Disability

This robot arm can be controlled by the power of your brain

A machine learning algorithm and a robot arm could help tetraplegic patients carry out more day-to-day activities.
more

Malaria drug 'shows promise' for hard-to-treat multiple sclerosis

Hydroxychloroquine, which is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, delayed the progression of disability in some MS patients.
more

Paralysed mice walk again after a single injection

The therapy, which the researchers hope to trial in humans, harnesses ‘dancing molecules’ to communicate with the body’s cells.
more

Will colourful pedestrian crossings make our streets safer?

UK councils are using colourful artwork to encourage pedestrians to use crossings. But the science isn’t black and white.
more

Paralympics: Fake Paralympians "ruined my swimming career"

British swimmer Dan Pepper hosts a new BBC documentary looking at the fake Paralympians that rocked the sporting world.
more

The unique bond between a Paralympian and their guide

Why would an athlete choose to be a guide for a Paralympian? It's not just about winning.
more

Gene therapy partially restores sight in one eye for a man who's been blind for nearly 40 years

The new treatment uses optogenetics, and combines gene engineering with technology to partially restore sight.
more

New device could allow you to control a computer with your inner ear muscle

The Earswitch device is being designed to help people with neurological conditions communicate using a computer keyboard.
more

Spina bifida: Surgery in the womb saves 32 babies from paralysis

The babies have spina bifida, a condition which prevents the spine and spinal cord developing properly.
more

Transplants of retinal cells could treat blindness

Experiments in monkeys showed that the transplants survived for three months and even started to function.
more

Adam Pearson on the lasting effect of eugenics

Co-host of the new BBC documentary Eugenics: Science’s Greatest Scandal, speaks to us about making the documentary and discovering what his life would’ve been like as a disabled man in Britain in the early 20th Century.
more

'Holy Grail' MS discovery could prevent disability using diabetes drug

Researchers have found a way to enhance the body's 'natural mechanism' for protecting nerves from damage using a common diabetes drug.
more

Glasses for the colour blind make visible a whole world of colour

Red-green colour blindness is a genetic condition, affecting genes on the X chromosome that code for light receptors in the eye.
more

Brain haemorrhage treatment halves risk of cognitive disability in premature babies

Researchers in Bristol developed the drainage, irrigation and fibrinolytic therapy technique in 1998 and it was first trialled in 2003.
more

Haptic technology uses ultrasound waves to create Braille out of thin air

A new form of haptic technology has been designed that gives blind people the sensation of reading Braille, without having to touch any surfaces.
more

Can a smart light help people to read more easily?

Can a smart light help people to read more easily?
more

Thought-controlled bionic arm with sense of touch ‘could be available in two years’

The prosthesis could be a clinically viable replacement for a lost arm, scientists have said.
more

Blind mice see again thanks to altered skin cells

The new technique could take the treatment for blindness from six months down to two weeks.
more

Exoskeleton controlled by brain signals allows disabled man to walk

The 28-year-old said taking his first steps in the suit felt like being the ‘first man on the Moon’.
more

Neanderthals weren't the strong, strapping cavepeople we imagine

Neanderthals were often ill or disabled, and many were cared for by the group.
more

What happened at Bluedot festival 2019?

Now in its fourth year, Bluedot is a staple in our festival calendar. We chat to three speakers about science, their work and the Bluedot experience.
more

World Of Warcraft and similar online games can offer a lifeline to disabled people

For millions of people – physically able or not – the virtual world gives them the toolbox they need to be all that they can be.
more

Do guide dogs know that their master is blind?

Not quite a case of the blind leading the blind, but...
more

Deep learning robots could help treat kids with autism

Deep learning to help teach autistic children how to read emotions more effectively.
more