´óÏó´«Ã½

This is, of course, assuming that all of our Paralympic athletes haven't been "cured" by Late August 2012. In the past seven days we've read about at least three possible disability breakthroughs. There's the drug which 'aids albino people's sight'. The Telegraph reports that and ´óÏó´«Ã½ health reports on research which suggests that coffee may ease depression.

Elsewhere in the news

Death plea case rejected by judge (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

Judge says the preservation of life is key (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

More than one in 10 Scots 'on anti-depressants' (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: 'Surrounded by uncertainty' (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

(The Guardian)

(The Guardian)

Mobility aids scams threaten elderly says OFT (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

Autism should be 'better diagnosed', says health watchdog (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

London 2012: 'Why I want to go to the Paralympics' (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

Blind autistic man stuns the world (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

Signing and hip-hop Shakespeare at 2012 Globe festival (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

Physiotherapists may get medicine prescribing rights (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

Cardiff researchers study blindness and depression link ´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

(The Guardian)

(The Guardian)

(Mail Online)

(Mail Online)

Students' mental health 'at risk', psychiatrists warn (´óÏó´«Ã½)

In Re-painting Giverny on Radio 4 this week, the writer and broadcaster Irma Kurtz travelled to impressionist painter Claude Monet's house in France.

The famous Water Lilies series was the artist's last great masterpiece, but it was almost never painted as at the time Monet was losing his sight and his wife had recently died. It was his great friend and the Prime Minister of France, Clemenceau, who encouraged him to carry on his work.

The programme features an interview with painter Sargy Mann who became blind but is still painting.

Other highlights:

Watch - ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two - Fry's Planet Word
In this five-part series Stephen Fry explores language. In the first episode he visits the National Theatre of the Deaf in Connecticut, USA and learns why sign language is a true language.

Listen - Radio 3 - The Hands of the Composer
Ian Burnside muses on the idea of how hands, fingers, thumbs and their use have directly affected Western keyboard music. The programme includes music by Rachmaninov who some experts believe had the genetic condition Marfan's syndrome.

Listen - Radio 4 - In Touch
Baroness Thomas expresses her concerns about the eligibility for receiving Personal Independence Payments and the programme celebrates 80 years of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

Listen - Radio 4 - Afternoon Play
Henry's Demons by Patrick and Henry Cockburn explores the impact of schizophrenia on a family.

Watch - Cbeebies - Something Special
Entertaining regular educational series for four to seven year old children with learning difficulties.

Catch up with disability radio and TV programmes on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ every Wednesday on this blog.

Liz Carr and Rob Crossan are presenting a dark dark dark show as winter sets in and the world appears to be imploding financially and in all sorts of other ways. We ask ... what would happen to disabled people if a serious incident hit us?

Regular presenter Mat Fraser is currently in Japan where we believe he's fighting disabled people who have lived through the earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear accident.

You'd have thought they'd been through enough really but what better than to send the UK's favourite Thalidomider out there for a bit of a bundle? I'm sure we must have got the wrong end of the stick a little bit though, perhaps deliberately, so interested to hear the details. He'll be joining us by phone.

Other highlights: campaigner Nicky Clark, artist Bobby Baker, disability sport dude Tony Garrett and singer Kayla Kavanagh. Well, if they all turn up.

It goes live next week. Listen out for it and get your friends and colleagues to subscribe.

September's guest bloggers are focusing on parenthood. This week, disability campaigner talks about being a mum with Crohn's Disease.

It took my (now) husband nearly six years to propose to me.

Why? Well, I have a very rare form of Crohn's Disease; on bad days I am bed ridden and have to take very powerful medication including a chemo style regime every two weeks. Doctors had no idea what effect this would have on an unborn child. So trying for a baby was not recommended.

As it became clearer and clearer that I was extremely unwell and unlikely to get any better, my partner found himself trapped by the most terrible decision : marry the woman he loved, but accept he would never have children or choose children but lose me.

One night, right before bed, he asked me to be his wife. Just like that. He finally explained the agonising dilemma he'd had, and told me he'd decided I was too important to lose. It wasn't a Caribbean beach or a fancy dinner, but nothing could be more romantic than knowing you are the most crucial thing in someone's life.

A few years later, the universe sprinkled a little magic dust. There was a short window following surgery, where I wasn't on any strong medication and - whether by miracle or accident - I fell pregnant. Despite all the surgery, meds and malnutrition I had experienced over the years, that determined spark of life chose me.

Pregnancy brought a magic of its own. It is quite common for women with Crohn's to improve drastically during this period ... and I felt amazing. I was healthy, my steroid-weakened hair shone and I had a level of energy I'd never known before.

Post pregnancy, even the act of breastfeeding my baby boy seemed to keep the magic going.

But, oh dear, when I stopped feeding my child, the hormones melted away and Crohn's came back with a vengeance. It was only then that the reality of being a mum with a disability set in.

When I finished breast feeding my second child (yes, magic can strike twice...) the reaction was so violent that I was rushed almost immediately into hospital.

My tiny perfect baby boy went from the comfort and security of the breast to nothing. No mum to sing him to sleep - I had been taken to a specialist centre 130 miles away.

My 11 month old son suddenly had to learn to drink cow's milk from a cup. He was forced to rely on nana and nanny and daddy as stand ins for me.

But I was so ill. I was delirious and dosed up; I could barely speak, clinging so fiercely to life that nothing else mattered. I could only just feel the guilt remotely, as though behind glass. I saw my boys just twice in 6 weeks.

Finally, after major bowel surgery and the added complications of a stroke, I spoke to my four year old on the phone one evening. In a quiet voice he whispered "mummy, I don't think I can do this anymore."

I made my husband drive me home to the children there and then.

Everyday life with a disability and two lively young boys is harder than I could ever have known. I don't get to nap when fatigue drains the colour from my face. I can't pick them up very often now when they scrape their knees; they're just too big and I'm too weak.

I often have to rely on others to do things for my children, things I want to do, and my house is always a chaotic jumble. But the joy of every single day makes it all worth it. We adapt, we laugh and we never waste a "Mummy good day".

Blogs I like

, a campaign blog against benefits cuts.

, a long-running blog concerned with all things disability.

, by a mum, about her own disabilities and her son who has autism.

• Crohn's disease is a long-term illness that causes inflammation in the gut. Read more about it on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Health website.

140 characters are sometimes all that's needed to make a powerful statement on life with a disability. Check out these recent Twitter gems.

Happy bipolar awareness week everyone,lets all be sure to have a fab time & remember how lucky we are to have picked something "cool"
, prolific blogger and Tweeter on life with a mental health problem.

Zoe adds:
Maybe we just need a bipolar awareness day? Then maybe people would get more excited about it (dependant on current mood state obviously).

Elsewhere on Twitter

I am slightly amused that all the symptoms of concussion pretty much match my everyday life! Confused, dizzy and tired. Yep. But always.
, blogger.

There used to be a game played on pool tables by blind people called pottaball, wonder if anyone plays it now?
, a member of Twitter's vibrant blind community.

'Doing Well' isn't compared to how I think others lives are, but to my experience of my life, so I have Good Days regardless of others' views
, disabled cartoonist.

E has emerged from her tent. She is however "too tired to have breakfast yet". She might consider it in 19 minutes. #fragileX #autism
, referring to her disabled daughter.

"Doctor Doctor, I feel like putting you in charge of the NHS budget" #sarahteatherjokes
, secretary of LSESU's labour society.

Just had our boiler serviced by a man who makes Robot Wars-style robots in his spare time. Could swear he was eyeing up my wheelchair motors.
, Guitarist with the band Bug Prentice.

Our TVs have been graced with a number of disabled performers this week, some of whom have even made the news.

Ceri Rees's X Factor performance, which featured on Sunday evening's show, has generated some discussion in the media about of those who take part in such programmes. reports that Lily Allen was among the celebrities who joined mental health charities Mind and Rethink in questioning the decision to air Ceri's fourth unsuccessful X Factor audition.

Just hours later, for his role as Tyrion Lannister in HBO drama Game of Thrones. Dinklage is of restricted growth but you won't see him in the role of a hobbit, an Oompa-Loompa or one of the seven dwarfs any time soon. We didn't find any Emmy-related news stories mentioning the actor's short stature. A sign of progress maybe?

One performer who doesn't shy away from dwarf-specific roles though is Warwick Davis. His imminent new comedy, Life's Too Short, was written especially for him by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. They've been thanked by Nicky Clarke in the Guardian for

Elsewhere in the news:

UK medics lead Europe's first embryonic stem cell trial (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

Dutch engineers make 'robot legs' for stroke patients (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

Virus link to ME called into question (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

Terminally ill people warned over possible benefit cut (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

(The Guardian)

Schizophrenia and epilepsy have 'strong link' (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

Learning to live with autism in Ethiopia

(The Guardian)

(The Independent)

(Mail Online)

(International Supermarket News)

During Four Thought on Radio 4 this week Professor Charles ffrench-Constant, an expert on multiple sclerosis, explored a new generation of drugs which could help the body heal itself.

Other highlights:

Listen - Radio 4 - In Touch
Peter White talked to David Rathband, the police officer blinded by gunman Raoul Moat, about his injuries and to the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s Daniel Danker about accessibility problems while using iPlayer.

Watch - Cbeebies - Something Special
Entertaining regular educational series for four to seven year old children with learning difficulties.

Listen - Radio 4 Extra - Route 66
Travelling the route of number 66 buses across Britain, Paddy Maguire went ten pin bowling with two blind passengers.

Listen - World Service - Health Check
The programme examined why singing might make you feel better after the first results of long-term study into singing and mental health were revealed.

Catch up with disability radio and TV programmes on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ every Wednesday on this blog.

Continuing our blog series on parenting, meet Jane Renton, a mum of three, from Nottingham. This week we're focusing on special educational needs.

Welcome to our house. It is in the middle of our street though is not middle of the road, and it's not neuro, or in any other way, typical.

Three of us have an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Lily (8) is severely visually impaired too, as is her sister Lula (6) who does not have an ASD but does have more profound mobility issues. Their brother Oscar has Aspergers and is very bright.

I too have recently been diagnosed with Aspergers, and their father Jeff has Social Anxiety Disorder - but that is an unsurprising result given the Vaudevillian scenes that we unwittingly create in public. It's normal for us and, with some disharmony, we function creatively.

In other households, the 'back to school' hush has descended and most parents are counting the manifold blessings of a free, largely adequate and sometimes exemplary, statutory education. Not so those with disabled and, in particular, ASD children.

Educational provision by Local Authorities can be temperamental, pompous, petulant and ambiguous; the traits of toddlers and teens are not dissimilar to the system that claims to shape them.

Inclusion Officers, Specialist Teachers and Teaching Assistants have to be courted and flattered, for fear of falling out of departmental favour in some areas.

Attending a Visually Impaired Children Taking Action (VICTA) weekend last month, the habitual coffee and defrag session showcased just how different the experience is, depending on the postcode you have.

Parents without Special Educational Needs statements talked in glowing terms of their local schools, whilst others spoke of Education Welfare Officers who were threatening imprisonment for children with school anxiety related absences. And there's the rub.

As Free Schools begin to open, the concept of choice is 'trending' round the country.

But try finding 'choice' when you have a high functioning ASD child, who has great academic potential, but cannot access noisy classrooms of 30. Or, try finding schools that have good facilities for children with visual impairments - not just a generalised Learning Support Unit that covers all needs and satisfies none. Nationally they are rare, locally they are often non-existent.

With three of us in the equation, Aspergers is mathematically cubed, and that stress domino effect is at times unbearable in our family. Add visual impairment into the mix and the compound starts to look explosive.

We all experience anxiety at a higher level by default and a simpler system would be invaluable.

Our lives are made no less enjoyable by our random gene selection; they are made less enjoyable by a system that invests in normality and trivialises diversity.

"Chaos is inherent in all compounded things. Strive on with diligence." Buddha.

My recommended online reading

Nicky Clarke's blog: (I have chosen a particularly good page of the blog - SO true!

Talk about autism:

Thinking autism guide:

Wheelchair-using model Shannon Murray and recently paralysed blind adventurer Mark Pollock, join hosts Mat Fraser and Liz Carr.

Listen or subscribe to the show by following this link

Read a transcript

• Unlikely sports fan Liz Carr has got herself some tickets to the 'normal' Olympics. Why? And ´óÏó´«Ã½ disability sports exec, Tony Garrett, talks us through the Paralympic highlights now that the tickets are on sale. And should 'bladerunner' Oscar Pistorius be allowed to cross over and compete in the Olympic Games?

• High street model Shannon Murray - the posh girl who uses a wheelchair - joins us to look through some recent news stories.

• Our Vegetable Vegetable or Vegetable game returns with a twist: Mat and Liz have to guess what's wrong with twin sisters - Jude and Laura. .

• Blind adventurer Mark Pollock talks to us from Ireland. He's facing his greatest challenge yet. Last year, due to an unexplained incident which happened when he was asleep, he is now also paralysed.

• We finish with music from jazz musician Genie Cosmas who joins us in the studio.

Pod talk

The first question you might ask yourself is ... why on earth is mat shouting his way through the intro of this podcast? And it would be a good question. Did he see a mouse? Had he drunk too much unbranded energy drink?

Rumour has it that Liz Carr and Shannon Murray were wondering aloud whether or not it's possible for wheelchair users to faint. You won't hear it on the show because it happened while the team were not recording. We have since discovered that it's a common myth (?) and clearly untrue. do the two, who both use wheelchairs, know something that the rest of us don't?

In other gossip ... Mat Fraser is about to zoom off to Japan to fight some survivors of the tsunami. One might think this would be the last thing they need but he's doing it anyway. Rob Crossan will be presenting October's show with Liz.

Finally ... we're in a pattern of doing some hour long shows once a month at the moment. It's like we're playing with the format again. We think there's more room for in depth chat on the longer shows. Tell us if you prefer it or not, email ouch@bbc.co.uk. We can swap and change because we're not having to fit in with a radio schedule. For some bizarre reason we're not on the radio. Not yet. if you want us on the radio, write to Mark Thompson, Jim'll Fix It or Posh Paws.

The Welfare Reform Bill and being closely followed by many disabled people.

On Wednesday there were anxieties that moving the debate from the floor of the main chamber meant it might get and we saw

wheelchair-using baronesses Grey-Thompson and Campbell appealing that the proposal to move it to a smaller committee room would mean it was less accessible for disabled spectators and for the viewing public at home.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission released a report this week on concluding that the cases which make the national press are just the tip of the iceberg. It finds that low level harrassment seems to be accepted.

In a rare bit of light-hearted news, it was announced on Thursday that London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff - the UK's capital cities - will host Paralympic flame lighting events starting August 24th next year. After separate relays, all four flames will unite at a special ceremony at Stoke Mandeville, spiritual home of the games, on the 28th; it will be taken to London from there.

Elsewhere in the news:

(The Guardian)

(The Huffington Post)

PM backs MPs' criticism of health regulator (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

Henry Winkler, the Fonz in Happy Days, appointed OBE (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

Report calls for more failing care house protection (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

Asylum's demolition marks end of era in mental health (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

London 2012: How Stoke Mandeville put Paralympics on the map (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

(The Guardian, Comment Is Free)

Why are Britons so gloomy in middle age? (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

(The Daily Telegraph)

(Mail Online)

(Mail Online)

(The Independent)

Health service for prisoners with learning disabilities (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

A recent inquiry by the Equality and Human Rights Commission revealed systemic institutional failure to tackle the harassment of disabled people. You and Yours on Radio 4 examined what needs to be done to tackle the problem.

Other highlights:

Listen - Radio 4 - In Touch
Peter White explored why navigating iPlayer is still a problem for screen reader users.

Listen - Radio 4 - Caring Too Much
Julie Fernandez, a disabled actor best known for her role in The Office, looked at the complex relationship between disabled child and parent carer.

Listen - Radio 4 - Am I Tone Deaf?
Author and journalist Sathnam Sanghera asked if being tone-deaf is a medical matter or simply a lack of training.

Listen - ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio London
Vanessa Feltz questioned whether abuse is inevitable if you are disabled.

Catch up with disability radio and TV programmes on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ every Wednesday on this blog.

Purple Hue by Ryan Dickson won a bronze award.

Snap! is the annual film and photography competition organised by learning disability charity Mencap.

This year over 600 photographs and 49 films were considered by the judging panel which included journalist Kate Spicer, Lady Frances Sorrell, freelance creative director Gary Harvey, two members of Mencap's learning disability panel and former winners of the competition.

Prizes were awarded in gold, silver, bronze and highly commended categories.

"The quality of the photographs is improving every year, and the stories they tell have real depth and impact. I loved the opportunity to look at every single entrant's story, not just the winner's, it's a privilege," commented Kate Spicer.

The winners were announced at a special awards ceremony last night attended by actor Matthew Horne from Gavin and Stacey, Elliot Rosen from EastEnders and Chloe Madeley who performs in Dancing On Ice on ITV.

The photographs will now be displayed at the Rich Mix gallery in east London and the Bedford headquarters of Fujifilm UK, which sponsors the competition.

The images will also be available to see online.

Mencap's head of communications, Sarah Bernard, said: "We've had some incredible entries in this year's Snap! I think the judges have done a great job in choosing a selection of images which show a range of styles and subject matters. People with a learning disability often face barriers in communicating with others. These images show a fantastic and creative insight into their world."

Previous work by performance artist Bobby Baker has included making life-size edible cake versions of her family, dancing with meringue ladies and driving around London strapped to the back of a van yelling through a megaphone.

But last night mental health charity Mind recognised her book about mental illness and awarded her a Book of the Year prize.

Diary Drawings: Mental Illness and Me is a collection of 158 drawings created by Baker between 1997 and 2008. It charts her experience of mental and physical ill-health and her eventual recovery.

As well as illustrations, the book features an introductory essay by author Marina Warner and writing by Baker and her daughter, Dora Whittuck, a clinical psychologist.

"I've scarcely ever won anything in my life! I can't imagine anything I'd be more proud to win than the Mind Book of the Year Award. I'm beyond pleased and it means an awful lot to people like me who've had experience of mental illness and for my family too," said Baker.

The Mind Book of the Year award is now in its 30th year and judges include authors Blake Morrison, Fay Weldon, and Michele Roberts.

Other shortlisted titles included The Woman Who Thought Too Much by Joanne Limburg, My Life as a Psychotherapist by John Marzillier, What to Look For in Winter by Candia McWilliam and Broken Places by Wendy Perriam.

Judge Fay Weldon commented:

"This is the first graphic autobiography we've ever had in Mind's Book of the Year - and it was very graphic! She's such an energetic and lively person and this just shows through in her honest view of herself and people around her. You can't help but respond to it. I think there is a sea change with this year's entries into a kind of acceptance about the possibilities and the future people with mental health problems can have."

The runner up was Emma Henderson who was given a highly commended award for her debut novel Grace Williams Says It Loud about life in a psychiatric hospital.

Every Monday for a month, our guest bloggers will be talking about disability and parenting. Each post will focus on one aspect of the job.

First up, blind mum of two, Amie Slavin, writes about the importance of discipline.

Last week I caught a train with my guide dog in harness, accompanied by both my daughters who, aged 5 and 3, could be considered nightmare travelling companions for a blind person.

I was gratified by the positive reaction to our little combo from the staff member who saw us to our train. Guiding me from the right side, he looked over his shoulder and witnessed my younger daughter holding my hand, with which I also hold the dog's lead; she was squishing herself merrily into the teeny gap between dog and mummy handler. He would have also seen that my older child was tucked in behind, holding her little sister's other hand.

"That's good," commented my assistant.

"Like those ducks people put on their walls, aren't they?" I quipped, feebly.

"Really good," he said quietly.

I don't think he was expressing admiration for my woeful gag. I'm guessing that he had realised that parenting without eyesight can make for higher, not lower, standards of public behaviour.

I say public because, I'm pleased to report, my kids can be monsters at home. They push the boundaries with me and the grown-up world in general, not to mention each other. They brawl enthusiastically, in the manner of children the world over, joining together in a split second when fate deals them a grown-up to outwit - sighted or otherwise.

When we're out and about, thankfully they act like the product of much careful thought and training.

As I can't see, my main parenting tool is my intelligence. I know my kids inside out and can usually deduce when they're misbehaving. They have both been known to come running in frustration, when disciplined from 2 rooms away: "But how did you know I was going to do that, Mummy?"

Along with this psychic mum thing, I have always figured that babies can comprehend language long before they become verbal.

If it's the case that grown-ups can understand a foreign language before being able to speak it fluently, surely the same must apply to babies learning their mother-tongue. So, I've been expecting responsiveness to verbal communication and command since well before my kids were able to speak.

It really pays off. Wherever my daughters go, people comment on their good behaviour and sociability. That's in comparison with their peers, not just: "considering they have a blind mother".

I can't convey them through the rush-hour in a Chelsea Tractor, but I can equip them to make friends and do themselves credit.

My recommended online reading:

As a blind person and disabled mum, I often find myself reading and identifying with blog posts about discrimination. Here,

chimes well with my thoughts on maintaining fitness levels. For me keeping in shape and looking good means people are forced to rethink their image of a blind woman. It opens up the world of fashion to me, massively boosts my confidence and, just by the way, makes it a ton easier getting help when I need it; 'sad' perhaps, but entirely true.

• Amie Slavin is a sound artist, currently working on a commission for the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Learn more about her work at

The bulk of the disability news stories this week have been concerning themselves with two key London 2012 Paralympic milestone events.

On Thursday, London's Trafalgar Square played host to International Paralympic Day.

"Paralympic sport is not just inspiring. It is hardcore. It's disappointment, it's triumph, it's hard work and it's dedication that's really exciting," said sprinter Oscar Pistorius, just one of the many top Paralympic athletes taking part in the event.

A day later, on Friday 9 September, tickets for the London 2012 Paralympics went on sale. The culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said he thought the event would be the of next summer.

Elsewhere in the news:

(The Guardian)

Concerns remain over London transport for disabled (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

(The Guardian)

(The Independent)

Could the 2012 Paralympics erase the word 'disability'? (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

(The Economist)

Gail Porter 'still angry' about being sectioned (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

(Your Cardiff)

(The Guardian)

(The Mail Online)

Who is eligible and what are the restrictions on concessionary fares for disabled people were just two of the questions posed by In Touch on Radio 4.

Peter White spoke to David Sindall from the Association of Train Operating Companies and Nick Lester, Corporate Director for London Councils, about the Freedom Pass and the Disabled Person's Railcard.

Other highlights:

Listen - Asian Network - Asian Network Reports
Explored the efforts underway to tackle the stigma around mental health among British Asians.

Listen - Radio 2 - Jeremy Vine
Jeremy Vine discussed epilepsy.

Listen - World Service - The World Today Weekend
Julian Worricker investigated club nights for deaf people featuring a vibrating dance floor, aroma jockeys who spray different scents to accompany the music and signing dancers who interpret tracks.

Listen - Radio 4 - No Triumph, No Tragedy
Peter White spoke to counsellor, homeopath, journalist, lecturer and Methodist local preacher Dr Lin Berwick about her life living as a blind wheelchair user.

Listen - Radio 4 - Money Box
From the end of October the Government is abolishing half-price coach concessions for disabled people and pensioners. Campaign groups say this will put them at a disadvantage while others question why, during a time of overall cuts, this concession should still exist. Money Box debated the issue.

Catch up with disability radio & TV programmes on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ every Wednesday on this blog.

With a year to go to the Paralympics, dressage gold medal winner Lee Pearson has called on administrators and other competitors to be more .

It was announced a would visit London in October.

The event already has a dedicated following in the Netherlands, Finland, South Africa and Australia and includes a vibrating dance floor, aroma jockeys who spray different scents to accompany the music, and signing dancers who interpret tracks.

And in an from his new book on the Guardian website, journalist and lifelong Spurs fan John Crace explained how football helps him live with depression.

Elsewhere in the news:

Disability assessments 'will be fair' (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

Disability allowance 'a necessity, not luxury (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

Cinema subtitle glasses give promise to deaf film fans (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

UK stem cell stroke trial passes first safety test (´óÏó´«Ã½ News)

(Sky News)

(The Guardian)

(The Guardian)

(The Guardian)

(The Guardian)

(The Independent)

(The Independent)

(The Daily Telegraph)

Tacit wrist-mounted device helps the visually impaired see (Gadgets and Gizmos)

(Nigerian Tribune)

(Radio Australia)

(Hollywood Reporter)