Ouch: Disability Talk

Life can be a bit different if you're disabled or have a mental health difficulty, but sometimes it is just be plain hilarious. Andy Duffy, Sajeela Kershi and Janine Hammond take to the stage at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to tell true stories on the theme of Lost and Found. From Andy's missing wheelchair battery which almost sparked the evacuation of a London museum, to Sajeela's recent hearing loss which meant she mistook a rude, insulting man, for someone paying her a compliment. Reece Finnegan, who's blind, wakes up hungover and without any of his possessions in his boss' house, and must somehow find his way out. Then there's Janine Hammond who lost her nipples, twice. First to cancer, then to showbiz. This is the first episode of BBC Ouch: Storytelling Live 2019, hosted by comedian Chris McCausland. Subscribe to Ouch on BBC Sounds. Like us, rate us and leave a nice review - this helps others find our programmes. Email ouch@bbc.co.uk Tweet @bbcouch or find us on Facebook.

Everyone in the theatre company Elektric Apple has a learning disability.Using important themes from life, like mental health, sexuality and loneliness, they tell stories in their own words.We sat down with actors Carl and John and their director Andrew Sinclair to talk about what they love most about performing and the message they want to spread with their productions.Presented by Niamh HughesRecorded at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe - @bbcouch

If you are disabled and believe that a product to solve your problem doesn’t exist yet, listen up. A network of volunteer engineers are on-hand to help. When Sarah Stones realised leaning heavily on her left arm was taking its toll but couldn’t find a device to help, she reached out to Remap, a charity that makes bespoke solutions for disabled people. Engineer Akshaya Ahuja made her an armband with a pressure-sensitive alarm that would make her straighten up. About to go to market is an accessible toy kitchen which is suitable both for kids who use wheelchairs, and those who stand. Designer Bex French works for Demand, a similar charity to Remap which creates cool stuff for disabled people. We put Bex and Akshaya on the spot with challenges from listeners, the presenters, and blind geek extraordinaire Robin Christopherson. Will Kate get a new skin to stop her joints from moving out of place? Why was Simon admiring Sarah’s seat? And what’s all the hype about buckwheat pillows? Presented by Kate Monaghan and Si

Living your best life when death is closer than you'd like it to be - that's what we're talking about on this month's long podcast. It's a very upbeat show about tricky disability stuff. Doctors told Lucy Watts she wouldn't make it to the age of 18 - she's now 25 and has survived sepsis 14 times. Her assistance dog Molly licks her hand three hours before any symptoms appear which gives Lucy time to get life-saving treatment. Her story about living while dying, growing up fast and realising that she's worthy of a sex life comes with warmth, energy and belly laughs. BBC Tech correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones went public with his Parkinson's diagnosis after people noticed his hand shaking on live TV. Since then, the Government have recruited him to their Disability Confident campaign, he has been part of a study and tech innovations designed for people with the condition are being pushed his way. Psychotherapist Mel Halacre, who specialises in disabled people and their mental health, also lends her expe

An A&E consultant, a psychiatrist, and two junior doctors swap notes on being disabled in the medical profession.Emergency medicine consultant, Dr Cieran McKiernan, speaks on the perils of self-diagnosis. He lost his leg after failing to treat a blister which became a 5cm-sq hole in his foot.Trainee GP, Dr Hannah Barham-Brown's wheelchair means she's regularly mistaken for a patient, while Dr Emily Burns spotted one patient's 'diagnosis' of Query Malingering - a euphemism for faking it - was actually Ehlers Danlos syndrome, a rare condition she has herself.Dr Caroline Walker says she hasn't got to go far to find doctors who, like her, have mental health difficulties.The foursome chat about the ups and down of the medical profession, the ambition to embrace diversity and how working less than full-time hours could be beneficial to all junior doctors.Produced by Emma Tracey

In a week where a tweet about a London pub went viral after a member of staff told a customer “we don’t serve disabled people”, meet the Mathies. Ben Mathie loves live music but venue options are limited because he’s only 12-years-old and uses a wheelchair and venues are often inaccessible. He was a regular at gigs in the local pub, The Harrow Inn Freehouse in Boughton, Nottinghamshire, before plans were made to shut it down. Then, in an unexpected move to save Ben's favourite venue, his mum and dad gave up their farm shop and took over the pub.Ben now has the important role of Events Manager and books all the live acts at the pub to ensure it’s as inclusive and welcoming as possible.Presented by Emma Tracey.Subscribe now to BBC Ouch in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".

The Shalva Band were favourites to represent host country Israel at Eurovision but pulled out when the dress rehearsal was scheduled for Friday - the Jewish holy day of rest. The group of eight musicians, who all have disabilities, had been voted through on a national TV programme.Their popularity rose at the same time research revealed 90% of parents in Israel didn't want their offspring to attend after-school clubs with disabled children. The band released a campaign song called Open The Door in response to the research. It went viral and they say it's changing attitudes to disability. Vocalists Anael and Dina told BBC Ouch they are now stopped for selfies wherever they go.Despite opting out of Eurovision, The Shalva Band will perform A Million Dreams, from The Greatest Showman, during the 2nd Eurovision semi-final on Thursday.With apologies for the occasional sound difficulty on the line from Jerusalem.Subscribe now to BBC Ouch in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disabili

Natalie Pearson is a primary school teacher and one of a few in the world to also have Tourette's syndrome.Tourettes causes her to swear, sometimes in class, and also jerk her body - but she says her students and colleagues have embraced it The science teacher was diagnosed with late-onset Tourette's syndrome at the age of 21 and believes a traumatic rape at university was the trigger. Natalie's story was originally heard on the BBC's Multi Story podcast. Presented by Becca Bryers.Subscribe now to BBC Ouch in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".

From being a working class disabled person to waiting for that brown envelope to arrive for your benefits reassessment. This show, recorded in front of a live audience, moves from one emotion to another.Comedian Jackie Hagan describes how she went from feeling she had to prove she could still do everything and more, after having one leg amputated, to realising she didn't actually have to become a hero. Performer Conor A has fibromyalgia, an impairment usually associated with women. He reveals how he was treated by doctors and how he learned to build access needs into his own show such as a prompter for when he goes all 'fibro fog'. Presented by Simon Minty and Kate Monaghan at the I'm Here, Where Are You? festival in Cambridge. A transcript will be available soon.Subscribe now to BBC Ouch in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".

Getting rid of single-use straws is a simple way to reduce plastic waste...unless you're one of the thousands of disabled people who rely on them everyday to drink independently. From bamboo to pasta, glass to metal, there's a variety of alternatives already out there, but do any of them actually work? After a petition emerged this week calling for McDonald's to reinstate its plastic straws because the paper versions go soggy, Esther Weber, The Times political reporter and daily straw-user, gives us the lowdown on her straw-strife.This is more than just how to drink a milkshake before the straw disintegrates. Presented by Beth Rose with Emma Tracey, Niamh Hughes and Damon Rose. A transcript will be available soon.

Have you ever been lost in a passionate moment only to realise your hips are about to dislocate? Well, Xandra Lee has been in that precarious place more times than she'd like to remember and set about writing a sex and relationships manual for people with 'dodgy hips'. Diagnosed with hip dysplasia as a teenager, she quickly realised there was no information out there - medical or otherwise - for safe, painless sex, especially if, like her, you are a younger person. So, she set about changing that by writing a book: Sex, with these Hips?. The other guest on the programme is Mel Halacre, a mental health counsellor who specialises in disability. She talks to Ouch about how the constant drip drip drip of low-level discrimination can build into bigger problems, and provides useful coping strategies for listeners.Presented by Emma Tracey and Simon Minty

Martin O'Brien has lived beyond his life expectancy twice - first at the age of five, and then again at 30. He was born with the life-limiting disease, cystic fibrosis.Now aged 31, he identifies as a Zombie - half-dead and half-alive - which he tries to convey through his physical artwork - he even spent his 30th birthday in a morgue, for art's sake.Sometimes controversial, he talks about how he uses the sexual, and consensual, practice of BDSM to illustrate life with a chronic illness and where the line between raising awareness and exploitation is drawn.Presented by Beth Rose with Emma Tracey. A transcript will be available soon.Subscribe now to BBC Ouch in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".

London poet Raymond Antrobus was thought to be dyslexic with severe learning disabilities, until his deafness was discovered at the age of six - this week he won the Ted Hughes Award for new work in Poetry (hence why we're repeating this fab interview).At school, the hearing kids taunted him because he had to sit at the front to hear the teacher, and deaf kids called him a "baby signer" because he came to British Sign Language late and wasn't as proficient as the rest of them.Later, Raymond became a teacher himself and now also writes poetry about speech therapy and other experiences deaf people have.Here, he talks eloquently about his life and reads two new poems for us.With Emma Tracey, Beth Rose and Damon Rose.Subscribe now in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC". Picture courtesy of Naomi Woodis.

After years on the circuit, American comedian Tim Renkow has just released his first TV series - Jerk.The BBC Three show follows a "heightened" version of Renkow, who has cerebral palsy. TV Tim is "too lazy" to sort out his own visa, so instead he plays on and uses his disability to mess with people and take advantage of every situation. Tim reveals to BBC Ouch how much truth was behind the sitcom, how he got The Soprano's actress Lorraine Bracco to play his mother and what it was like to have a fist-fight with fellow comedian and Britain's Got Talent winner, Lost Voice Guy, who also has cerebral palsy.Bashir Aziz, who has vitiligo, and Rachel Reynolds who has thousands of tumours on her body, talk about living with visible differences and what it was like to live together for 10 days in new Channel Five show, The House of Extraordinary People. Presented by Simon Minty and Kate Monaghan.Subscribe now in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC". Picture

Suzanne Bull loves live music. But after several accidents, including getting crushed at a gig, she wanted to challenge venues that weren’t accessible to her and other disabled music fans. Taking matters into her own hands she started up Attitude is Everything in 2000 - a disability-led charity that aims to improve Deaf and disabled peoples’ access to live music venues. Since then, she’s been made an MBE and was included in Music Week's Women in Music Roll of Honour. Suzanne tells BBC Ouch what it’s like to be honoured by the Queen and what being recognised as a disabled woman in the music industry tells us about the changing landscape for accessibility. She also gives us a glimpse into the organisation’s plans for the future. Presented by Niamh Hughes.Subscribe now in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".

We already knew it anyway, but the hashtag #DisabledPeopleAreHot has gone viral - about time too.People from around the world have been rocking their best looks and posting them proudly on social media for everyone to see.Originator of the hashtag, Andrew Gurza, gives us the lowdown on his hope for the movement, the 'merch' he's going to get made for it and how it's a lot more than just a flash in the pan trend.Presented by Emma Tracey with Niamh Hughes.Subscribe now in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker by saying "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".Image copyright: Alejandro Santiago Photography

"A kick in the gut" is how Actor Jack Binstead describes his initial response to news that daughter Daisy has osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bones) like him. But now he thinks differently. Pippa Bolton and husband describe themselves as having learning disabilities - Pippa joins us to talk about the six month fight to be allowed to bring her daughter Rain home from hospital. They now have two children and no involvement from social services. When Eliza Hull realised she wasn’t being represented in any parenting books, she interviewed disabled mums and dads from all over Australia for her ABC podcast series We’ve Got This.In a disabled parent special (if we can say special?) Jack, Pippa and Eliza tell their own stories and ponder what passers-by think and whether they feel they can ask for help amongst many other things. They also pass on their very own disabled parenting hacks.

The hashtag #ThingsDisabledPeopleKnow has gone viral in the last few days.Started in America by Imani Barbarin a week ago, it's got tweeters from all corners of the disability community and globe sharing those annoyances disabled people know, but which might never occur to anyone else. We hear from Imani about why she started it in the first place, why Damon thinks people break wind in his presence and whether this could be a #MeToo moment for the disability community. With Damon Rose, Emma Tracey and Niamh Hughes.Subscribe now in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".

As Annalisa D’Innella’s sight deteriorates, people become more awkward around her. Why is this and what can she do about it? UK teen Tilly Griffiths had some awkward conversations when arranging 24-hour care for university in America but spoiler alert, she got there. And Jordan Statham’s standoffs with teachers were pretty #awkward before he was diagnosed autistic.One raised five million pounds for charity, one wrote Simon’s favourite song and another’s 9-year-old daughter has the same jumpsuit as grown-up Kate. Find out which is which on the latest talk show. With Kate Monaghan and Simon Minty.Subscribe now in BBC Sounds or ask for us on your smart speaker "play Ouch disability talk from the BBC".

Thriller writer Liz Nugent deals in dark worlds with flawed characters, but she has experienced her fair share of challenges and tough times too.After falling from the stair banister aged six onto her brother’s tricycle she experienced a brain haemorrhage. A second accident in her 20s triggered Dystonia, a condition which causes the muscles in her leg to uncomfortably contract, making walking difficult. Her recovery has so far included an accidental stint in a psychiatric ward, plenty of Botox (cosmetic and medical) and learning to type her award-winning novels with one hand.The Irish writer chats about her latest novel – Skin Deep – and how she has perfected her streamlined writing style, with minimum description, because every word costs her energy. There are even a few tips for aspiring writers in there too. Presented by Emma Tracey with Beth Rose. A transcript will is available here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/disability-46864514Please subscribe to BBC Ouch on BBC Sounds and get in touch on Email: ouch@b