, we’re much more aware of Tourette syndrome and that’s in no small part down to John and his campaigning. Now, a film based on...

It's not often the BBC has to debunk announcements made by presidents for public health reasons - but that's the case this week after President Trump claimed that taking Paracetamol during pregnancy may cause autism. We speak with Eric Garcia, an autistic political journalist in the US, who tells us what the autism community is saying and why focusing on the mother as the catalyst for autism has unpleasant echoes from the past. ...

Disabled people are reporting that their Access To Work grants are being cut back, and at a time when the government is encouraging disabled people to get back into the workforce. As the ATW grant is awarded to help you hold down a job, or enable self-employment, it's causing confusion and concern. Disability correspondent Nikki Fox joins us to share her findings and what government is saying.

The Bengsons are a joyous folk-rock duo...

An impromptu cabinet reshuffle last Friday has seen Pat McFadden take the reigns at the Department of Work and Pensions, DWP. But who is he? And could this mean that the benefits arguments will reopen after the big government climbdown back in the summer?

A report this week shows that people with learning disabilities are still dying significantly earlier compared to the general population. The LeDeR review regularly tracks the prob...

Emma Tracey speaks to one of the only visibly disabled MPs Marie Tidball, who has been fighting for parliament to be more accessible. She's been looking at door handles, voting systems and getting the Speaker's attention by ‘bobbing’. She sets out how she intends to make sure disability groups have a meaningful role in the government’s review of the assessment process for Personal independence payments (Pip). The Timms review, as i...

For years, many people living with ME and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have battled to have their experiences of ill health heard and validated.

Now, two recent studies have shown there could be differences within their blood and DNA compared to the general population. We meet the scientist behind the research – Professor Chris Ponting – and Laura Boyles who has been living with the condition for 15 years.

Blind podcaster, Evie Ro...