New YouTube channel made in Sussex challenging disability stigma

V2 Radio’s News Editor Philip Keeler is branching out from radio and onto YouTube with his husband, Thomas Hines.

The couple launch their brand-new YouTube channel today, Saturday 25 April 2026, at 20:30, sharing their story while raising awareness of disability and showing that family life comes in many different forms.

Thomas has Cerebral Palsy, while Philip has Spina Bifida. Both say they have faced challenges in society, including barriers to getting a job, dating, and a lack of understanding from people who should know better.

Philip Keeler said it was important for them to use the platform to help change attitudes: “We both might be too old for YouTube and have a face for radio, but we don’t care, we are going to do it anyway and have a lot of fun, trying to make people understand that people with disabilities do have a voice, do matter and quite frankly need to be treated a lot better.

“Thomas has a lot of comments towards him in the street, like people trying to take our dog while he is out being walked, because people think he is drunk. Cerebral Palsy affects his walking and speech.”

As with all people born with a disability, they all have stories to tell about what made them the way they are.  Thomas’s mum, Sue Hines, explains what happened to him: “Tom is our 1st born child, he has a younger sister and brother.

“We had a very easy pregnancy with no real concerns. Tom was born at Cuckmere Hospital in Cuckmere, a little County Hospital,

“Our labour was very long, Tom was a big baby just under 9lbs, 10hrs later it was time to deliver Tom but everything just seemed to go wrong, unfortunately as Tom was being born his shoulders locked in behind my pelvic bone causing shoulder dystocia, this can restrict or cut off oxygen to the babies brain potentially causing brain damage, the reduced oxygen supply to the babies brain can lead to Cerebral Palsy.

“Unfortunately Tom was starved of oxygen for nearly 5 minutes, he was born but he was lifeless, blue and grey around his mouth and very floppy, the emergency button was pressed when a flood of doctors and nurses who were trying to resuscitate him, there was then a flicker of life and Tom was taken immediately to The Royal Sussex hospital by ambulance and blue lights, you can imagine I was in utter despair, seeing my baby in the incubator lying next to me, he was immediately sent to the special Care Trevor Mann unit where they cared for him like no other, a week later we were allowed home as Tom was improving, little did we know then that our life would change forever and I became a warrior mummy.

“It was later confirmed that Tom had Cerebral Palsy brought on by the Shoulder Dystocia.”

Thomas says: “Philip also has difficulties with walking due to what has happened to his spine. We see ourselves as a bit wonky.

“Our whole relationship is about making each other laugh, and we laugh a lot at each other.”

The couple say their YouTube channel is about bringing people with disabilities together, giving them a voice, and challenging the increasingly intolerant attitude towards difference.

They also hope the channel will encourage people to think before making judgements, recognise that words matter, and understand that everyone deserves the chance to live a good and meaningful life, with or without a disability.

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