The Disabilitymatch Podcast

This is a big occasion for us.  We have now produced the 10th edition of our podcast and established its position within the disabled community in England as well as in other countries.  When I started this project last year I had absolutely no experience of radio broadcasting and the first couple of episodes were produced on ' a wing and a prayer'.  The first thing that struck me was just how helpful the disabled community was to my new project.  I had an established following on Twitter who were essential to getting great guests for the show.  Frankly, without social media I would have never got the podcast off the ground.  Now it is easier to persuade great guests to give up their time to chat to me since we have a whole range of interviews under our belt.

This episode features 2 very different guests; we have a top diversity expert from the BBC, Toby Mildon and Rachael Stamper who is Heritage manager at the Queen Elizabeth Foundation - one of our most respected charities.  This is incidentally a great show which is on this week and runs until the 24th of April.  There are some fascinating archive photographs from the QEF workshop and even a real iron lung  for the visitor to examine.

I am deeply honoured that they have contributed their precious time to be on our show  and share their thoughts with us.  Over the past months we have been equally honoured by people such as Michelle Weltman from the London Marathon,  Martyn Sibley from Disability Horizons (http://www.disabilityhorizons.com),  our sexpert Robin Wilson-Beattie, our travel expert Gillian Moorhouse-Hoole and many other great personalities from the world of disability.  We have also crossed barriers when we interviewed Kate Caryer from the "Unspoken Project' who has no biological voice.  Listeners will recall that we also featured amazing inventions to help the visually impaired and the paralysed get the most out of our modern world.

Next week I will be visiting the NAIDEX show in Birmingham (http://www.naidex.co.uk/) to see the latest in disabled technology and to talk to people who are making a difference to the disabled community.  Our good friend Martyn Sibley will be speaking at NAIDEX so I will be able to hear his speech which I am sure will be a highlight of the show.  Then I will be cheering on the athletes in the London Marathon and hopefully interviewing them in our next episode.  So, I really hope you enjoy this podcast and share us on all your social media.

 

For job vacancies at the BBC visit this link. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/careers/trainee-schemes-and-apprenticeships)

Information about the exhibition from the Queen Elizabeth Foundation (http://www.oxotower.co.uk/events/crippled-handicapped-disabled-living-beyond-labels/)

In this podcast episode we give speech to the speechless when we interview Kate Caryer from the Unspoken Project which is an innovative theatre group with disabled and non disabled actors.  Kate communicates through a artificial speech device much like Stephen Hawkins  but even with its limitations I think it makes for a very interesting and informative interview.

 

The Unspoken Project (http://theunspokenprojectcic.com/) is seeking funding for 'Speechless, the Musical'  which tells the typical coming of age story of a teenager on the run from her over bearing parents and their limited view of her adulthood; her need for a voice being heartily ignored and her being subjected to highly dubious medical practices that promise a miracle cure. If you are interested in funding this through Kickstarter have a look at this link

(https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/577195567/speechless-0).

Can you imagine life without a smartphone?  These devices have become such an integral part of our lives that to be deprived of access for even a day would seem like a real hardship for most of us.  But there are many members of the disabled community who cannot operate a smartphone and are cut off from social media, SMS and even 'Angry Birds' - all the things that the majority take for granted.  This is why I am so excited by the innovation of Sesame Enable (https://sesame-enable.com/phone/), an Israeli company who have developed a smartphone that you can operate by speech or by head movements.  When I first found out about this technology I was determined to interview the manufacturer and find out more.  You can listen to my interview in this podcast episode.

With the London Marathon just around the corner we decided it was a perfect time to start a 'disability sports' section in our podcast and we were fortunate enough to get Michelle Weltman who is the elite wheelchair coordinator at the London Marathon.  Nobody knows more about disability sports than Michelle and she brings her inside knowledge to our podcast and tells uys what to look forward to at this Years' Marathon.  The link for the Sepentine event that Michelle mentions is www.swimserpentine.co.uk (http://www.swimserpentine.co.uk) and the link for the marathon itself is www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.co.uk (http://www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.co.uk).

(http://podcast.disabilitymatch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Michelle-Weltman-previews-the-London-Marathon-elite-wheelchair-races-YouTube-300x157.png)

We are also delighted that our good friend Martyn Sibley has published his book 'Everything is Possible' . It is a very good read and his is the story of the scrapes, skirmishes and silly situations that one man and his wheelchair can get into, given a little self belief and a whole lot of planning.

(http://podcast.disabilitymatch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/everything-is-possible-210x300.jpeg)

You can buy the book online at this link. (http://www.lulu.com/shop/martyn-sibley/everything-is-possible/paperback/product-22593144.html)   I am still reading through the book but it is an engrossing read that I can thoroughly recommend to all of you.

There is so much quality material in this month's episode of the disabilitymatch podcast we know you will be impressed We interview Kate Cayer who has no biological voice and speaks through a communication device, Kate runs a theatre group called 'The Unspoken Project' for disabled and non disabled performers.

We look at the latest innovation for smartphone users with Sesame Enabled who produce a phone that can be operated by speech and head movements enabling the paralysed to be a part of the smartphone community.

Finally, we introduce our disability sports section with top para athletic commentator and expert Michelle Weltman who is the elite wheelchair coordinator at the London Marathon.

This is a podcast packed with information for the entire disabled community.

The latest disabilitymatch podcast features Martyn Sibley from Disability Horizons who tells us about his successful mentoring programme for young people with SMA and gives us some early information about his upcoming book.

We introduce a new section into this episode with our 'Innovation Report' and find out more about Orcam and their exciting product for the blind and visually impaired.

To end on a sunny note we have Gillian telling about the best places to go for accessible honeymoons and romantic escapes.

What a great mixture of topics we have in this podcast episode.  We are talking to Martyn Sibley from Disability Horizons (http://disabilityhorizons.com) who is a great friend of the show and one of the most respected voices in the disability sector.  Martyn recently started a mentoring program for young people with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and he will tell us how it all went.  We also get a glimpse of the inspirational book he has written on living a full life even when you are disabled.

 

The Israeli technology company OrCam (http://orcam.com) have just launched in the UK and they introduced a product - OrCam My Eye - which is an intelligent camera that fits on a pair of spectacles and tells the wearer, through an earpiece, what they are looking at.  The products works for the totally blind as well as the partially sighted.  You can reach them in the UK on 0800-358-5323.

Our travel expert Gillian from disabledholidays.com tells us about romantic Spring breaks, whether for a Spring honeymoon or just for a romantic trip away.  We look at the fabulous Island of Mauritius with its beautiful hotels and majestic beaches and, closer to home, we talk about the romance of Rome, the eternal city.  All the trips we discuss are fully accessible for disabled travellers.

(http://podcast.disabilitymatch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/beach_beautiful_beaches_holiday-300x225.jpg)

I want to take an opportunity to mention our new online 'disabled living store (http://shop.disabilitymatch.co.uk)' where you can get everything from a mobility scooter to a wheelchair cupholder at very good prices.  I hope you will have a look at our products and any money we make will go towards production equipment for our podcast.  The link to our store is http://shop.disabilitymatch.co.uk (http://shop.disabilitymatch.co.uk) do please support us.

(http://podcast.disabilitymatch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Disabled-Living-Store-300x167.png)

Once again we apprciate any feedback on our podcast to [email protected]

Welcome to 2016. Our latest episode of the disabilitymatch podcast has a range of exciting interviews to get the new year off to a good start.  We meet Sib who is a budding film maker and disability campaigner.  Sib has Autism but he certainly hasn't let that stand in his way.  To find out more about Sib you can visit his Film2240 website (http://asff1988.wix.com/film2240) or follow him on Twitter @Film2240.  This is a video that Sib has produced about disability issues.

We welcome Rob Lott, head of communications from the Calvert Trust in Exmoor who tells us about the work of his charity and as you can see from their video they have an extraordinary range of  activities for the disabled community.  If you want to book a holiday you need to call them on 01598 763221 so they can discuss your exact holiday dreams and practical requirements.  They are a charity and we hope you will give them your fullest support - they are doing an amazing job.

Finally, we have Robin who has been talking at  the AVN (adult show) in Las Vegas and demonstrating how disabled people can fully enjoy their sex lives.  Robin is an inspirational voice in the field of disabled sex education and we are fortunate to have her on our show. Today she talks to us about 'disability and the porn industry'.

 

Don't forget, Valentine's day is coming up soon and there is still time to find the love of your life at the disabilitymatch website (http://www.disabilitymatch.co.uk/registration) and it is absolutely free to register and browse the profiles.

The first disabilitymatch podcast of 2016 features an autistic film maker and disability campaigner called Sib who speaks to us about his film work and his autism. We also welcome Rob Lott from the Calvert trust in Exmoor. The Calvert Trust is a charity that provides activity holidays in Exmoor. Holidaymakers can enjoy a wide range of activities including wheelchair abseiling and kayaking and there is aa fully equipped archery range for budding 'Robin Hoods'.

Finally we have our 'sexpert' Robin from sexabled. Robin is a speaker on a panel at the AVN show in Las Vegas this month and tells us all about the 'adult' side of disability in her own inimitable style.

The Xmas 2015 Disabilitymatch podcast brings together some familiar guests from the world of disabled living. Martyn Sibley from disabilityhorizons talks about accomable his new venture in the disabled travel arena. Dan burden from the SIA is another welcome favourite guest telling us about how the Spinal Injuries Association can help people get back into work. As always we have our 'sexpert' Robin Wilson-Beattie telling us why more sex is the solution to improved health and pain reduction.

disabilitymatch.co.uk is the leading disabled dating resource in the UK.

Welcome to our Xmas podcast 2015.  This is our 6th podcast episode and has a wide range of content.  We interview Martyn Sibley from disabilityhorizons.com (http://www.disabilityhorizons.com) about his new travel service accomable (http://www.accomable.com/) and how it is destined to be an important force in travel opportunities for the disabled.

We talk to Dan Burden from Spinal Injuries Association (http://www.spinal.co.uk/) about the help his organisation can offer on helping men and women with spinal injuries find rewarding work in the mainstream workforce.

(http://podcast.disabilitymatch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Dan_Burden.gif)

Then last but by no means least we have the unique Robin from  our sexpert (http://www.sexabledwithrobinwb.com/v1/) from the U.S.A.  Robin was visiting London this week and I had the enormous pleasure of spending time with her.  Robin. who has travelled the world with her spinal disability thanks to her walker had her mobility put to a difficult test negotiating the London underground network. (https://tfl.gov.uk/transport-accessibility/)  I felt quite ashamed how inadequate our accessibility is for travellers like Robin.  I sometimes overlook how unhelpful our transport can be since I do not have a mobility disability myself.  Surely, almost 20 years into the new millennium  we can achieve something more inclusive.

So please enjoy our podcast and let us have your input.  You can write to me david@[email protected] with feedback and suggestions for future content.

Episode #5 of the disabilitymatch podcast has guests talking about a wide range of topics. We have Samantha Payne from Open Bionics in Bristol taking about advances in robotics for replacement limbs. We have Gillian telling us about skiing trips for the disabled and Robin is talking about sexual consent. Lots of good information to enhance disabled living.