The Way We Roll

Depending on where you read it, there could be 13 million or 16 million disabled people in the UK. Some statistics suggest 1 in 4 of us, while others indicate 1 in 5. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch recently suggested the term ‘disabled’ is in danger of losing all meaning. Is she on to something? What is the point of a definition, and what measure do we use? 

Some who are disabled under the Equality Act 2010 definition are h...

As a disabled person, when you first start talking to a non-disabled person about the barriers to your participation, you can be met with the response, ‘I thought that’s all sorted now. ’ If you suggest they take a look at 20 shops locally, chances are they’ll find many are not physically accessible. And that’s just a high street. 

Euan’s Guide carry out a survey asking disabled people in the UK about their experiences. Their latest...

Isn’t it great when you speak with someone and they are on your wavelength, but are also so wise that they make you think a little harder?

Our guest this month is one of these people. Celia Chartes-Aris is all about policy, research and law. Her impressive impact led to her being crowned No. 1 on the Disability Power 100 list in 2025. However, her real power lies behind the scenes, being well-connected and acting as an adv...

The second part of this month’s show is all about Phil’s recent trip to Malaga.

After meticulous planning, Phil and Sue, his wife, set off for some winter sunshine. On landing, a broken powered wheelchair meant limitation, frustration, moments of kindness and a lot of stress and cost.

How did Phil and Sue manage?

So, will they ever fly again? Let's just say the train to Spain is suddenly looking very...

Global Disability Summit 2025, Berlin

This month, we’re splitting the show into two parts. First up, Simon recently attended the 3rd Global Disability Summit in Berlin. Simon found himself out of the loop, having not attended an event like this for a decade. As is often the case with huge multi-national conferences, they are overwhelming at times, brilliant for meeting people, and have fantastic speakers, but not so good ones. They ...

Somewhere near the Blue Mountains, just outside Sydney, Australia, something special is happening in production. Our guest, Henry Smith, shares insights about it and the organisation he has co-founded, Inclusively Made. 

Henry and his partner, Genevieve Clay-Smith, have been creating human-centred films for many years. Henry explains how Genevieve initially stumbled upon working with talented disabled individuals, first by accident....

It is often said that politicians only think short-term. However, twenty years ago, the Labour government released a report titled “Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People.” This cross-government strategy outlined a programme to enhance the opportunities and life chances for disabled individuals by 2025. The aim was that this year, disabled people in Britain would have full opportunities and choices to improve their quality o...

On Friday, 29th November, Members of Parliament voted in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales. Phil, who is part of Not Dead Yet, an organisation that opposed the bill, gives us an update. He was also at the demonstration outside Westminster Palace. 

On our last podcast, our guest Peter Torres Fremlin said that sometimes, as disabled advocates, we need to mature and accept people’s motives, which might no...

This month, to coincide with the International Day of Persons with a Disability 2024, we will explore the international progress of disability inclusion with our two guests.

Susan Scott Parker is a renowned global expert and an authoritative voice on disability and its effects on global business.

Peter Torres Fremlin is the editor of Disability Debrief, a newsletter that reports on disability news from around the ...

We were very sorry to hear of the recent passing of Euan MacDonald MBE. Among Euan’s many achievements was the creation of Euan’s Guide, the award-winning disabled access charity. Perhaps best known for the disabled access review website EuansGuide.com, they also make accessible toilets safer and carry out a huge Access Survey. We remember Euan and talk about his impact.

We’re delighted to welcome back Abbi Brown, although for not t...

Since its launch in 2019, the Valuable 500 has signed up more than five hundred senior executives from worldwide companies and organisations to put disability on the board agenda. So far, so pretty good. But as the Valuable 500 matures, it is now asking more of its members and wants them to report back on progress. It is holding a meeting in Tokyo in December 2025.

At the centre of this is our guest, Stephane Leblois, Chie...

Our guests this month are Alice Maynard and Richard Hawkes, formerly of Scope, a leading disability charity in the UK. In 2010, Alice became Chair, and shortly after, Richard joined as Chief Executive Officer. 

During their time leading Scope, it went through a significant transformation and a turbulent time. Significant changes included closing services used by disabled people, which attracted praise and condemnation. Get...

Phil speaks of his disheartening recent experiences at A&E at his local NHS hospital. We grapple with the oh-so-simple task of trying to make the NHS better, as it feels like it’s broken, and how that can break us. 

A previous guest and friend of the pod, Abbi Brown, was recently trapped in her flat for days. The lift in her block was broken, and although there was another lift, it was beyond a locked door, and her property mana...

If we’re lucky in life, we might find a role that makes sense to us and makes a difference to others. Our guest this month has achieved that and more.  A huge music fan, especially of live music, and a disabled person who’d experienced barriers accessing gigs, Suzanne Bull MBE founded Attitude it Everything in 2000. It a charitable organisation which connects disabled people with music and live events industries, to improve access ...

We’ve had a show like this before, where we ask what the UK government are doing when it comes to disability and why now. We’re not sure they know what they are doing. 

PM Rishi Sunak has ‘started a conversation’ on reviewing Personal Independence Payment, the main disability benefit in the UK. He decided to start this just before the local elections and also knowing it cannot be finished before the next general election. The Guardi...

Admitting shame is a tough thing to do. Perhaps as complex as the shameful experience itself? Clearly, it is not unique to disabled people. Is there something more with us? An additional new perceived weakness, or from internalised ableism, it is hard to ignore but easier to deny. Stigma and societal attitudes can mean we have it thrust upon us if a person, on finding out we are disabled, says, ‘What a shame.’ 

Two people inspired t...

Bristol City Council recently reversed their planned cost-cutting strategy, which would have impacted independent living for disabled people. The UK government recently reversed the proposed closure of ticket offices at railway stations, which would have had an impact on disabled people. Sophie Morgan, the Rights on Flights campaigner, appears to be close to getting legal rights for disabled people on flights. Is campaigning strong...

How would you feel if your local authority suggested you move from your home of 30 years to a residential care home because they need to save money? It's something Bristol City Council were proposing for disabled people as they try to reduce their deficit. Although this proposal has been shelved, it might not be the last time we see it. We explore the reasoning, impact and resistance.

Becoming disabled can bring a co...

‘Know your audience and communicate to as many people as you can, including disabled people’, says Sarah Brown Fraser on effective, accessible communication. That Sarah can whittle information down to valuable nuggets might be a consequence of her role as Head of Communications and Policy at the Activity Alliance. 

As our guest, Sarah is timely, with accessible and inclusive communications being a hot topic. How do we communicate ef...