Latest Gizmos Podcast Episodes

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos artwork

From Jamaica to Glastonbury: Barrington Chambers on Resilience, Music, and Inclusive Innovation

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - September 13, 2023 08:00 - 28 minutes
In the vibrant world of music, where melody knows no boundaries, Barrington Chambers is an inspiring figure. In our latest edition of "Gear Gadgets and Gizmos," we had the privilege to interview Barrington, a remarkable Afro Caribbean musician whose journey is nothing short of extraordinary. A ...

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A World Within Reach: The Power of Active Hands with Founder Rob Smith

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - May 12, 2023 15:00 - 27 minutes
Welcome to this Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos episode, where we explore Rob Smith's innovative company, Active Hands. Today's episode focuses on Rob's experience following a spinal cord injury and his challenges in finding suitable gripping aids.  Realizing the need for better solutions, Rob design...

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National Centre for Accessible Transport (NCAT): A New Era for Disabled Travel

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - March 13, 2023 17:00 - 17 minutes
Phil Friend the Chair of the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RiDC), talks to Gordon McCullough, the CEO of RIDC, about the launch of the National Centre for Accessible Transport. (NCAT) What is the purpose of the centre? Why does NCAT matter? What part will RIDC play? How do we ensur...

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Breaking Barriers: How Molly's Using Tech to Hear and See the World Differently

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - March 02, 2023 10:00 - 28 minutes
This episode features Molly O'Brien,  a Senior Research and Insight Advisor at Activity Alliance, a charity that promotes disability-inclusive sports and activities. Molly has hearing and visual impairments. She has first-class degrees in sociology and research methods. She is a qualified yoga...

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It is the simple life hacks that make all the difference

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - December 06, 2022 09:00 - 27 minutes
Peter Goadby-Watt has been a photographer for over thirty years. He started his career as a photographic assistant and freelance photographer. He joined the BBC photographic studio (88-90)  before joining the Metropolitan Police Service in 1990 - 2014 as a forensic photographer and Head of Foren...

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Tech is brilliant but so is the human touch.

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - October 19, 2022 11:00 - 28 minutes
In this episode of Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos, Nigel Lewis talks about his passion for IT and how it can transform the lives of disabled and older people. He also reminds us there is still much to do to ensure that technology is accessible, inclusive and available to all. His career began in sof...

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AT and Independent Living

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - April 08, 2022 12:00 - 16 minutes
Shelly Gaynor is Peer Mentor of Independent Living Movement Ireland (ILMI), with a passion for technology, particularly Assistive Technology (AT) and how it can be deployed to remove barriers that many disabled people encounter. Shelly sees technology as putting everyone on an even playing fie...

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Don't mention Dot Matrix Signs to Andy Garrett

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - March 07, 2022 13:00 - 22 minutes
Andy Garrett has a retinal partial sight condition [Macular Dystrophy] affecting his central field of vision. He worked as a police officer with the Metropolitan Police before moving to GSK. Andy's role with GSK is as Global Programme Director of their Workplace Adjustments Service. The service...

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Putting on the style with Fiona Jarvis

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - December 13, 2021 10:00 - 23 minutes
Fiona worked as a sales manager, successfully selling multi-million-pound software systems yet becoming progressively more disabled. When taking clients to the latest cool restaurant or bar, she made sure that venues had the appropriate accessibility & facilities. Realising this information was ...

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Fitness and Comfort really matter.

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - October 05, 2021 08:00 - 24 minutes
Simone was born with shortened arms and legs as a consequence of the drug Thalidomide.  She lives in Reading, Berkshire.    After attending mainstream school, she worked for many years as a Secretary at Berkshire County Council and for Blue Circle Cement and later as an administrator for the Th...

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Better Communication means Better Healthcare

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - April 12, 2021 11:00 - 23 minutes
Dr Rachael Grimaldi is an anaesthetist based at The Royal Sussex County Hospital.  She decided to try and solve a major problem when she heard the story of a critically ill patient who talked about his terror when he couldn’t understand what healthcare staff were saying to him through their pers...

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Gordon McCullough CEO at RIDC shares his thoughts and ideas about a post COVID future

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - March 15, 2021 16:00 - 31 minutes
The coronavirus has had a massive impact on everyone, and the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RIDC)  had to change and adapt to get through the crisis. In this podcast, Gordon McCullough, the CEO of RIDC, discusses the important role the organisation has played in bringing disabled p...

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Hazel Dudley - Photography, Travel and Liverpool FC.

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - November 30, 2020 15:00 - 18 minutes
Hazel Dudley is retired having worked for many years in the Civil Service as a personal secretary.  She went blind in her childhood and now puts her considerable skills as a blind person to good use as a panel member for RIDC testing apps and websites.  She says she'll try her hand at most thin...

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Gavin Neate - Making the world a better place.

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - October 17, 2020 14:00 - 22 minutes
After leaving school Gavin Neate joined the armed forces and served in the military police as a dog handler. He was based up at RAF Lucas, and just north of Lucas was a Guide Dogs for the Blind training centre and he used to go along and do voluntary work. On finishing his military career and n...

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Patrick Burke - Design and Function should go hand in hand.

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - October 05, 2020 17:00 - 20 minutes
After a successful career in IT working in the finance industry, Patrick Burke was forced to take medical retirement as a result of Multiple Sclerosis. After initially struggling to adjust to his new "normal" he now spends much of his time exploring the impact of his condition and how it affects...

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Mary Duffy Innovator par excellence.

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - July 28, 2020 14:00 - 16 minutes
Resolute, determined, funny, innovative and creative Mary Duffy is all of these things. As a Thalidomide survivor, she has invented all sorts of ingenious ways of managing her daily life and her artistic career without arms. Mary lives by the sea in Wicklow in Ireland and is an accomplished ...

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Mary Duffy Innovator par excellence.

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - July 28, 2020 14:00 - 16 minutes
Resolute, determined, funny, innovative and creative Mary Duffy is all of these things. As a Thalidomide survivor, she has invented all sorts of ingenious ways of managing her daily life and her artistic career without arms. Mary lives by the sea in Wicklow in Ireland and is an accomplished ...

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Steph Cutler - Panorama and Victoria Sponge?

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - June 29, 2020 16:00 - 17 minutes
Steph's career started in the fashion industry where she designed for high street labels, such as Ted Baker and M&S. She had always wanted to be a fashion designer and says she was working hard, playing hard and keen to make her mark. As her career began to take off disability came into her life...

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Hands and Feet in Harmony

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - May 18, 2020 15:06 - 16 minutes
Sue Kent is a massage therapist who uses her feet to massage. She pioneered this technique due to an upper limb disability caused by the drug thalidomide.  She has 8-inch-long arms and seven fingers and no thumbs. She has a little strength or grip ability in her hands. Sue uses both her feet and ...

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Sue Kent - Hands and Feet in Harmony

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - May 18, 2020 15:06 - 16 minutes
Sue Kent is a massage therapist who uses her feet to massage. She pioneered this technique due to an upper limb disability caused by the drug thalidomide. She has 8-inch-long arms and seven fingers and no thumbs. She has a little strength or grip ability in her hands. Sue uses both her feet an...

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Rudi Breakwell-Boss - Bent spoons and Gobbledegook

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - February 17, 2020 11:55 - 14 minutes
Rudi has been a wheelchair user since 1971 following an accident which paralysed his legs, arms and hands, although he can still use his hands to some extent despite having no finger movement. He says he was fortunate to have been able to receive a university education, albeit in an ancient, enti...

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Ross Hovey – Red Through and Through

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - January 16, 2020 12:27 - 24 minutes
Ross Hovey works for Lloyds Banking Group as their Accessibility Manager. His role is to create an inclusive environment for disabled colleagues and he leads on the workplace adjustment programme. Outside of work, he is a board director for Changing Places (campaigning for better toilet facilitie...

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Shannon Murray – Cars, Sticks and Toilet seats!

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - November 23, 2019 15:23 - 18 minutes
Shannon Murray is an actress, writer, disability consultant and a solicitor, on top of this she is also an accomplished keynote speaker.  Shannon was left paralysed from the waist down after a diving accident when she was 14 years old and first received international media attention a few years...

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Andy Healey - When push comes to shove.

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - October 28, 2019 14:24 - 18 minutes
Andy Healey is an aerospace writer and published author. He blogs on mobility and disabled travel at JohnnySombreroRides.com (http:// JohnnySombreroRides.com) . Andy flew helicopters in the Royal Navy and subsequently for an air-taxi operator near London, before breaking his back in a 1985 flyin...

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When push comes to shove.

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - October 28, 2019 14:24 - 18 minutes
Andy Healey is an aerospace writer and published author. He blogs on mobility and disabled travel at JohnnySombreroRides.com (http:// JohnnySombreroRides.com) .  Andy flew helicopters in the Royal Navy and subsequently for an air-taxi operator near London, before breaking his back in a 1985 flyin...

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Jamie Knight and Lion - Jamie explains the importance of the tech.

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - September 26, 2019 09:00 - 21 minutes
Jamie Knight is an autistic web developer, writer, speaker and mountain biker. Lion is a plushie who goes everywhere with him.The duo has spent almost 10 years at the BBC working on everything from iPlayer Radio to children’s gaming. Millions of people use Jamie’s code each day. Lion’s BBC caree...

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Jamie Knight and Lion - Jamie explains the importance of the tech he uses and the vital role it plays in helping him to manage communication, mood and life generally.

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - September 26, 2019 09:00 - 21 minutes
Jamie Knight is an autistic web developer, writer, speaker and mountain biker. Lion is a plushie who goes everywhere with him.The duo has spent almost 10 years at the BBC working on everything from iPlayer Radio to children’s gaming. Millions of people use Jamie’s code each day. Lion’s BBC career...

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Alice Maynard on the things that help her maintain her independence.

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - September 05, 2019 13:07 - 19 minutes
Dr Alice Maynard CBE is an experienced Non-Executive Director having worked since the early ‘90s as a Trustee of several Charities and a member of two Housing Association Committees.Alice was Chair of Scope for 6 years, a £100m turnover charity providing services to disabled people with high supp...

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Vivek Gohil – Gamer Extraordinaire.

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - August 16, 2019 08:29 - 14 minutes
In this Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos episode from the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RIDC), I’m in conversation with Vivek Gohil who has managed to find ways to enjoying gaming by bending technology to his will.Vivek is 29 and from Leicester, he lives with the muscle-wasting condition Duc...

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Have Spoon Will Travel - Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds

Gear, Gadgets and Gizmos - July 12, 2019 12:09 - 21 minutes
Born in 1960, Rosie’s impairment is four-limbed Phocomelia caused by the drug Thalidomide.After graduating with a BSc., (Hons) Degree in Psychology through Cardiff University in 1985, Rosie joined the Civil Service and remained with the Department of Trade and Industry at Companies House Cardiff ...

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