Some people recovering from Covid-19 are experiencing chronic fatigue symptoms and struggling to manage their limited energy. Jade Gray-Christie tells her story and gets tips from two women who have lived with chronic conditions for years. Jade worked two jobs and attended the gym several times a week, yet after contracting coronavirus in March her life changed. The 32-year-old now sleeps up to 16 hours a day and is exhausted after doing one household task.  Presenter Natasha Lipman, who has managed a variety of chronic illness symptoms throughout her adult life, introduces Jade to Jo Southall, an occupational therapist who has Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.
 
From pacing yourself at work to hosting friends in your pyjamas, Jo and Natasha share the strategies which help them manage long-term pain, fatigue and poor mobility. Subscribe to this podcast on BBC Sounds or say "Ask the BBC for Ouch" to your smart speaker.

'It is possible to be tired and in pain and happy at the same time'

Weekly podcast about mental health, wellbeing and disabled people.  
Life stories and solutions with a friendly touch – for listeners around the world.

News

Disability activist and commentator Samantha Renke says the law on disability hate speech needs to be strengthened after a podcast discussion about dating someone in a wheelchair goes viral.
 
Also on the show: Actress and comedian Ashley Storrie talks about the autistic character she plays in the new BBC Three comedy drama Dinosaur.
 
The episode was made by Daniel Gordon with Drew Hyndman and Alexander Collins 
Recorded and mixed by Michael Regaard
The editor is Alex Lewis

Outrage at ableist ‘prejudice’

Tom Shakespeare is Access All presenter Emma Tracey's special guest for an Easter spectacular edition of the podcast. He talks about becoming a novelist for the first time in his 50s, and why he created a disabled character to be the hero of his first non-fiction book.  He also discusses the work he is better known for - a lifetime of disability activism and research - and his profile as a commentator on issues that affect disabled people.  The episode was made by Daniel Gordon, with Niamh Hughes and Emma Tracey. The editor is Alex Lewis. Recorded and mixed by Dave O'Neill. To get in touch with the team, email accessall@bbc.co.uk or find us on X, @bbcaccessall .

Disability academic Tom Shakespeare: Why I've started writing novels with a disabled hero

Heartstopper star Bradley Riches lifts the lid on how he coped with having autism as a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother.  Also on the show: the inventor of a new dating app which he says is fully neuro-diverse friendly. The episode was made by Daniel Gordon with Niamh Hughes and Emma Tracey. 
Recorded and mixed by Dave O’Neill. 
The editor is Alex Lewis.  To get in touch with the team email accessall@bbc.co..uk or find us on X, @bbcaccessall.

Bradley Riches: autism, Celebrity Big Brother and me

The UN in Geneva questions the UK government on its commitment to disabled people. We speak to two people who followed the proceedings - disability reporter Rachel Charlton-Dailey and Rensa Gaunt from Inclusion London, which campaigns for equality for deaf and disabled people. Actress and broadcaster Madison Tevlin on challenging assumptions about disabled people - and why having Down’s Syndrome is her least interesting trait. Plus Don Biswas talks neurodiverse comedy. The episode was made by Daniel Gordon with Niamh Hughes and Emma Tracey. The editor is Alex Lewis. Recorded and mixed by Dave O’Neill.  To get in touch with the team email accessall@bbc.co..uk or find us on X, @bbcaccessall. Don’t forget to subscribe by finding us on BBC Sounds.

UK government questioned on commitment to disabled people’s rights

In this episode, Emma Tracey gets reaction to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s spending plans from Fazilet Hadi of Disability Rights UK. Plus Stephen Kingdom from the Disabled Children’s Partnership on the Budget announcement that £105 million is to be spent on building schools for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.  There’s also an interview with Henry Fraser. Once an aspiring rugby player, he was paralysed from the neck down after an accident on holiday and has since become famous for painting using his mouth and a specially-adapted paint brush. The episode was made by Daniel Gordon with Niamh Hughes and Emma Tracey. 
The editor is Alex Lewis. 
Recorded by Hannah Montgomery. 
Sound design by Dave O’Neill.  To get in touch with the team email accessall@bbc.co..uk or find us on X, @bbcaccessall.  Don’t forget to subscribe by finding us on BBC Sounds.

'It is possible to be tired and in pain and happy at the same time'

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