The Way We Roll

Do you know your disability rights history? Where do you stand on the social model, assisted dying, media representation of disability and the role of social media in activism? Well, Rachel Charlton-Dailey, a disabled journalist and author, has written ‘Ramping Up Rights’, a book covering 100 years of disability activism, and they are our guest this month.  

Rachel doesn’t think modern campaigning is too polite compared to past campaigns; she says activists are simply more wary because of increased public hostility and harsher policing of protests. She highlights the shift in public perception from pity, which disabled people did want to change, but it’s been replaced by suspicion of disabled people influenced by government and media narratives. Rachel also points to the successful online campaign ‘Taking the PIP’ as an example of effective campaigning. 

Our conversation covers the challenges of working within corporate media, the importance of diverse representation, and understandably the personal toll of activism. We ask if Rachel has red lines; where does compromise come in? For example, how does Rachel approach working with people who may hold different views, and where do non-disabled allies fit? 

That said, Rachel is clear the system needs to be dismantled and started again. We ask about  Rachel’s future interests in research and media literacy and giving the next person a hand up. Rachel acknowledges they’ve at times overworked and realise health needs to be a priority more now than ever. Luckily Rusty the sausage dog helps with that. 

Links

Ramping Up Rights - An Unfinished History of British Disability Activism by Rachel Charlton-Dailey Hurst Publishing

Google books Rachel Charlton-Dailey

Taking the PIP

Rachel on Instagram 

Rachel on LinkedIn

Let’s start with some numbers - 

• 2.8 million people are economically inactive due to health conditions. An increase of 800,000 since 2019.
• 53% of disabled people are in work. People with learning disabilities: just 4.8%
• 300,000 people with a health condition leave work every year
• The total cost of health-related worklessness: £212 billion a year — roughly 7% of GDP
• Mental health inactivity among 16–34-year-olds rose by 76% between 2019 and 2024

How do you close the employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people? The latest person to step up is Sir Charlie Mayfield. Appointed by the UK government, he led the Keep Britain Working review examining how to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabled people. 

Sir Charlie is our guest this month. He highlights three key issues stopping more disabled people get in to work: widespread fear among both employees and employers about discussing health and disability, a lack of proper support systems for navigating reasonable adjustments, and the exclusion faced by disabled people in the workplace. His solutions? There are many, and he’s focused on data, implementation and outcomes. He tells us about international examples, particularly from Denmark and the Netherlands, where better support systems and incentives have led to better employment outcomes for disabled people. 

Our conversation showed Sir Charlie’s commitment to this. As he says, whilst the problem is significant, it is also fixable through coordinated action across government, employers, and providers.

Links

Keep Britain Working Final Report (31.3.2026)

Keep Britain Working review – updates

Charlie Mayfield Wiki

Charlie Mayfield Government role and info 

The Disability Policy Centre response to Keep Britain Working review 

This month, we have two guests. First up is Georgina Coleman, founder of Purpl Discounts, a discount platform created by disabled people for disabled people. Frustrated that disabled consumers were often overlooked despite facing higher living costs, Georgina set out to negotiate exclusive savings on everyday essentials, entertainment and more. She shares the story behind launching the business, the challenges of building it from scratch, and how her own experiences of MS and ADHD have shaped its direction.

Georgina’s passion for disability and financial inequality drives her ambition to use the success of Purpl to fund practical support for disabled people who cannot afford the help they need. From proving eligibility and charging a membership fee to balancing social purpose with commercial reality, this is a thought-provoking discussion about entrepreneurship, community and finding new ways to make life a little fairer.

Later in the show, we speak with David Dew-Veal, founder of ORA (Open Road Access), about his mission to make travel and independence easier for disabled people. Drawing on family experiences, David explains how his wheelchair-accessible vehicle rental service offers flexible transport options, whether for a day, a month or longer.

We explore the challenges faced by people who acquire disabilities later in life, and the role that technology and innovation could play in transforming mobility in the years ahead. It’s an insightful discussion about practical solutions, social impact and what it will take to (hopefully) create a world where everyone can move more freely and independently.

Links

Purpl Discount 

Georgina Colman LinkedIn

ORA Open Road Access 

David Dew Veal LinkedIn

Has there really been an explosion of people who are neurodivergent? In our latest podcast, Dr Nancy Doyle, founder of Genius Within and organisational psychologist, answers our questions.  

Nancy is a social entrepreneur and leading authority on neurodiversity and disability inclusion in the workplace. She created Genius Within – pioneering scalable, evidence-based solutions that empower neurodivergent individuals and transform organisational cultures. Nancy shares her personal experiences about her ADHD diagnosis and how she manages it. 

We explore the possible over-medicalisation and whether being neurodivergent is seen as a ‘cool’ trait. And is being neurodivergent the same as having a disability? As workplaces scramble to adapt, how can employers and the neurodivergent employees make it work?

Interestingly, we begin to see similarities between the more mature disability rights movement and the newer neurodivergent campaigning; striking the right balance between "entitlement" and “agency", where neurodivergent people develop their own strategies and accommodations rather than relying solely on external support. If 15-20% of the population is neurodivergent, how do we see things in the future for this significant minority?

Links

Genius Within

Doctor Nancy Doyle LinkedIn

Nancy Doyle Instagram

Business Disability Forum Neurodiversity Network

Business Disability Form ‘ What is Neurodiversity?’

It was hard to miss the furore of the offensive language moment at the BAFTAs this year. A couple of months on, we take a cool, reflective look at what went wrong and how we can do better next time. We wonder whether this moment has progressed the inclusion of people with Tourette’s? 

It seems the Covid impact on working from home is truly ending as remote work declines and more employees are expected to be in their workplaces. Does this have a disproportionate and negative impact on disabled employees? That said, we need to ensure we don’t argue for a world where disabled people only work from home. 

Ten years ago, in April 2016, we recorded our first podcast. Back then, the Brexit referendum had just begun, there was a review of disability benefits and a doctors’ strike. Plus ça change! We remember the first pod and highlight a couple of favourite moments since.

To wrap up, Phil has good news after MSPs rejected a law to introduce assisted suicide in Scotland, and Simon recommends the Disability And… podcast with Jack Thorne and Eli Beaton, who talk about disability and television. 

Links

BBC I Swear director says Baftas 'let down' Tourette's campaigner

The Guardian letters re BAFTA 

BAFTA Statement Feb 2026

BAFTA Tourette's row has 'reversed' film's message

Tourettes Hero 

Remote Jobs Are Disappearing — And Disabled Workers Are Paying The Price

Scottish parliament votes against legalising assisted dying

Disability and… Access to TV podcast 

First show April 2016

In this episode of The Way We Roll, we are joined by broadcaster and journalist Mark Mardell to unpack a shocking travel experience that raises bigger questions about disability, power, and dignity.

Airports and airlines often frame decisions around safety — but where is the line between care and control? Mark’s experience highlights how quickly concern can morph into blanket policies based on assumptions rather than evidence, leaving disabled passengers powerless and stranded.

Mark shares his story of being refused boarding on a flight from Istanbul to London simply because he has Parkinson’s—and no doctor’s letter to “prove” he was fit to fly.  It’s a deeply personal account of confusion, humiliation, and bureaucratic indifference in one of the world’s busiest airports. Mark describes the humiliation, isolation, and loss of autonomy, from being publicly questioned to wandering an airport alone without support or information.

Mark’s response to this experience — fuelled by anger and a strong network- has helped force a policy change. The episode explores how collective voices, media attention, and persistence can turn a personal injustice into wider change.

Links

Mark Mardell Wikipedia 

BBC article 27th October 2025

Rights on Flights 

The Mouth and Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) has been around since 1957 and has a remarkable impact. 

Tom Yendell from the MFPA is our guest and explains the organisation's purpose: supporting artists who paint without using their hands. There are 33 British artists and nearly 800 worldwide, and they are born with a uniqueness or disability or acquire them later in life. MFPA provides a supportive environment for artists to express themselves creatively, often helping them regain a sense of purpose after experiencing life-altering events. It supports artists with disabilities by providing grants, art materials, and local tutors to help them become professional artists.

Digital art represents both a threat and a challenge for the MFPA. The organisation needs to bring along the supporters who prefer the non-digital work and explore digital options to attract a younger demographic. 2026 is a big year for the AMFPA with its 70th Anniversary Conference and four-day exhibition in London in April. 

Links

Mouth and Foot Painting Artists 

Wikipedia on international AMFPA

VDMFK and the London conference 

Open Road Access WAV vehicle hire 

In this episode of The Way We Roll, we’re joined by Dr Georges Petitjean, founder of WARM (Workplace Addiction Recovery Movement).

Georges set up WARM after years of seeing the same pattern play out: Employees struggling with substance use were too nervous to tell their employers because of the potential consequences, including discrimination or career damage, rather than support being offered.

Although in recent years there’s been a rise in openness about work-related mental health conversations, addiction has largely been left out. That silence matters, with around 8–10% of employees affected by substance use disorders. Only a small fraction ever receives treatment; most are at work and coping alone.

Our conversation explores why some organisations still insist “this isn’t happening here” – a familiar reaction to anyone who remembers when disability was hushed up. We talk about how stigma, language, and fear delay support, often until things reach a crisis point.

Georges explains why WARM focuses on psychological safety rather than diagnosis or discipline. The aim is simple but powerful: make it safer to talk, easier to seek help, and more normal to access support early. That benefits individuals, teams, and organisations alike.

We also dig into the overlaps – addiction, mental health, chronic pain, prescribed medication, disability, and work culture. Addiction itself isn’t recognised as a disability under the Equality Act, but the associated mental health conditions often are.

Georges outlines plans for a pilot with employers who want to lead rather than look away. This means small changes, better language, clearer signposting and a willingness to know what’s really going on.

It’s a thoughtful, honest conversation about something we don’t talk about enough – and why it needs to be discussed more.

Links

www.warmatwork.org

Our first podcast of 2026 has our usual mix of debate, provocation, humour, and, we like to think, important insight. 

We discuss how disability is reported in the media, and whether we, as disabled readers, have our own bias in seeing it one way. 

Do medical prognoses collide with our lived experience? If there is no disability voice is there balance? 

For a second topic, we highlight how one minute you can get a lot of support as a disabled person, and then suddenly it drops off. When we have little choice of service providers, we often have to put up with poor service. Why are these outsourced service providers getting it so wrong? 

Our topics were prompted by the BBC report about singer Jessy Nelson having twin baby daughters who both have SMA. Then there’s the Guardian article written by wheelchair user Paul Sagar, about his trials in getting a wheelchair after an accident. 

To finish up, we do our own Spotify Wrapped with our show numbers and a look ahead to 2026’s guests.

Links

Little Mix Jessy Nelson’s children

Other children talk of their diagnosis

Paul Sagar getting frustrated

Beyond Mobility 

I’m Not Your Inspiration - Stella Young TedTalk

How to report on disability responsibly in journalism 

Disability News Service