Taking The Dis!

We go to the University of Reading to meet up with Sophia, who is studying law. She tells us how life as a university student has changed her and helped develop a greater sense of independence. She also introduces us to one of her lecturers, Dr Rachel Horton, who is an associate professor in the law school at the university, as well as the academic disability advisor within the law school. Rachel shares how accessibility to higher education has changed over the last two decades and outlines the steps the University of Reading takes to ensure an inclusive environment is provided to students.

Taking The Dis! is a podcast from The Knights Foundation, which is a charity supporting young people with disabilities and their families. We are lucky enough to be supported by a large group of patrons. These businesses and organisations provide financial backing to the charity, as well as continued support to our projects and events. Why do they do it? We have caught up with some of them to find out more. This episode features Vicki Clements from Stewart&Co., Martin Nicholson from ProAction HR, Paul McFarlane from McFarlane Money Matters and Michael Eslami from Estate Plan Office.

Let Me In is a business idea from students at Treloars College, who are urging companies to become more accessible. They've devised a system which allows members of the team to visit business premises and carry out an audit to see how easy it is for disabled people to access the site. Their aim is to create accessible communities, improve employment opportunities, raise awareness and, essentially, change lives. Hazel, Archie and Cameron have joined us on Taking The Dis! to tell us all about it.

The Knights Foundation Children of Courage Awards give special people the chance to be recognised for the amazing things they do. From inspiring young carers to incredible fundraisers and from sporting superstars to unbelievably brave individuals, the 2024 awards saw trophies presented to some truly wonderful young people. Luckily, the Taking The Dis! team was there to meet the winners.

From a young age, David Holmes had a clear talent for gymnastics which led to him becoming a stunt double for major movies including the Harry Potter franchise. In this episode, David shares the story of how he went from working alongside Matt LeBlanc in his film debut to being the double for Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe. His career was cut short in a devastating way and David opens up to the team about the accident which left him paralysed. In the most positive, uplifting conversation, David talks about life since his accident as well as sharing tales from behind the scenes at Hogwarts, his friendship with Radcliffe, Tom Felton and Matthew Lewis and he speaks about his desire to make a real impact on the new Harry Potter television series.

Paris has put on an incredible summer of sport by hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games. With the Paralympics being just a short train ride away, we knew we had to be there. So, the Taking The Dis! team boarded the Eurostar and headed to France. We had the absolute joy of spending the day at Roland Garros, seeing British wheelchair tennis players Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid in action and trying to cheer them to Paralympic glory. Did it work? Spoiler alert - yes it did! Join us on our journey to Paris for the most memorable of days.

Inspirational work colleagues Jack Stacy and Michael Smith are taking on a huge fundraising challenge of climbing 24 Lake District peaks in 24 hours! Michael's family has been profoundly impacted by sight-loss and he and his twin brother have under 10% of useable remaining sight. Michael will be guided on the challenge by Jack, who is chairman of disability charity, SeeAbility. The pair join the Taking The Dis! team to chat about the challenge and Michael shares how sight-loss has changed his life.

Ahead of Southampton FC's return to the Premier League, one of their club legends, Francis Benali sits down for a chat with Milo (big Saints fan!) to talk about his career as well as the incredible fundraising efforts that led to him being appointed an MBE. This isn't your normal football chat about 4-4-2 and VAR as Francis reveals the challenges he has faced and the methods he has used to overcome them.