Meet Emma

Here at the lABLEd Podcast, we are delighted to welcome Emma Purcell to our team as our new guest booker. She will be in charge of researching, organising and arranging guests for our podcast, using her skills, knowledge and contacts to bring us even more interesting, entertaining and star-studded people from the disability community.

In this blog post, Emma shares a bit about herself, her background as a freelance journalist and blogger and her excitement about becoming a volunteer at the lABLEd Podcast.

For loyal listeners of the lABLEd Podcast, you may already recognise my name when I was a guest back in September. If you haven’t heard it yet or fancy having another listen, head to Episode 53 wherever you get your podcasts.

I’m an (almost) 30-year-old woman living in Hampshire. My passions are writing and live music and I’m a football fanatic and a Harry Potter guru. I have the double whammy of having cerebral palsy and being registered blind – so at least I’m able to relate to both Lucy and Alice’s disability experiences.

My background as a freelance journalist and blogger

I graduated with a degree in journalism in 2016 and was keen to secure employment in the media industry. Sadly, after a lot of job searches and rejections, conventional employment wasn’t the right path for me.

In December 2017, I launched my blog Rock For Disability where I merge my two passions – disability awareness and music.

I write content about living with disabilities, disability representation in the media, my campaign for more audio description on TV shows and films, assistive technology and much more.

My music content is filled with interviews with bands and artists, live music reviews, plus other music news and blog posts.

From 2012 to 2023, I worked as a writer and editor for the online magazine Disability Horizons. I started as a volunteer writer then by 2020, I had the opportunity to work with them on a freelance basis.

In that time, I published and edited more than 300 articles, focusing on a range of disability-related topics including lifestyle, entertainment, employment, education, technology, sport and wellbeing.
I have also been lucky enough to interview many disabled celebrities from the world of TV, film, music, sport and activism. These have included Ade Adepitan, Alex Brooker, Ruth Madeley, Sophie Morgan, Shaun Ryder, Lauren Steadman, Libby Clegg and many more.
In addition, I’m a proud Ambassador of AccessAble, where I first met the wonderful Lucy Wood back in 2018. In this role, I’ve produced blog posts and videos promoting AccessAble’s services and wider topics on disability awareness. My most recent content was a letter to my younger self to mark Disability History Month.

Furthermore, I’m the co-founder and editor of Crip Life™, the UK’s freshest online disability magazine dismantling disabling barriers one article at a time.

Since launching in May 2023, we’ve published 70+ articles including a review of Rosie Jones’ ableism documentary, a piece discussing whether sports broadcasters are ableist towards disability sports, an article asking why fireworks affect disabled people and content celebrating disabled climate activists.


We’ve also interviewed several high-profile people including disabled actors Jack Carroll & Tommy Jessop, blind comedian Chris McCausland, deaf DJ Troi Lee, amputee footballer Shelbée Clarke and inclusive fashion designer Victoria Jenkins.

Becoming guest booker at the lABLEd Podcast

After reading everything I’m doing above, you’re probably thinking how on earth can you find time to volunteer at the lABLEd Podcast too? I can admit I’m definitely a workaholic but I love keeping busy, being creative and making a difference.

I’ve enjoyed listening to the lABLEd Podcast for the past couple of years and love hearing the relationship between Lucy and Alice. I also find the guests to be so interesting and engaging. Every time I listen to an episode, I constantly think of other content ideas for them, future guests and follow-up topics.

So, when the opportunity arose for me to volunteer at the lABLEd Podcast, I had to take it. I’m eager to provide the skills, knowledge and resources I’ve gained throughout my career so far to help grow the lABLEd Podcast even more.

When I do voluntary work, I get a great sense of achievement, joy and self-satisfaction. Plus I feel I boost confidence and be appreciated by others. Moreover, I’m passionate about supporting this incredible podcast and the rest of the team within it.

I’ve only been officially involved for a few weeks now, but I’ve already got some great ideas for future guests in 2024. With my extensive list of celebrity contacts from my work at Disability Horizons and Crip Life™, I am hoping many of them will be keen to join Alice and Lucy for a chat, discussing the highs and lows of disability life, giving different perspectives, and most of all, providing entertainment for our 10,000+ listeners and subscribers.

If you’d like to be a guest on the lABLEd Podcast or want to suggest a future guest, feel free to contact Emma at labledpodcastguestbookings@gmail.com.

You can find out more about Emma Purcell by visiting Rock For Disability and Crip Life™ and following her on Twitter and Instagram.