´óÏó´«Ã½

EMMA- You’re going to start thinking that I’m making stories up for the podcast when I tell you this. Ready?

NIKKI- Oh no, go on. I love these stories.

EMMA- I was taking the four year old to the dentist, with my PA. so, we were in the waiting room and the dentist called us in. And I didn’t bother bringing the PA in because it was not far away. So, I grabbed the four year old’s hand and we started walking towards, just following the nurse as she sort of chatted on her way. And then the four year old let go of me to go and play with the dentist chair, of course, because that’s what he does. So, the nurse took my hand and she was like, oh something about mummy. And I said, oh not it’s okay, I’ll take your arm because it’s not his job or whatever. And she said – because obviously I’m obsessed with this now, this caring business, after last time – and then she said, ‘Oh yeah, give him a break’. Oh!

NIKKI- Oh Emma, this keeps happening to you. 

EMMA- I know. 

NIKKI- Why is it happening to you so often now? Remind listeners what happened to you the first time. 

EMMA- Well, a man came up to us as me and the boy were walking along in the school grounds and said, ‘Oh you’re doing a great job helping mummy there’. And then I gave him a TED talk on how the little boy wasn’t helping mummy, he was walking along doing his thing. The boy was just like, ‘Oh no, mummy helps me, I don’t help her’ which was brilliant. But give him a break. Give the four year old a break!

NIKKI- Did you then give another TED talk?

EMMA- No.

NIKKI- You didn’t?

EMMA- Because the dentist seemed like she was in a hurry. My son needed support from me. He just needed me to be like, close your mouth, just gargle, just be mummy. But no, I was a bit raging. I was flabbergasted. Like she saw that there was a PA, there was another person in the waiting room. The four year old didn’t take me from my house to the dentist. 

MUSIC- Theme music.

NIKKI- It’s Access All, our weekly disability and mental health podcast, made by the same ´óÏó´«Ã½ team as Americast, Ukrainecast and Newscast. I’m Nikki Fox and I’m in London. 

EMMA- And I’m Emma Tracey, and I’m in Edinburgh. Nikki?

NIKKI- Yes, Emma Tracey.

EMMA- I reckon you would have quite a bit to say about brassieres. 

NIKKI- Bras?

EMMA- Bras darling yes.

NIKKI- Oh I could talk about bras for days, bras and knockers, yes.

EMMA- Can you put a bra on? Can you get your arms round there to clip it in?

NIKKI- Yeah, I can. I’ve got some fancy do up at the front ones.

EMMA- Yolanda was listening to our chat with Victoria Jenkins, the disabled fashion designer. 

NIKKI- Oh yeah, she was brilliant. 

EMMA- She was really, really good. And she was saying that she’s spent a lot of time and a lot of money looking for a bra that’s comfortable and easy to get on for, as she says, those of us who are quite busty.

NIKKI- Ooh Yolanda, listen, I’ve got an answer to this one. I was introduced to something that has changed my life actually, the bralette. 

EMMA- What’s a bralette?

NIKKI- It’s like a crop top as well as a bra. So, it is a bra and it’s got the same kind of support. And I think my old PA won’t mind me saying this, was very busty, and she wore a lot of bralettes and she found that they were good because she had big boobies. But I find them very good because they’re very comfortable. And they’re easy to put on because you don’t have any clips, you literally just put them over your head like you would a top.

EMMA- These are standard things. Lots of things wear them in regular…

NIKKI- Yeah, they’re very fashionable at the moment as well, Emma. They’re everywhere. And because a lot of people wear bralettes underneath a top that might be a little bit see-through, so they’re not quite as revealing as a bra.

EMMA- Okay.

NIKKI- But you can get them lacy. They’ve got some padding if you want some padding in them. When you put them on you do not feel like they’re on. The bralette, Yolanda, try the bralette, and if you like it let me know. Another thing I would do is, because I do a lot of online shopping because I find it’s a lot easier for me, so if you’ve an online store that you like just in the search function just put do up at the front bra, because actually you don’t need to go to a specialist place to get a do up at the front bra. I’ve got a very lovely one, it’s a bit sexy, and it’s very easy to do up at the front as well. There’s not as much option, but they are there. 

EMMA- Yeah.

NIKKI- The same sort of thing, clothes, well from underwear to clothes, we got – this email makes me quite sad actually – we got a message from Peter from the Netherlands. Because obviously we are quite global this pod, it’s great. On the fashion thing Peter says, ‘I experienced an upsetting incident and I want to tell you all about it. It was raining and I was wearing my silver poncho – which sounds amazing – school children filmed and were laughing at me. While it wasn’t nice I’m kind of not overly bothered by it. The very upsetting thing was a man on a bike leant down and shouted ‘alien!’ in my face as he went past. I’m completely helpless when I’m in my electric wheelchair and I can’t outrun people when I’m driving it because it goes super slowly. This morning, after a sleepless night and much thought, I phoned the police. The nice lady I spoke to was really shocked and they are going to open a file. It’s raining again today and I need to get some food. My gorgeous silver poncho is black on the inside so I’ve turned it inside out’. 

EMMA- No!

NIKKI- ‘It’s not as beautiful now, which is a bit sad. It’s a work in progress.’ 

EMMA- There’s so much to unpack there. 

NIKKI- Thank you so much Peter for finding the courage to send this email to us. Emma and I really do appreciate it, don’t we, Ems?

EMMA- We do. And think it came out in soon after we did the hate crime section a few weeks ago. And I believe that it gave courage to call the police as well, and to recognise that it was a hate crime; it’s good that change is happening because of stories that people have brought to us and told us on Access All. 

NIKKI- But then part of me just thinks you know what Peter, this is one person that’s said a horrible thing, that’s probably not a particularly nice person. You do not turn that poncho onto the black side. You get that silver side out and proud, Peter. Try not, as best you can, to worry about it. And do not let it stop you wearing or doing what you want in life. 

EMMA- We love hearing from you so please do keep in touch, get in touch, tell us your stories. You can email us accessall@bbc.co.uk. You can tweet us @´óÏó´«Ã½AccessAll. Or you can WhatsApp us, send us a voice message or a text message on 0330 123 9480. And please do put the word Access at the beginning of your message. 

NIKKI- Now, a quick update on the mystery of the missing disability minister. 

EMMA- Yeah, so it’s Claire Coutinho isn’t it, Nikki?

NIKKI- No, there’s been some major drames. Is that what they say?

EMMA- Really? There’s been some drama in the government in general, so I guess it follows. 

NIKKI- Yeah, big time. We know that Claire Coutinho was appointed as minister for disabled people, because we did that whole kind of super sleuth thing, didn’t we, and we got it right. [Bell rings]

EMMA- Yeah, I had a top five chart of her facts and everything. 

NIKKI- Yeah, you did. You got it all prepared. That was a lot of work that was. 

EMMA- Oh Claire. 

NIKKI- Claire was appointed by Liz Truss who, as we know, then resigned as Prime Minister. Rishi Sunak became PM and made Claire Coutinho minister for Education. Which has now left the disability minister role empty, vacant. [Church bells chime]

EMMA- Again.

NIKKI- Yes, again. 

EMMA- Because there have been five of them now since 2016, so it’s open again. 

NIKKI- But this is not all the drama, Ems. There’s more, right? 

EMMA- More? 

NIKKI- Yes. So, during her brief time as Prime Minister Liz Truss downgraded the minister for disabled people role from minister of state, which is a kind of mid-level job, to parliamentary undersecretary of state, which is more of a junior role. That did get sorted quite quickly, and the role has gone back to being minister for disabled people. We can close the book on that now. 

EMMA- We can put it behind us. 

NIKKI- Now, as for who is the next minister for disabled people I’ve been badgering my secret source. And my secret source sent me a message this morning, and basically said, ‘You may have noticed there are two ministers for state appointed by the Department of Work and Pensions, if that helps narrow things down’. We have Tom Pursglove MP, and we have Guy Opperman MP. Now, that’s a reappointment; Guy is a reappointment. I repeat, is a reappointment. 

EMMA- So, are you saying, Nikki Fox, that you think that the next minister for disabled people is Tom Pursglove?

NIKKI- I think it’s either Tom or Guy, but I’m going to put my money on Tom for disabled people, because so much is going on that is impacting them in a very specific way, and in some cases more negatively. Not having that role and not having somebody appointed to that role sort of adds to the scary times that we are living in for so many. It’s sort of a recognition that the government understands the concerns that many disabled people are feeling. And that’s the feeling right now, and that’s the kind of vibe I get on Twitter at the moment, which is why I think many people are calling to know who it is. And why a lot of people, when they got wind that that position had been downgraded, were particularly concerned. We will let our listeners know who the minister is as soon as we know. 

EMMA- We’re really hoping that whoever it turns out to be comes in and has a chat with us. 

NIKKI- Yes, and I think the Department are very keen to make that happen. So, keep sending us your questions, what do you want us to put to the minister when the minister is announced? 

MUSIC- Access All.

NIKKI- Em, how much do you like back to back Taylor Swift songs? 

EMMA- Yeah, I mean get them on the smart speaker, dance around the kitchen, why not?

NIKKI- Well, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Young Reporter, Rose, swears by Swifty to help her keep track of time. She knows that three songs – this is brilliant – equates to about ten minutes. This is all going to become clear soon. Rose has dyscalculia – and I’m going to check I’m pronouncing that right – which comes from the same family of learning disabilities as dyslexia. It means people have trouble making sense of numbers and mathematical concepts. It affects about 6% of the population, but many people go undiagnosed. And we are joined by Rose today. And I’ve got so much to talk to her about. Hello Rose.

ROSE- Hiya.

NIKKI- How are you, lovely? 

EMMA- Hi Rose. How do you say it, dyscalculia? 

ROSE- It’s dys-calc-ulia. 

NIKKI- Dyscalculia, okay, brilliant. 

EMMA- I know someone who definitely will know how to pronounce it better than any of us, and that is Cat Eadle. And Cat is the founder of the Dyscalculia Network. 

CAT- Hi, nice to be here. 

NIKKI- Just for listeners who don’t know about dyscalculia, why don’t you explain it from your perspective, Rose?

ROSE- The simplest way I can maybe describe it for people is it’s basically just a number dyslexia. So, people know that obviously dyslexia is where people may struggle with reading or maybe writing something; whereas dyscalculia is where a person struggles with numbers. So, I on a day-to-day will struggle with things that a lot of people find quite, I would say, basic or just day-to-day. That can be telling the time, spending money, paying for something, counting money, read a bus timetable, all those little bits and pieces in life that involve numbers, I struggle with. 

NIKKI- When you spell it out like that that actually must really impact your everyday life, like not being able to give the right amount of money. Because you work, don’t you, you’ve got a job?

ROSE- Yeah. One of the things it doesn’t help with is it can cause quite a bit of anxiety sometimes, mainly with shopping. I had a massive, massive issue with paying for things. Like I would just point blank refuse going to a shop on my own because I had it in my head that it would probably go wrong. And even at work when I went for my interview I had to rely on people to get there; I had to rely on my mum to know what time for me to be there so I wouldn’t be late. All those kinds of little bits and pieces it makes life a little bit trickier, yeah. 

NIKKI- Obviously you’re 18 now, but when did you first suspect that you had this particular condition? 

ROSE- My mum kind of realised that there was something a bit different about me from quite a young age, probably like the beginning of primary school. She did have quite a few discussions with teachers to kind of be like, hmm she’s quite far behind from the other children in the class. And it was a teacher, I was doing simpler maths, and I think one of the kids had asked, ‘Well why does she get to do that?’ and the teacher simply said, ‘Oh she’s got dyscalculia, so Rose struggles with it, so she’s going to do the simpler tasks’. And that was the first time I’d ever heard about the term or even heard about what it was. I went home that evening and went, ‘Mum, have it got dyscalculia?’ And she was a bit nonplussed as well. And from then on we sort of got to googling to try and figure out what it was about. 

NIKKI- Was it a comfort to have a label on it?

ROSE- Yeah, definitely. I think labels are so, so important. I think that’s why getting people diagnosed is so important, because having a label it tells you you’re not stupid; it’s just who you are as a person. And it doesn’t make you incapable; it just makes life a little bit trickier. 

NIKKI- I’ve said this to Emma before, because I’m dyslexic and I didn’t know it when I was at school, so I was the person in class that felt like they had the dunce’s cap on a bit. I didn’t know, and if you don’t know you do feel like you're a bit thick. Knowing that I’m now dyslexic definitely helped, and I can imagine it being a bit of a relief actually just to have that label. 

EMMA- I just wondered, Rose, in terms of working, has dyscalculia affected applying for jobs, applying for university? How has that come into those? 

ROSE- Once I left school particularly I had a bit of a chat with my mum and said, ‘Right, how am I going to do this?’ because I remember my friend telling me, ‘Oh do you know, at the weekend I hopped on a bus and I went to town, and I got a drink, and then I did some shopping, and then I hopped on a bus and I came back home’. And I thought to myself, oh my goodness, I can’t do that! And that’s just somebody that’s still in school. And I was thinking, right, once I leave school how am I actually going to do this? I struggle with the numbers side, but also I was just so, so terrified of the world. So, applying for jobs it can sometimes be a practical thing, but mentally it was quite tricky, trying to jump out of my comfort zone and push myself to stand in front of people and say, I’d like this job, but also I have this issue where I can’t really deal with numbers. Which can be a bit embarrassing for me to admit sometimes, having to say to people that I can’t tell the time and stuff. 

EMMA- You’ve got a job, haven’t you? Tell me about the job and about you and your employer work together to sort of help you through the numbers bits. 

ROSE- Yeah, so I work at a place sort of storytelling, a lot of creativity. So, we do a lot of making performances, doing things for children, dressing up the children. But it’s brilliant and it’s really creative, but of course there are number elements to it. Me and my co-worker we have this thing that if I’m doing a kids birthday party she’ll say right, that’s two hours long, and I’ll think right, well I don’t know how long two hours is, because I can’t visualise two hours in my head. So, she’ll say, ‘Right, that’ll be two EastEnders episodes’. And I’m able to picture it then because I can visualise how long two EastEnders episodes are in my head, and then I’m able to say, right I know how long that activity is going to be. And that’s kind of how we get round things like that. 

NIKKI- That’s a nifty little technique you’ve got there, Rose. I like it. 

ROSE- Thank you. 

NIKKI- I want to introduce now the wonderful Cat. You’ve been very patient there, Cat. It’s lovely, lovely to speak to you. Do you have dyscalculia as well then? 

CAT- No. So, I’m a dyscalculia specialist teacher. 

NIKKI- Love it. 

CAT- So, my interest was always in why doesn’t the seven or eight or nine year old, or 15 year old, why are they struggling with learning maths. So, I became a dyscalculia specialist teacher, and through that eventually a lot of years later the Dyscalculia Network was born. 

NIKKI- And you set that up, did you? 

CAT- I did. So, I run my own tuition company specialising in helping children with additional needs with maths. So, although dyscalculia is one aspect of maths difficulties, many people struggle with maths. I think there’s about a 40% comorbidity with people with dyslexia who also struggle with maths in some way. So, it’s a very, very common link. 

NIKKI- We’ve just heard how it affects lovely Rose. But can you tell us exactly what it is?

CAT- Yeah. So, dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers, which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with maths; and it’s not related to the age of the person, their level of ability in any way. And it occurs across all age ranges, so it’s not something you grow out of, so to speak. And I think it’s best thought of as like a continuum of maths difficulties. And dyscalculia is a very, very specific end of that continuum where there’s difficulty with number sense, like Rose is saying, a sense of time, a sense of direction can be involved, and also number sense, so kind of understanding what’s bigger and smaller amounts and quantities – we call that magnitude. So, all those things go towards a diagnosis of dyscalculia. And it’s more common than you’d realise. It’s not talked about anywhere near as much as dyslexia. But like you said in the beginning, approximately 5% to 6% of the population will have dyscalculia. You're talking about one in 20 people, so there’s at least going to be one child in every classroom. 

NIKKI- And probably more. 

CAT- And probably more. 

EMMA- Rose isn’t diagnosed, even though she can talk about having it and clearly can set out all the ways it affects here. Why is Rose, and so many people like her, not diagnosed? 

CAT- I think there’s a few aspects to that. The first aspect is dyscalculia is very, very far behind in research compared to dyslexia, for example. And awareness is only just gaining momentum. And also because there wasn’t any central place to get help and advice. So, if people are contacting me in a tiny village with my home grown website and just lucky enough to stumble across me on the internet that’s causing a problem. And that goes down into schools: there’s not enough training for teachers yet in dyscalculia maths difficulties, so it’s not being identified early enough. And there’s also not enough specialist assessors. 

EMMA- Rose and Cat, what help do you think needs to be offered to people with dyscalculia that’s not being offered at the moment? 

ROSE- When people say that they have it listen to what they’re saying, and work to fit how their minds work. And I know that that’s sometimes a bit of a big ask, but I think it’s important that people educate themselves a little bit, just so that they’re able to support them in any way that they can, whether it be through time or money or a job. 

NIKKI- And Cat, what would you like to see offered to people with [singing] dyscalculia? But I’ve remembered it, haven’t I?

CAT- Yeah, you have, and it’s a great job. And we all need different ways to remember. And I think Rose has hit the nail on the head when she said that I think we need to think about how different people learn, and how we can help different people learn in the way that they learn. Because we can’t teach children in the way that we learn; we have to teach them in the way that they learn. And that’s really, really important. But I think in schools we need to see earlier identification, because the sooner that we can identify that people are struggling with maths the more impact we can have in making a difference, the more intervention we can put in. And being able to help children with all maths difficulties, because dyscalculia like we say, is just one part of it, and there could be many children with maths difficulties in a class who could be helped with lots more hands-on resources. 

NIKKI- Well, Cat, I wish you were around about 100 years ago when I was at school. 

CAT- Never too late, never too late.

NIKKI- And Rose, honestly, you’re brilliant. You’ve done such a terrific job for Young Reporter, and I’m so, so happy for you. 

ROSE- Thank you very much. 

CAT- Thank you. 

EMMA- Thank you guys. 

NIKKI- Now, if you feel you might be affected check out the Dyscalculia Network online, where you’ll find loads of advice and support. The British Dyslexia Association’s website also has lots of helpful information. And you can find more brilliant stories by young people on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Young Reporter website, which is bbc.co.uk/youngreporter. 

MUSIC- Access All with Nikki Fox.

NIKKI- Now, even if you don’t watch it, you cannot escape Love Island and the drama that follows it every single summer. Now, last series was Season 8. That was the first time it included a deaf contestant. 

CLIP- My name is Tasha Ghouri, I’m 23, and I’m originally from North Yorkshire, a model and a dancer. I have got a superpower, that I like to call it, I was born completely deaf. And then at the age of five I got the cochlea implant, and it’s something very special and personal to me, but I’m so open about it and literally this is me, I won’t change for anything. 

NIKKI- Well, you were just hearing Tasha Ghouri there, who you might have heard us mention once or twice on Access All. But it is so lovely to finally, after talking about you so much, finally actually have you on as a guest. 

TASHA- I’m so excited to be here with you, Nikki. 

NIKKI- Oh, it’s lovely. We’re really excited about this one, aren’t we, Emma?  

EMMA- We really are. And for those who didn’t watch Love Island and this series of, where have you been, Tasha found love with fellow contestant Andrew, and they became finalists, and they’re still going. Is that right, Tasha, you’re still together? 

TASHA- Yeah, me and Andrew are still going really strong. 

NIKKI- You’ve moved in together as well, haven’t you? 

TASHA- Yeah, we’ve got a flat together. 

NIKKI- So, this romance is ramping up. How do you prefer to be described, Tasha, do you call yourself deaf, hearing impaired? The language changes quite a lot so I wonder what you prefer. 

TASHA- Me personally I say that I was born deaf but I’m hearing impaired. So, that’s how I go by, it’s just I’m hearing impaired, I wear a cochlear implant. But I’m also proud to be deaf, I’m a very open book like that. 

NIKKI- I love that. Was that the reason you went for Love Island? Because obviously I imagine as a young person it’s obviously quite fun I would imagine to go into the villa, was part of the reason that you wanted to raise awareness of deafness? 

TASHA- I went in for two reasons. I went in to find love, and I went in to show people, especially the younger generation, I wanted little Tashas to go to the TV and see a little part of them on TV. And I feel like there’s not enough representation on TV. So, I kind of wanted to break those boundaries and stigmas and stereotypes and show that you can find love, you can be this confident person no matter what superpower you’ve got. 

NIKKI- And I imagine you have to be super confident, but also to go into the villa and then also being deaf as well. Did you really have to think about hard and think actually this could be potentially scary, it’s so popular, I might get trolled, I might get this, I might get that? What was that thought process like for you? 

TASHA- I knew I was putting myself in a vulnerable position. No one’s gone in that villa who’s hearing impaired, so I kind of had to really think is this something that is going to help me and benefit me. And I will stay true to myself, so I’m not going to go in being somebody that I’m not. I was very nervous. I wasn’t sure with how people were going to react. 

NIKKI- Were you pleased with how it turned out? I know your dad came out and spoke, well defending you, because you did get some nasty comments, which is a real shame. How did you feel about that? 

TASHA- I think coming out, we don’t have our phones in the villa so we have no idea what’s being said, and coming out I came out to so much love and support. Yeah, I think at the start I may have got so much ableism, but the way I look at it is I feel sorry for those people that sit there and troll, because I would never stoop that low as a person. And I turn it into a positive thing: okay, that’s your opinion, you know what, it’s going to motivate me to do better for my community, it’s going to motivate me to use my voice even more. Because it goes to show how often it happens, especially to the younger kids at school that get bullied because of this. So, if anything I use it as a fire for me to work harder. So, when I came out it may have got to me a little bit, but after a while I went, actually no, I’m not going to dwell on the negativity or go looking for it; I’m going to focus on the good and use my voice, which is what I’m passionate about. 

EMMA- We spoke last week about the tattoo that your boyfriend Andrew got, and it’s BSL I Love You, the hands in that shape, with the cochlear implant in the middle. How did you feel about him getting that tattoo? Were you surprised?

TASHA- Yeah. to be fair he told me he was getting a tattoo but he didn’t say what. So, when he showed me I was honestly in awe. No guy has ever done that before. And Andrew is so invested within the deaf community, like he really wants to learn everything about me. And just to clarify as well, the I Love You, is actually ASL, but it’s also universal, it can be used in BSL. 

EMMA- Can I just ask, in terms of dating and you’re loved up now and tattooed up with Andrew because you both got tattoos together as well, was dating tricky for you before Love Island? And did deafness play a part in that? 

TASHA- I’ve kind of always been confident in terms of I’ve been very open with my deafness and my cochlear implant. I think dating for me it was hard in terms of I was always scared to let them know that I’m deaf, I wear a cochlear implant, so it was scary meeting people for the first time. But I’d normally let them know over the message, or just tell them face to face. But I think because I don’t let it define me, that’s I think why I’m so confident in myself. It’s all about self-love really, and you have to really love yourself to have that confidence and to be strong. So, that’s why I never really shied away from it. 

EMMA- I know you’d have let them run off you, but did you have any tricky reactions from people that you were courting online? Courting? Dating. 

NIKKI- Oh Emma! Please don’t let Tasha know that we’re actually like 50 or 60 year olds!

EMMA- Did you get any tricky reactions from people once they found out that you had a cochlear implant etc.?

TASHA- Yes, I’ve had a few before. And it’s a weird one; I think I’ve had a few weird reactions to it and they don’t really fully understand. And sometimes they just ghost me, like the day after we met, okay that’s cool. But I think back then I never used to let it get to me. I’d think okay, you have to think of it like that’s your loss, that’s your opinion, move on. I think if you spend too much time doubting yourself and thinking is it me, am I the problem, that’s when you’re going to go into a hole. So, you really have to be strong and strong-minded. 

NIKKI- Going back to the villa, Tasha, how did the other islanders, how did they react to you being deaf?

TASHA- When I first told them they were all so supportive. I think for me I just wanted to tell them all at once, rather than having individual conversations. I was kind of like, okay, let’s just get it out then, in the open and just get it over with. But I think being in the villa I don’t think some of them understood how hard it was for me sometimes in terms of it can be really hard for me, I get really bad migraines, I can really tired, I can get fatigued really easily. And no one would get that unless you’re deaf yourself and wear a cochlear implant. But they were so supportive in terms of they didn’t judge me for it, they really accepted me for me. 

NIKKI- That’s brilliant. We’ve actually got a clip here of you telling your fellow islanders. 

CLIP- I wanted to get everyone together. I wanted to find the right time to do it and I thought this was the perfect timing. But basically I was born completely deaf. And I wear a cochlear implant in my right ear. Yeah, it’s just something completely cool that I’ve got about myself. 

FEMALE- Oh, you’re good. 

TASHA- It doesn’t define me. It’s just a part of who I am. I call it my superpower. 

FEMALE- It is!

NIKKI- I love that, your superpower, it’s brilliant. And you wore the white hearing aid on purpose, didn’t you? 

TASHA- For me with my cochlear implant I don’t want to hide it. It’s a part of me that’s something special and unique, so why would I want to hide that? I actually colour code: I can do a white, pink, baby blue. That’s me sending a message to people with hearing aids, cochlear implants, don’t shy away from it; be colourful, go bold, do patterns, you can really change it up. It’s a part of you that’s so special so why would you not want to show it off? 

NIKKI- That’s it. The momentum feels like it might be gaining now after a very long time, because we’ve got you’ve just come out of Love Island with all the popularity that you have now, and Rose on Strictly Come Dancing and all the popularity that she has. And it does feel like things are moving in the right direction. It feels to me like a long time coming, but I wonder where you see this going? 

TASHA- Absolutely. I think this is not just even a deaf community thing, this is anybody with kind of a superpower. The TV is definitely pushing in the right direction, like Strictly now have Ellie on there, which is amazing to see I think. We need to keep pushing that and breaking boundaries, because we’re no different to anybody else. Not everyone’s perfect, we’re all human, we’ve all got bones, we all have skin. So what if I wear a cochlear implant? That’s make me no different. I really do hope that momentum keeps going and TV shows can look up to Love Island and Strictly and think actually, this is what we should be doing is breaking those boundaries. 

EMMA- I love your attitude. You did get trolling, and we talked about your dad coming out to support you. Ellie’s also had a bit of stuff that’s not been nice in the press about her and her being disabled. Now that you’ve come past the trolling, and maybe it still happens a little bit, but what are people’s reactions to you now in the public? 

TASHA- When I came out it was honestly all so positive and the amount of messages I get from people saying, you’ve inspired me, and because of you I can wear my hair up today. That makes me happy making other people happy. And that’s all I ever want to do. It’s such a shame that me and Ellie we’ve got a bit of negativity with that when we’re just trying to do something good. We’re like we’re good people. I’ve got to say now I rarely see negativity anymore. I don’t see it in my everyday life, I genuinely don’t see it. 

EMMA- Well, we’ve massively loved talking to you. You’ve really been lovely and warm and really explained to us what it’s been like to be an islander, because I don’t think I’ll ever be an islander, to be fair. 

NIKKI- Going back to the trolling and stuff, I get a little bit, doing stuff on TV. But it’s always mainly about my appearance. 

TASHA- But you're gorgeous. 

NIKKI- Well, I was sort of setting that up for that, Tasha, so thank you so much for that. Emma, you were a little bit slow there. 

EMMA- Sorry, sorry! I tried to let Tasha answer this time. 

TASHA- The thing is with trolling you just have to really block it out. Like I said earlier, it’s really about just focus on the positives and focus on the good people around you. 

NIKKI- And the more difference we see, and it always does come down to representation – it’s not the whole answer, of course it’s not, my goodness – but the more people we see who are different and reflect the actual world we live in the easier it will be for the next generation, like you say, of little Tashas and Nikkis and Emmas and Ellies and all these brilliant people. 

TASHA- Absolutely. 

NIKKI- It’s very important. Did you get a tattoo of the boyfriend? 

TASHA- We actually have got matching tattoos already. So, we’ve got a rose to represent our final date on the show. Maybe one for Andrew further down the line.

EMMA- What would Andrew’s be? So, if yours was ASL I Love You, what would an Andrewified tattoo look like? 

TASHA- I really don’t know for Andrew. I feel like I really need to think about it. I want it to be special and meaningful, so I need to think about that one. 

NIKKI- I told Emma that I want her to get a mobility scooter tattooed on her arse, of me. 

EMMA- Well, you wanted me to get a tattoo of you on my back. 

NIKKI- Yea, on my scooter. 

EMMA- So, that I can carry you around with me. 

NIKKI- Oh yeah, and that as well. 

EMMA- Thank you so much Tasha. 

NIKKI- You’ve been brilliant, darling. Subscribe on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sounds. And if you can tell your friends and family about us because it really helps us get heard by other people. Now, I’m off to New York next week, Emma; you’re flying solo.

EMMA- You’re flying solo. You can’t leave me!

NIKKI- You’re flying solo. 

EMMA- You’ll be with me for part of the time next week. 

NIKKI- I know, I will be partly with you. But I’m going to miss you, but I won’t be like with you in the studio. 

EMMA- You’ll miss me but you’ll be in New York. Are you doing the High Line? 

NIKKI- What’s that? 

EMMA- Oh, it’s a park in the air. It was an old train track, but it’s really, apparently the views are great, but also it’s just a lovely thing to do. 

NIKKI- It’s not that thing with the see-through floor, is it? 

EMMA- No, it’s a park. 

NIKKI- Oh it’s a park? 

EMMA- Yeah. 

NIKKI- Oh deary me, we’ve really not done enough research, have we?

EMMA- There’s also another big park in New York, I don’t know if you know it, it’s called Central Park? 

NIKKI- Yeah, yeah, funnily enough that one we know. 

EMMA- Are you concerned about anything particularly in terms of access? 

NIKKI- No, Rachel and I are just very concerned about the flights, as always. I mean, I’m all right, like I say I’m quite gung-ho, but my sister worries, and that worries me. And so we’re sort of doing it like a military operation. We’re taking our own mobile fold-up ramp, because Rachel is insistent she’s taking her wheelchair onto that plane to get to the front seat, because it’ll be easier for her. Wish us luck. 

EMMA- Well, we haven’t talked about aeroplanes in a few weeks, so let’s get onto that again when you come back because I’m sure there will be a story. 

NIKKI- I’ll let you know, Ems. 

EMMA- Have a blast in the Big Apple, and I cannot wait to hear all about it. 

NIKKI- I’ll miss you all. 

EMMA- Bye. 

[Trailer]

CLIP- ‘I could feel our house shaking.’ ‘That was one of the scariest battles.’ ‘I’m traumatised.’ ‘I’m completely destroyed.’ 

VICTORIA- Hello, I’m Victoria Derbyshire, one of the hosts of Ukrainecast. We actually put out the first episode of Ukrainecast on the very first day of the war when Russia invaded Ukraine. 

MALE- This is a European country and it’s at war. It’s extraordinary. 

VICTORIA- So much has happened since then, and all the way through we’ve been trying to tell people’s stories, what’s really happening on the ground in Ukraine. 

CLIP- My elder daughter was lying on the ground. She had been dead.

VICTORIA- And we’ll be here for you, making sense of it all for as long as we need to be.

CLIP- ‘People were being snatched and disappearing.’ ‘People took to the streets even after the Ukrainian forces had gone.’ 

VICTORIA- Ukrainecast is made by the same ´óÏó´«Ã½ News team that makes this podcast. 

CLIP- This is it, this is the war of the direst evil against all of humanity. 

VICTORIA- Listen to Ukrainecast on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Just search for Ukrainecast on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Sounds.