Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore

Theo is joined by Former London Olympics torch bearer, disability rights champion and social entrepreneur, Kush Kanodia. Kush has made it his mission to become a disability and rights champion, and social entrepreneur. Kush has had a monumental life journey, being a London Olympics Torch bearer in 2012 and being a key driving force for change for disabled peoples rights through transforming systems. 

He was the seminal figure in re...

This is the second part of Theo's conversation with Professor Colin Barnes, the leading figure in establishing the study of disability politics,  sociology and the social model in the UK and globally. 

Colin talks about how historically, disability was (can still be) perceived as a medical issue through the medical model, how it became politicised and the reappraisal of disability as society's failure to address disabled people's n...

Our host Theo is joined by Colin Barnes, a Professor at the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leeds. Colin has been involved in the UK's disabled peoples movement throughout his academic career and has produced seminal research including work on disability discrimination and the social model of disability. Colin established the Centre for Disability Studies (CDS) and worked with the British Council of Organ...

Theo is joined by Caitlin Gould, Founder and Director of TECgirls. They discuss the need to champion accessibility in Cornwall's growing tech industry. The two converse about the barriers disabled people face with regards to having access to technological hardware like tablets and laptops and about the Ctrl Alt Del Summit happening on the 21st February. An exciting event bringing the tech industry and local communities together to ...

In this latest podcast episode, Theo, our engaging host, sits down with Ju Gosling, also known as ju90. Ju is Co-Chair of the Regard, a charity campaigning for Disabled LGBTQI+ people, Artistic Director of Folk in Motion CIC and Together! 2012 CIC and is a disabled artist.

As a disabled artist, Ju specialises in digital lens-based media while exploring performance, text and sound. Steeped in the theories and traditions of the Disab...

Today our host Theo talks to journalist Luke Murray about how the disability lifestyle magazine DISCOVER came to fruition. DISCOVER, produced by our team here at disAbility Cornwall, was the original and pioneering magazine that gave disabled people a voice throughout the last few decades in Cornwall & Isles of Scilly. Both take a trip down memory lane! Our very last print issue was released this July and marks the end of an ...

Our host, Theo, is joined by the fascinating and eclectic Trevor Palmer. Trevor is a full-time wheelchair user who runs his own business from Newport in South Wales and works with fellow disabled people. He has worked with a number of disability organisations to promote the rights, inclusion and equality of disabled people including his charity ResponsAble, a charity dedicated to assisting disabled people in disaster situations wor...

Join us for an insightful conversation with Rebecca Tayler Edwards, the esteemed representative from Disability Rights UK, as she sits down with our host, Theo Blackmore, in our latest episode! In this captivating interview, Rebecca delves into the crucial topic of involving the next young generation of disabled people in the disabled peoples (DPO) movement.

She shares invaluable insights from her recent masters research, shedding ...

Join us for a captivating new episode of 'Conversations with Dr. Theo Blackmore' as our esteemed host, Theo, engages in a thought-provoking discussion with the remarkable Ellen Clifford from DPAC, an inspiring organization known as Disabled People Against Cuts. DPAC's mission revolves around championing the rights of disabled individuals and fostering a supportive community of allies. Together, we invite you to be a part of this em...

Introducing the 10th episode of "Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore", where our host Theo sits down with Joyce Kallevik from WISH. Founded in 1987, WISH is a user-led women’s mental health charity developing pioneering support services for under-served women and campaigning together for social justice. Theo and Joyce discuss how the prison system is not set up correctly for women, how many of WISH's staff have lived experience an...

Introducing the 9th episode of "Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore", where our host Theo sits down with Ella and Luke from the Disabled People's Archive. The Disabled People’s Archive is an initiative by Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People with the support of Archives+ from Manchester Central Library. The archive aims to preserve and promote the history of the UK's Disabled Peoples' Movement, and the conversation delv...

Our host Theo talks to Lynne from Disability Positive about the importance of lived experiences in a Disabled Peoples' Organisation setting, disabilities being labelled as a minority group and much more! - Lynne Turnbull is the Chief Executive of Disability Positive, a Disabled Peoples' Organisation (DPO) based in Cheshire. They have a range of services to help people with everyday life, being part of their local community and loo...

Our podcast host Dr Theo Blackmore has a conversation with Inclusion London's CEO Tracey Lazard. With more than two decades of experience working across various Deaf and Disabled People's Organisations (DDPOs), Tracey is a person with a disability who has dedicated her career to advocating for disability equality, user involvement, and the Social Model of Disability and the Cultural Model of Deafness. Throughout the last 16 years, ...

Our series host Theo Blackmore is joined by Sophie Fournel, CEO of Disability Assist. Disability Assist is a disabled peoples' user-led organisation that covers the county of Kent. 

They discuss the situation many disabled people face in Kent and the real need to encourage disabled people into the workforce. They discuss that more young disabled people need to come forward and start steering the future of disabled user-led organisa...

Happy International Women's day! We have a fantastic podcast episode with guest speakers from WinVisible, an organisation devoted to fighting for the rights of disabled women. 

Guest speakers associated with WinVisible discuss how there is massive discrimination and injustice that faces disabled mothers; how automatically, disabled mothers are seen as harmful to their children; the injustice many asylum seekers face and the alarm...

Theo and Rick Burgess, Outreach and Development Lead at Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People (GMCDP), have had a chat.  They reminisce on how many disabled peoples' organisations were formed in pubs and by writing letters to eachother, and how it is essential to keep the disabled people's movement going, and that the key is to focus on rights, not charity!

For more information on Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabl...

Theo is back with episode two! He talks with Dean Harvey, a Community Development Worker for Pentreath LTD, a mental health charity based near Newquay, Cornwall. 

They talk about how people face oppression on multiple fronts and how third (voluntary) sector services can improve by helping people in a more holistic manner. They discuss how 'minorities' are minoritised and open the discussion on the pros and cons of terminology like ...

This December 3rd marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2022, so what better day to announce our first new DISCOVER Voices podcast host, Dr Theo Blackmore.  In Theo's first episode, he is joined by his friend and colleague Stephen Lee Hodgkins. Stephen is a self-taught community artist and visual thinker based in York. The duo discusses the implications of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, cult...