The Disability Download Leonard Cheshire

Disabled campaigner Kerry Thompson speaks powerfully on social care, relationships and how the Chancellor’s Budget desperately needed to 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.