The AccessAble Dispatch
The AccessAble Podcast
Podcast: Accessibility and Cervical Cancer Prevention Week
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Podcast: Accessibility and Cervical Cancer Prevention Week

Delving into challenges disabled people face in accessing vital screening appointments

This week marks Cervical Cancer Prevention Week; an important test to detect cervical cancer is known as the ‘Pap smear’, or a ‘smear test’. Every week, 2 women loose their lives to this disease - however, the NHS has pledged to eliminate all cases by 2040.

Here at AccessAble we believe everyone should have fair and equitable access to healthcare. Be it the physical access to a building or the way in which healthcare is communicated, every single one of us has different access needs that should be considered and accommodated. In this week’s podcast we talked to Kerry Thompson, an AccessAble Ambassador, about the challenges she’s faced accessing cervical screenings. You can listen by clicking play above.

We also asked three individuals about their personal experiences, to open up a conversation.

A collage photo showing Lydia Wilkins, a white woman with brunette hair and brown glasses, Kerrie Thompson, a white woman with blonde hair in a white blouse, and Carrie Ann Lightley, a white woman with blonde brown hair in a ponytail
Clockwise from top left hand corner: Lydia Wilkins, Kerry Thompson and (bottom) Carrie Ann Lightley
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Carrie Ann Lightley, Head of Marketing at AccessAble: “I had to endure several painful and traumatic screening appointments before I was able to access a simple muscle relaxant medication. As someone with cerebral palsy, ‘just relax’ doesn’t work! I have increased muscle spasticity which only gets worse with anxiety. After some trial and error, and a lot of advocating for myself, we found a solution. My advice to anyone in a similar situation is to ask your healthcare professional about any medications, alternative arrangement, or logistical adjustments that may help. They will likely learn something from working with you, which could help others too.”

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Kerry Thompson, AccessAble Ambassador: “It shouldn’t have taken me ten years to finally be retested after receiving abnormalities nor should it be the case that I had to undergo surgery just because I couldn’t gain access to a simple screening, all because of my disability.”

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Lydia Wilkins, AccessAble Ambassador: “Oftentimes medical settings seem to take umbrage to me using a cane to support myself when walking - and that has definitely been the case when trying to access reproductive healthcare. Added to that, there’s the idea of seemingly not being able to comprehend, or that I fit an ableist trope of ‘eternal child’ due to being.. Autistic! Access has to include the physical and not physical world.”


To support your access needs this Cervical Cancer Prevention week, make sure you check out our Detailed Access Guides. We are proud to partner with over 95 healthcare Trusts across the UK and Ireland.

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The Guides are 100 per cent facts, figures and photographs to help patients, visitors and staff plan their journeys to and around the healthcare settings, covering everything from parking facilities and assistive listening devices, to walking distances and accessible toilets.

We know everyone’s accessibility needs are different, which is why having detailed, accurate information is so important. It’s why all of the details you’ll find in the Guides have been checked in person, on site, by trained surveyors.

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About the podcast: The AccessAble podcast is hosted by Carrie Ann Lightley, and is produced by Lucy Wood. Read the transcript for this episode. Currently operating in 17 countries, AccessAble have set a global benchmark for expectations of online detailed access information. The AccessAble Podcast brings in enlightening and thought-provoking conversations around the disability space.

Discussion about this podcast

The AccessAble Dispatch
The AccessAble Podcast
The AccessAble podcast dives into the world of accessibility, highlighting the importance of making spaces and places welcoming for everyone.
In this podcast, we interview partners of AccessAble, a leading provider of Detailed Access Guides across the UK, to discuss their journey towards providing an improved experience for disabled people and their carers and the role AccessAble has played in helping them achieve it.
Whether you are an accessibility advocate, a business owner, or simply interested in learning more about AccessAble, The AccessAble Podcast is a must-listen.