Nick chats to music PR guru, access campaigner and wheelchair user Isobel Williams. Isobel tells us about the The Ramp of Approval TikTok channel, exploring her adventures as a wheelchair user. We hear about the light-hearted venue reviews that help improve accessibility and why she’s keen to talk about her condition, POTS. We also hear a clear and passionate commitment to promoting disabled artists in the music industry.

In this inspiring episode, Beth chats with Sarah, who shares her remarkable journey with her assistance dogs, Kiki and Nellie. From everyday motivation to extraordinary moments—like attending a Buckingham Palace garden party and even detecting Sarah’s ovarian cancer—these incredible dogs have been so much more than companions. Sarah also opens up about how her dogs have given her independence, lifted her spirits, and connected her with a supportive community through her guide dogs’ fundraising group. This episode celebrates the unique and life-changing relationship between humans and assistance dogs.

In this special Halloween episode of The Disability Download, we’re diving into the thrills, chills, and often unseen barriers of Halloween attractions. Our guest, Skye, shares personal experiences of navigating haunted houses, ghost hunts, and spooky mazes—only to face accessibility obstacles that can leave disabled visitors on the sidelines.

In this episode, Leonard Cheshire's Joshua Reeves speaks with Whizz-Kidz ambassador Arunima Misra about accessible travel and navigating holidays as a wheelchair user.

Team GB Paralympic medal winner Olivia Breen gives us a preview of the upcoming Paralympic Games. Olivia talks about the power of sport for disabled people and her hopes for Paris 2024.

In this episode of the Disability Download, we sit down with Jessica, a remarkable mother of two who shares her journey of navigating pregnancy, parenting, and daily life with a disability. Jessica offers candid insights into the unique challenges she faced during pregnancy, from navigating accessibility barriers to confronting misconceptions about disability and parenthood. Through her personal experiences, Jessica sheds light on the importance of advocacy, resilience, and finding support systems as a parent with a disability. Join us as we explore Jessica's inspiring story and gain valuable perspectives on parenting beyond the stereotypes.

This month, our hosts Peter and Nick delve into the world of Employment. With two separate guests, Cassie Lovelock and Tilly Dowler, the episode focusses first on the disability employment gap, disabled people in the workplace and the problems with working from home. Next, Tilly gives us a real-life example of being a disabled business owner, the ups and downs, difficulties with Access to work, their upcoming fashion shows and more!

Disabled campaigner Kerry Thompson speaks powerfully on social care, relationships and how the Chancellor’s Budget desperately needed to do more for disabled people. Kerry, who lives in Milton Keynes with her husband, has muscular dystrophy and uses a powerchair. She explains how she and her husband urgently need more social care support, and how good social care can change lives.

*Contains explicit language* In this episode of the Disability Download, "Taboo Tales: Love, Sex, and Disability," Zarifa shares her personal journey navigating the complexities of sex, dating, and disability in the online world. Her story sheds light on both the challenges and triumphs she faces in these conversations. Joining the conversation are Paige and Taylor, a couple who offer their unique perspective on love and partnership when one member of the relationship is disabled. They share a candid glimpse into their relationship and talk about societal norms and expectations. Throughout the episode, listeners are invited to explore the intersection of love and disability, challenging taboos and opening up vital conversations about relationships that transcend perceived limitations.

Kerry Evans is the Disability Liaison Officer at Wrexham AFC. She features in the hit show Welcome to Wrexham, alongside Hollywood stars and club owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. Kerry tells us how football clubs at all levels can support disabled fans. She tells us why disabled supporters at Wrexham love the club and want more people to get involved. We find out about the superb work that Wrexham are doing with their Quiet Zone and continual access improvements. And we find out about Kerry’s life, and why Rob and Ryan are just as nice as they seem in the show!

In this clip-show, we look back at 5 of our best moments from the course of 2023. This year we've had brilliant guests, who have brought their unique insights to our listeners. With 2024 just around the corner, we wanted to look back at the year and select some of our top moments to recap 2023.

This month, our hosts Peter and Beth spoke with creator, comedian, author and educator Fats Timbo, and sociologist and researcher Cassandra Lovelock, as well as a few friendly members of the public, to discuss, amongst many other things, the intersectionality of disability and race. Cassie Lovelock Cassandra (Cassie) Lovelock is a Research Assistant at the ESRC Centre for Society & Mental Health at Kings College London and is also currently completing her PhD at the London School of Economics where she is conceptualising a theory of indirect lived experience in mental health research, service design/improvement and policy making. Cassie has hereditary neuropathy with a liability for pressure palsies (HNPP), a rare condition with similar symptoms to MS, and often uses a wheelchair. Her understanding and knowledge of disability rights is rooted in her lived experiences, and she has featured on Channel 4, The Huffington Post, Metro, and Evening star where she has sheds light on disability hate crime. Fats Timbo Fats Timbo is an social media influencer, model and comedian and often talks about achondroplasia and her African heritage. She has over 2 million followers on TikTok and has appeared on television shows such as Celebrity Gogglebox and Laugh Lessons, and Channel 4s “Don’t Look Down”. Fats also hosts her own stand-up comedy night “Fats & Friends” and has hosted some of the biggest up-and-coming digital comedians as they take their first steps into live stand-up. Fats is an advocate for disability rights and has supported charities such as Scope and Leonard Cheshire in bringing awareness of disabled people and inclusivity in the media industry.

This episode explores the topic of disability hate crime – what it is and how people can be allies to disabled people We speak to Sapphire Beamish from United Response. We also chat with Leonard Cheshire’s Rebecca Waugh and find out how Northern Ireland Hate Crime Advocacy Service supports victims of hate crime. Joining Rebecca is Jolena Flett, Head of Advocacy and New Projects at partner organisation Victim Support.

July is Disability Pride Month. Dr Hannah Barham-Brown talks about disability activism and what makes her proud to be disabled. Dr Hannah is a GP who has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and uses a wheelchair. She tells us why we need to see more disabled #rollmodels in our healthcare professionals, in our politicians and in all areas of life. She also discusses LGBTQ events and why they need to be more inclusive. This is a light-hearted chat about crucial topics, with Hannah’s enthusiasm and humour showing throughout.

This month Leonard Cheshire's Campaigns Support Officer, Joshua Reeves invites his friend and fellow tattoo enthusiast Jax to be a guest on The Disability Download. Josh and Jax both have several tattoos, and in this episode the two discuss their experiences, from tattoos related to their disabilities, to first tattoo regret, and more!

Shehla Ali who lives in Sheffield spent the most of her twenties travelling around the world and flying her drone. In her thirties she was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder and everything changed. Shehla went from adventurer to advocate and tells us about navigating life with FND.

Mili Lacaze lives in Liverpool and has M.E. – a condition also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS.) Mili, who is originally from Argentina, talks with honesty and openness about the effect the condition has on her life. She also tells us why attitudes to people with invisible disabilities need to improve.

This month Isaac from Leonard Cheshire speaks with Yahye Siyad, Diversity and Accessibility Lead with Cyberduck, Paralympian, scuba diver. Born with a visual impairment, Yahye talks us through his experiences in the sporting world, the professional world, and the world of couch surfing! A full transcript is available on the Simplecast site. Music: Sun Shine by Cymatix provided by Premiumbeat Sound design and editing by Sally Raper: https://sallyar.wixsite.com/sallyraper

Jane is a priest, poet and creative artist who has multiple sclerosis (MS). We speak to her about how technology will empower her life: despite losing the power of speech, she can store her voice digitally – a process known as voice banking. So Jane will still be able to say what she wants in her words. We also speak to Steve Tyler, Director of Assistive Technology and Transformation at Leonard Cheshire, who previously worked on the voice for Alexa. Steve tells us about how technology can open up opportunities for disabled people like Jane, and many others. A full transcript is available on the Simplecast site. Music: Sun Shine by Cymatix provided by Premiumbeat Sound design and editing by Sally Raper: https://sallyar.wixsite.com/sallyraper