Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

On Saturday afternoon, demonstrators in wheelchairs chained themselves together across the junction of Regiant Street and Oxford Street, bringing traffic in one of London's busiest shopping areas to a standstill.

At the height of the action, around 300 people stood in support of the protesters, banging drums and waving placards. .

The guardian reports that

protester Mary Cross told the paper that disabled people needed to work together to get their voices heard. She said: "We're seen as quite an easy target. We're not a natural community - we don't necessarily live in the same places, and we can find it hard to get together. That makes it easy for the government to think they can target us."

Demonstrators were worried that half a million disabled people will lose their benefits as a result of changes brought in under the welfare reform bill which moves back to the House of Commons for further debate this Wednesday.

In response to Saturday's direct action, a Department of Work and Pensions spokesperson told the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ that the government was "absolutely committed" to supporting disabled people and it was spending more than Β£40bn per year on disabled people. "Households where someone receives disability living allowance will be exempt from the benefit cap and we are giving local authorities an additional Β£190m over four years to ensure vulnerable people are supported through the housing benefit reform, so we are not expecting people to become homeless ...

"The introduction of the universal credit from 2013 will see a simpler and fairer system of support for disabled people."

He added disabled people in greatest need would receive more support than they do currently.

demonstrators tweeting during the protest reported that there was no trouble and that police were very calm throughout. The participants described the demonstration as a success.

Journalist Rod Liddle has been at it again. This time the subject of his attention is the disabled. He writes in his column in The Sun newspaper, which has since "disappeared" online but Rod's cause has been picked up ,.

Rod had said that his resolution for 2012 is to "become disabled". He believes that it has become "incredibly fashionable" to be disabled of late. His reasons for this: the disabled don't have to work, they get to live off benefits and get a parking badge. It has caused a bit of a storm on Twitter.

Elsewhere in the news

- Channel 4, Factcheck blog

- The Daily Mail

- The Scottish Sun

- The Guardian's Comment is Free

Styal women's prison mental health unit 'shocking' - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News

- The Guardian, The Northerner blog

Church refuses boy with Down Syndrome Holy Communion - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News

First trial results of human embryonic stem cells - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News

Essex special PC Reece Clarke left brain damaged after police crash - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News

- The Guardian

Deaf charity 'appalled' at Salford council cuts plan - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News

Lottery cash for crisis families - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News

Birmingham man with mental illness admits manslaughter of mother Anita Young - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News

-The Mail

Injured soldiers training to climb Mount Everest - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News
- The Derbyshire Times

- The Guardian

Shared space is a concept used in urban planning to encourage a more integrated use of our towns and cities - kerbs are dropped with traffic lights and crossings often removed.

Pedestrians walk along designated safe areas similar in width to a pavement but there is no separating raised kerb, instead cars, cyclists and pedestrians are all on the same level. But how suitable is it for visually impaired people?

Supporters say that safety records are higher than traditionally designed high streets but some blind people argue that these spaces are not only dangerous but have become no-go areas for blind people.

On this week's In Touch programme, Peter White visits Exhibition Road, a 'shared space' in London's museum district, and talks to David Bonnett, one of the architects behind the design.

Other highlights

A list of radio or TV programmes which include disability this week, all available on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's iPlayer service.

Listen - You and Yours

Winifred Robinson takes calls on the government plans to cap household benefits.

Listen - Andie Harper's Mid-Morning - Radio Cambridgeshire

Andie Harper hears from a disabled businessman from Cambridge who was ejected from a flight because of safety concerns. What are the rights of disabled travellers?

Listen Tony Fisher - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Hereford and Worcester

There's new controversy surrounding the disabled drivers Blue Badge scheme.

Listen - Tony Livesey

The Welfare reform bill suffers another Lords defeat. But should the Government stick to its guns? Is it time to decriminalise drug use? Would that help or hinder the war on drugs?

Watch - Coping

Five young people phone in to a night-time radio show with host, Aled Haydn Jones, to share their problems ranging from anorexia to depression, OCD to self-harm. (R)

Listen - Stephen Nolan on 5 Live

Iain Duncan Smith says people are not suffering because of benefit cuts and will press ahead with reforms.

Watch - Northern Ireland Assembly, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Parliament

Recorded coverage of a debate on the Health and Social Care review, from Monday 16 January.

Listen - Conversation Zone [name of radio station?]

In this special edition of the Conversation Zone, Dame Evelyn Glennie revisits her childhood, discusses her deafness and shares some of her most personal music favourites.

Listen - Woman's Hour

Sex on the agenda, Martha Reeves, Welfare Reform

Watch - Something Special, CBeebies

Each simple, fun and informative episode sees Justin and Mr Tumble out and about, applying signing in a variety of places relevant to a very young audience.

Coming soon

Watch - 4 o'Clock Club

Comedy. To get out of maths homework Josh claims he has number blindness, and persuades novice supply teacher Janucek to let him off.

Watch - Saints and Scroungers - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One

Dom meets Laura and her daughter Poppy, who has been diagnosed as profoundly deaf.

Whether the London 2012 ticket deadlines have so far passed you by, or accessibility fears have discouraged you from making an application, the good news is that time has not yet run out. Tickets are on sale until the sixth of February for the Olympic football tournament and a number of Paralympic events. Shortly afterwards, resale tickets for many events will be freed up for purchase.

On a recent visit to the Olympic Park, I found out a bit about the systems in place to help disabled people buy tickets, and what the organisers, Locog, are doing to make the London 2012 games accessible for all. I also discovered that there's a heck of a lot of walking involved in the big Olympic park and its venues unless you plan ahead or know what to look out for. In this post I'm passing on my personal experiences so far, as well as official information and helpful links.

Buying tickets

So, what sports do you want to go and see? . This site also holds information on which events still have tickets available and when you can get your hands on them.

Your next port of call should be , which holds all relevant booking information for disability friendly London 2012 spaces.

In short, you'll find out that there are three ticketing options for people with access requirements in each price bracket. One for wheelchair users, one for non-wheelchair users who need to be accompanied and a final option for those of us who would benefit from being in a particular seating location.

a) "I am a wheelchair user" - If a wheelchair space is bought either by phone or via the official ticketing website, a companion seat is automatically allocated free of charge. If it has been booked as part of a group, all efforts will be made to seat everyone together.

(b) "I wouldn't manage at the games without help" - then you need to apply for the Ticketcare scheme, which is for non wheelchair users who would be unable to attend the games unaccompanied. This option must be booked over the phone by calling 0844 8472012.

You can't retrospectively book a companion seat on Ticketcare, so make sure you mention it when you first book. While the website says that Locog cannot guarantee availability of Ticketcare for all applicants, I am reliably informed that all requests have so far been honoured. Unsuccessful Ticketcare applicants are entitled to a full refund.

c) "I don't need continuing help but I have some physical requirements within the stadium" This third option is for those who have "a specific access requirement" such as: people who are visually impaired and need seats close to the action, those who have a mobility impairment which make steps difficult, or for those who would benefit from sitting at the end of a row, for instance. Again, you need to book by phone rather than online, making any additional requirements clear at that stage. Operators will be able to tell you whether there are suitable seats available during the call.

Fixing up the access

Now that you have suitable tickets, it is time to start planning your full A-to B London 2012 experience.

. The page deals with getting to the games, mobility inside the park and other access requirements.

You'll be pleased to hear that accessibility for the games has been on the agenda right from the start.

If you specified an additional requirement during the ticket booking process, organisers will likely email you back with further questions. This is because they are using information gathered during the ticketing process to target specific access services to the right place at the right time, such as subtitling and audio description. While they are expecting a number of people with additional requirements to turn up unannounced, I get the impression that signposting your needs at this point would be incredibly helpful in ensuring that you have the best experience possible and that they get it right.

In addition to the information gathered from ticket buyers, Deaf and disability focus groups have been formed to discuss access to London 2012. Members include representatives from disability organisations and disabled people from the local community. The organisers have been in consultation with these groups for over a year and will continue to work with them right up to games time.

Getting there

• "Will public transport routes to the games be accessible?" - all ticket holders will be strongly encouraged to travel to the Olympic Park via public transport. include maps showing accessible stations and access routes throughout London and the UK. The website's accessible journey planner is "still evolving" but Locog says that they are "committed to ensuring that there are good accessible transport options for all spectators travelling to the games".

• "I'm unable to use public transport" - is available close to all venues. This is free of charge and bookable by ticket holders who have a Blue Badge or are members of an equivalent international scheme.

• "How long before my event should I arrive at the Olympic Park?" - Information for ticket holders will be made available in alternative formats. This will include guidelines on timeframes for travel and suggested arrival times. Having attended a test event and witnessed the sheer size of the park and security levels first hand, I'd suggest following Locog's advice on this one.

• "How will I get from the Tube station to my venue?" - Shuttle busses will run from local transport links to the venues. This part of the journey can be deceptively long so I'd advise using this option where available. For those who want to walk, there will be benches for resting at regular intervals along the way.

Accessibility inside the venues

"walking is difficult for me. How will I manage once off the shuttle bus?" - Each venue will have something called the Games mobility service. Wheelchairs and mobility scooters can be borrowed through this service and visually impaired spectators will be guided to their seats. Free of charge, the Games Mobility service promises to be clearly visible at all entry points.

I'm told that every member of security staff at venues will receive disability awareness training and that there will be discrete fast track queuing systems for anyone who needs them.

In addition, every venue will have a changing places loo with a hoist, spending areas for assistance dogs, hearing loops and the technology necessary for subtitling and audio description.

Locog has admitted that audio description, subtitling and BSL will not be provided for every single event but that they will do their very best to make these services available to those who have requested them in advance.

Is there an access requirement not mentioned here which would improve your London 2012 experience? Do you have further queries about disability friendly tickets or access to the venues? Leave a comment below and we will attempt to answer any questions.

The government fought off a renewed challenge to its highly unpopular welfare reform bill on Tuesday night. Peers rejected a proposal to delay plans to replace disability Living Allowance with a new benefit called Personal Independence Payments by just 16 votes after ministers offered consessions.

Tony Blair's father in law, veteran actor Tony Booth, is after police told him he couldn't park in front of his daughter Cherie's Connaught Square home. They directed him around the back to Archery Place where he received a ticket despite clearly displaying his blue badge.

Reacting in The Evening Standard Mr.Booth said,
"someone must do something about Westminster's attitude to the disabled. Maybe I should arrange a march on City Hall? It is a Tory council. Perhaps we should call on all disabled people to vote against Boris?"

Elsewhere in the news

The cheapest way to go to the Olympics - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News

Depression drugs 'causing falls'- (Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News)

- (The Guardian)

- (The Guardian)

(Comment is free, The Guardian)

- (Business World Weekender)

Independent life / How a 1960s student with polio inspired disability rights

DLA changes: Tanni Grey-Thompson and Iain Duncan Smith (Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News)

(The Society Guardian)

(Society Guardian)

(Suzanne Moore's column in the Daily Mail)

(The Guardian)

(The Daily Express)

Type 1 diabetes discovery by Cardiff University and King's College (Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News)

(Comment is Free, The Guardian)

(The Daily Mail)

(The Independent)

(The Independent)

Plus the latest on the cross bench Lords debate on postponing the replacement for Disability Living Allowance.

Other highlights

Listen - Woman's hour
The human cost of the funding crisis within social care.

Listen - Victoria Derbyshire
Victoria talks to Tanni Grey Thompson and the Disability Minister about disability benefit changes.

Listen - Drivetime with Eddie Nestor
Eddie discusses plans to double the qualifying period for new disability benefit to 6 months.

Listen - The JVS show on Three Counties Radio
Ministers want to replace disability living allowance with a new system.

Listen - All things considered -
The Rev John Gillibrand, vicar of Llangeler, talks to Roy Jenkins about life with his seriously autistic son on the award-winning religious affairs programme.

Watch - Escape to the country - episode 12
Buyers are helped to find their dream homes. Jonnie Irwin helps a couple and their autistic son find a home on the Isle of Wight, and visits a garlic farm.

Watch - Storyville - 2011/2012
Documentary following Sam Frears, a man born with a rare genetic disorder, as he struggles with everyday life, gets his acting career back on track and tries to find love.

Listen - Shelagh Fogarty
The health team discuss the rise in the number of people with conditions like Parkinson's and Motor Neurone disease.

Listen - The Passions of Vaughan Williams
Musical and psychological portrait of classical composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, which explores the passions that drove this giant of 20th century English music. (R)

Watch - Something special
Educational series for four- to seven-year-old children with learning difficulties, offering teachers, parents and carers a range of approaches to develop language and communication skills.

- Watch - Freddie Flintoff - The hidden side of sport
Cricket star Andrew (Freddie) Flintoff talks to sporting professionals about the serious effects of depression. He also confronts his own mental health issues as captain of England.

Watch - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two - Coping
Five young people share their problems ranging from anorexia to depression, OCD to self harm.

The government's proposed changes to disability living allowance (DLA) will be debated in the House of Lords later on Tuesday. This comes after peers voted down three other elements of the welfare reform bill last week, relating to changes in eligibility criteria for employment support allowance.

The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ reports that many campaigners and disability organisations feel . Charities and concerned disabled people have asked for a delay in changes to disability living allowance, saying new medical assessments are not ready.

In light of last week's government defeats, the Guardian foresees . The paper reports that Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson "will seek to amend parts of the bill with provisions that mean that there would have to be a pilot scheme before a tough new assessment regime for claimants is introduced".

In defence of proposed DLA reforms, the Daily Mail points out that and that 3.5 million people could be claming disability allowance by 2015 unless reforms proceed.

DLA is a working age benefit, designed to finance help with extra costs incurred due to difficulty getting around or with care tasks such as washing or dressing. The Guardian has been exploring what the proposed replacement of this benefit with personal independence payments could mean for and .

Disability campaigners have also been posting personal accounts of on a dedicated blog.

In addition to a government U-turn late last year on the proposed removal of the mobility element of DLA from disabled people living in residential care, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News reports that further concessions have been made by government over changes to DLA ahead of Tuesday evening's House of Lords debate. Ministers have opted to reduce the period before people can claim disability living allowance from six months to three.

Before I started work I had little purpose in life. I felt that I was achieving almost nothing and believed that people thought "she is autistic, she can't do anything". I hated leaving my house and had a lot of anxiety issues.

I got my current role, a voluntary work placement with a company who support people with learning disabilities to live in the community, by chance. My manager Helen saw potential that not many others did and gave me an interview.

She offered me a supported work placement for two afternoons a week, to help me gain skills, qualifications and experience. My attendance was not very good at the beginning, due to anxiety caused by my autism. But they didn't give up on me and now I do more hours and have gained confidence.

My role is a bit of a mixture, which suits me perfectly. I work on computers, helping to maintain a database which hosts events, activities and services for people with a whole range of disabilities. I also assist with general admin, answering the phones and taking messages. More recently I have begun working with the supervisors to create visual aids (such as pictorial menus) for some of the service users. I really enjoy this as these aids go into the homes of the people we work with, making their lives a little easier. I know first-hand how important small adaptations like this can be.

As well as enjoying my work, I love going into the office. They have adapted this space for me so that I can be as independent as possible. There's a quiet area I can go to if I am anxious and there are visual signs up mirroring what I have in my own home. This is a crucial adaptation for me, because these signs are constant and familiar,, in an ever changing world that I struggle to understand.

But I simply would not be able to do the placement if it weren't for my colleagues.

They all make me feel so welcome, part of the team. And they provide me with a lot of support, including ensuring that I eat and drink well (two things I often forget). Colleagues have helped me out many times when I have been unwell or even when I have had to collect prescriptions. They are very flexible with allowing me to take time out for appointments and a co-worker sometimes even comes with me, when my regular support workers are unavailable. As shown in the film, due to impairments relating to my autism, I cannot do these things alone.

My workmates continue to look out for me, even when I am not there. If I don't turn up, they always phone or call by to make sure I am OK. They understand how much I struggle when my routine is broken.

But best of all, everyone in that office treats me as an individual and involves me in lunch time chats, jokes and festive things. I really enjoyed being in charge of the Christmas decorations this year.

I regularly face exclusion. People often assume things about me, without even giving me a chance. They decide themselves what I like and dislike or that I cannot join in. Often work is the one place where I know this will not happen. My colleagues give me support to be as independent as possible rather than taking over and doing things for me.

I have tried to take part in work placements before. None of them ever lasted long. Unlike my current employer, they didn't take the time to understand and accept me and my needs.

This current work placement means so much to me. It gets me out of my home which I sometimes feel is like a prison, it gives me social contact with people and a purpose in my life. It even helped me to break a vicious cycle of depression.
I have achieved so much in the last 18 months and I hope that in another 18 months I am still there, building on my skills and gaining even more confidence and experience.

Alex says that her job has broken "a vicious cycle of depression" and last week, Scott Jordan Harris announced that keeping a diary keeps him sane. Disability and the restrictions it sometimes brings to one's life, can often lead to a level of depression. If you have discovered the thing that keeps this at bay for you, tell us about it in the comments below.

The suffered defeats on three issues in the House of Lords on Wednesday.

Peers rejected means testing of the employment support allowance for some cancer patients after 12 months, extending it to two years. They also voted down the proposed 12-month limit on ESA claimants judged capable of work in the future, and rejected moves to stop young people who have never worked due to illness or disability from receiving contributory ESA.

And the national newspapers have reacted to the hat trick of government defeats.

Ministers are now facing a . And the Daily Telegraph suggested the vulnerable are being .

In , Polly Toynbee writes:
"If not these cuts, then what, the government challenged the Lords rebels yesterday? The answer is to cut almost anything else before picking on the disabled."

Employment minister Chris Grayling told the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ that ministers would seek to reverse the amendments in the Lords when they came back into the Commons.

Elsewhere in the news

(Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4's Today Programme)

(Comment is Free, The Guardian)

(Guardian)

(Opinion piece, Daily Mail)

PM gave a negative image of Tourette's, says campaigner (Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ 5live)

Stephen Hawking: defying the odds of medecine (Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News profile)

(Guardian)

(The Sun)

Amputee British soldiers battle-on in gruelling 3,000 mile Atlantic rowing race (Daily Mirror)

Funeral tribute for X Factor star Kerry McGregor (Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Scotland)

(Daily Mirror)

Around the world

(Guardian)

(The Daily Mail)

Greece disability list sparks welfare benefits row (Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News)

Writer and editor, 29-year-old, Scott Jordan Harris, spends the majority of his time in bed due to severe ME and other illnesses. Here, he writes about how his favourite pass time has also proven to be the best medicine.

On Christmas Eve, I restarted a hobby I'd neglected for too long: keeping a diary. I didn't do this because I had more free time, or a sudden slew of happy events to record, but quite the opposite. I had been struggling with my health, and feeling like my life was beginning to dribble away, and I knew from previous experience that writing a diary would help.

This doesn't mean that I use my diary to moan to myself about lost opportunities and unpleasant symptoms: again, quite the opposite.

It was the doctor charged with helping me overcome the debilitating depression inflicted by the effects of my physical illnesses who first insisted I keep a diary, making a record of the positive events in my life, however small they seemed. I owe her a debt I cannot repay.

My depression told me my existence was filthy and barren. Each day seemed empty, and indistinguishable from the one before it. I felt I had no reason to go to sleep at night and no reason to wake up in the morning. For all I achieved, I thought, I might as well not be alive at all.

After a few months of storing up the previously unrecorded richness of my life, my diary simply disproved that. I knew from re-reading the pages I'd written that I was doing interesting things - and I began to ensure I kept doing them simply to have something to write about.

The diary was better than therapy; it pushed me forward through mental pain that had been holding me back.

Doctors unaware of the realities of the lives of the chronically ill often suggest we waste what little energy we have noting down exactly how unwell we feel each day, how much we sleep and how little we do, so that they may study the results. These doctors are to be smiled at, and nodded to, and instantly ignored.

To use a diary to record the worst effects of your disability, unmitigated by all the delights of life, would be to make a monument to your own misery - and would (quite literally in my case) become what Enoch Powell wrongly said writing any diary is like: "returning to one's own vomit".

Diaries can seem outdated in the age of blogs and social media. But, while announcing what you ate for breakfast will quickly bore those who follow you on Twitter, and writing a status update detailing just how you felt about that friend or family member who annoyed you yesterday afternoon may cause them to un-friend you on Facebook, a diary makes no judgements. It allows you to be entirely honest.

I spend a large portion of my time as an editor finding pleasant ways to tell unsuccessful writers that not everyone can write publishable articles or books, any more than everyone can be a professional sprinter, opera singer or thoracic surgeon. But everyone can write a diary. And, what's more, everyone should.

My diary is founded on one basic conviction: something worth recording happens to everyone, everyday.

Because of the constraints imposed by my illnesses - the inability to get out of bed; to interact with others; to perform the tiniest task without exhaustion - my life has sometimes fallen to depths of boredom the Birdman of Alcatraz would find intolerable. But even I find something to write about each day, assuming I am well enough to type. It could be an idea I had, a news story that interested me, or simply the basic events of the last 24 hours and the emotions they inspired.

The great diarist said every writer should keep a diary, for practice. The not-so-great diarist Scott Jordan Harris says everyone with a disability should keep a diary, to remind ourselves of just how much we achieve each day, and how proud we should be of it. A diary faces backwards but it pushes you forwards; the simple act of keeping a record of your immediate past can propel you into a future you never expected to have.

Scott Jordan Harris is editor of The Spectator's arts blog and the book World Film Locations: New York. You can follow him on Twitter

Cricket star Andrew (Freddie) Flintoff talks to sporting professionals, revealing the stigma attached to discussing depression in the face of an often unforgiving public. He discovers that many suffer in silence or hide behind irresponsible behaviour, until it all becomes too much.

The film includes moving interviews with Steve Harmison, Vinnie Jones, Ricky Hatton and a host of sporting heroes.

Other Highlights

Listen - Radio 4 - You and Yours
The Chief Executive of new charity Disability Rights UK Liz Sayce talks to Peter White about why it's been established.

Listen - Radio 4 - Money Box Live
Paul Lewis and guests discuss benefits in a live phone in.

Watch - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One - Saints and Scroungers
Dominic Littlewood meets Chris, who lost his sight in a random brutal attack. Putting his life back together is no easy task, but help is at hand.

Listen - Radio 3 - Composer of the Week, Robert Schuman
Donald Macleod focuses on the disorders that plagued Schumann for much of his life.

Listen - Radio 4 - In Touch
Susannah Hancock tells of her frustration at trying to find work, and Cathy Yelf from the Macular Disease Society discusses the use of the word "blind" when describing AMD.

Watch - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News - Nicole's Legacy
The story of inspirational 21-year-old Nicole Dryburgh who wrote two books and raised tens of thousands of pounds to help young cancer sufferers before her untimely death in 2010.

Coming Soon

Watch - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four - The passions of Vaughan Williams
Musical and psychological portrait of classical composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, including the complicated relationship between him and his increasingly disabled first wife Adeline.

Responsible Reform report, code name Spartacus

This report has been put together by a group of sick and disabled people, as part of a campaign to slow the Welfare Reform bill's progress through the House of Lords.

It analyses 500 group responses to the government's official consultation on plans to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) with a new benefit called Personal Independence Payments. These unpublished responses were obtained through a series of requests made under the Freedom of Information Act.

Blogger and campaigner Sue Marsh leads the online group behind the report. She summarises its findings for :
"Overall, we found that of those who responded to the government's consultation, 74% opposed the plans. On individual issues, the opposition was stronger: 98% objected to making people wait longer before they could access financial support; 92% opposed scrapping the lowest rate of support for disabled people; and 99% objected to DLA no longer being used as a qualification for other benefits."

reports on the response of London Mayor Boris Johnson's office, such as its concerns that the reasons for changing the DLA may be solely financial.
"While some reform may be necessary and some proposals are positive in terms of simplifying the benefit and reducing bureaucracy, the Mayor is concerned that if the focus of this reform is solely efficiency-driven government, may fail to ensure that the needs of disabled people are adequately met and many will suffer additional hardship and isolation."

The report accuses the government of breaching its own code of practise, by making the DLA consultation period two weeks too short. It also questions how much the views of disabled people were taken into account throughout the consultation process.

The Responsible Reform report, code named Spartacus, was the number one trending topic on Twitter for a time on Monday under the hashtag . John Prescott, Stephen Fry and crime writer Val McDermid were among the public figures supporting the campaign to pause the Welfare Reform bill, pending further consultation with disabled people.

David Cameron's Tourette's comment

In an interview for the about his "vision for a fair Britain", David Cameron described Ed Balls' heckling during Prime Minister's Questions as being "like having someone with Tourette's permanently sitting opposite you".
It caused quite a stir among disabled readers, and the prime minister later apologised.

Nicky Clarke, a disability campaigner whose teenaged daughter has Tourette's syndrome, told the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ 5 live Breakfast show,
"comments like this compound the myths and the stereotypes surrounding people with Tourette's in Britain".

Jessica Tomm, who also has Tourette's, :
"What do you mean David? Is there something wrong with having someone with Tourette's sitting opposite you? Are you drawing on the old stereotype that anyone with Tourette's is incoherent and swears a lot? Or perhaps you mean that if Ed Balls had Tourette's what he had to say would be irrelevant?"

Apologising during an appearance on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One's Andrew Marr show, Mr Cameron said, "I was speaking off the cuff and if I offended anyone, I am very sorry,".

Stephen Hawking turns 70

The world's favourite theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking has turned 70. Diagnosed with motor neuron disease at 21 and given just two years to live, he has since baffled the medical profession and maintains a jet-set lifestyle, despite needing 24-hour nursing care and communicating at six words a minute.

Professor Hawking was unable to attend the official celebrations due to ill health, but a recording of his particularly positive birthday message was played out to the audience. In it, he urged us all to:
"be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at ... don't give up".

There is a "strong case" for allowing assisted suicide for people who are terminally ill in England and Wales a group of experts has said.

In a report released on Thursday, the Commission on Assisted Dying - set up and funded by campaigners who want to see a change in the law - described the current system as "inadequate".

Other groups, including the British Medical Association, have accused the panel of bias.

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson opposes the changes to laws relating to assisted suicide recommended in the report. Speaking on Radio 5 live's Victoria Derbyshire programme, Baroness Grey-Thompson said,
"My reall fear is that this would be a slippery slope to something much worse. already an awful lot of disabled peple are put under pressure. They're made to feel worthless in society. although disabled people aren't included in the commission's report, I do worry that a change in the law would make the next step much easier."

Elsewhere in the news
(Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4's Today Programme)

Politicians urged to seize chance to change social care (Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News)

(Civilsociety.co.uk)

(The Guardian)

(The Telegraph)

(The Guardian)

(The Telegraph)

'Sharp rise' in social care fees (Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News)

Blue badges change to fight fraud (Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News)

(The Guardian)

Listen or subscribe to the show by following this link

click this link to read a transcript
• Gill Hicks, who lost both legs above the knee in the 2005 London Bombings, talks about her approach to life as a disabled person six years on. She discusses her peace campaigning work and reveals the biggest advantage that having prosthetic limbs gives her.

• Francesca Martinez is a stand up comedian and public speaker who describes herself as wobbly. She remembers the moment when her outlook on life changed for the positive, and expresses strongly held opinions on government cuts to disability benefits and the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

• Career coach Toby Mildon has spinal muscular atrophy. He spent two months of 2010 in a coma, during which the decision was made to turn off his life support. Toby has come back more inspired than ever and hopes that his story can help others achieve their dreams in these challenging times. He provides some helpful strategies and tips for getting through the coming year.

• Mat Fraser and Liz Carr facilitate a lively discussion during this special round-table talk show, as our three guests ring in 2012 in an outrageously positive, motivational and dare we say it, inspirational fashion.

Pod Talk

The control room has never been so quiet as it was during the recording of this show. Afterwards, even guide dogs Verona and Becket had that warm and fuzzy feeling.

Each guest had such an extraordinary personal tale to tell and so many insights to share that our challenge with this episode was squeezing as much as possible into the allotted time.

It was a significant departure from our usual format so we'd love to hear what you thought of it in the comments below.

Regular service resumes in Early February, when Rob Crossan and Liz Carr will be in the hotseat.

On this special edition of the show for visually impaired people, Blind actor Ryan Kelly, who plays Jazzer in The Archers, talks to Peter White about his acting career and how he approaches the role of a sighted character.

Listen - Radio 4 - Midweek
Libby Perves speaks to Winnie and Frank Tovey. They spent sixteen years in India in the fifties and sixties, where Frank was a medical missionary. The couple were active in providing clinics to cure leprosy, surgery and physiotherapy, to restore function and treat deformity. They have written about their experiences in the book 'Cor Blimey! Where 'ave you come from?

other highlights

Listen - Radio 5 live - Tony Livesey
Is the Blue Badge too open to abuse, or are there too many disabled parking bays?

Listen - In Touch
The most recent edition of the programme discusses what the new generation of phones and smartphones can offer visually impaired people.

Watch - Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Three - Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of crisps
Donna helps Gaz in his ambition to become a Paralympian.

Listen - The World Service - Outlook
The Iranian woman blinded by acid who sought "eye for an eye" justice.

Listen - Radio 5 live - Shelagh Fogarty
Shelagh Fogarty talks about the rise in prescription charges for anti-depressants.

Listen - Radio 4 - The Afternoon Play
A blind WWI veteran, accused of murdering his wife, is defended by Norman Birkett, the most celebrated advocate of the inter-war years.

Watch - Cbeebies - Something Special
Each simple, fun and informative episode sees Justin and Mr Tumble out and about, applying signing in a variety of places relevant to a very young audience.

Coming soon

Listen - Radio 4 - Repainting Giverny
Irma Kurtz travels to Monet's Giverny garden to hear how losing his sight changed his work

Catch up with disability radio and TV programmes on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ every Wednesday on this blog.

The first film focuses on Martin Hedley, a 44-year-old unemployed singer songwriter from Weymouth in Dorset.

Martin was diagnosed with the autistic spectrum disorder 10 years ago. He has since gone on to achieve a first class honours BA degree in music design and performance and an MA in post production composing. Martin is heavily involved with volunteering in his community, and has recently created the Chapelhay Community Partnership. Martin describes the project as "a community collective for people like myself who can not access the opportunities in mainstream society, to come together to produce dance, theatre, film and multimedia, as well as exploiting the rich heritage Weymouth has to offer".

The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ South film follows Martin and his daughter Rowan, 15, as they renovate the building acquired to house this project and take a challenging trip to Glastonbury.

Martin writes for Ouch! On why he agreed to be involved in a film about the condition he calls "Asperger" and what he hopes the broadcast will achieve.

I spent 18 months setting up the Chapelhay project, using my skills and experience in engineering and building work on the venue. However, ironically during that time I became starved of the very arts/media industry with which I set the project up to engage. So I revelled in the film-making process, as it allowed me to use my creativity and record my songs, which have been included in the final edit.

I was apprehensive when first asked to take part. However, I agreed because I hoped that the film would help to show that with individually appropriate support, people with Asperger can lead full and productive lives. Without this support, the result can be loneliness, misery and sometimes the premature ending of their lives.

When the film was being made, I was beginning to feel helpless at the lack of social care in my own situation and knew I was heading for my second breakdown.

As part of the film, I was asked to make a video diary. I hoped that the process would help my daughter, partner and I to highlight issues we experience as a family. I wanted to gain a better understanding of how Asperger effects our communications. It is sometimes hard to see where the person ends and the condition begins.

As the diary progressed I realised how much I had been holding on to my tether and, due to a lack of appropriate support, how precarious my endeavours had become as the meltdown at Glastonbury shows.

Incidentally I have not seen the film at time of writing. I know when I do I will be embarrassed/deeply unsettled but I'm not the only person who feels desperate at a lack of appropriate support, so needs must!

As the producer and I worked on the concept of my case study I began to see how we could make this a bigger story, more generic to people with Asperger. I was being given an opportunity to demonstrate the complexities of our condition.

Now not only was I expressing myself artistically through the process, but also campaigning for something I am passionate about. I began to feel very empowered.

There was an edge of concern too. What effect would exposing myself and my family in this way have? I always wanted to promote my music to the media - but not necessarily my private life. However, yet again, with the aim of raising awareness, needs must!

Martin Hedley's film is available now to watch online.