WELCOME TO ABLE HERE

Proposed changes to North Yorkshire's taxi licensing rules threaten to push drivers out of the industry, councillors have been warned.

North Yorkshire Council is revising its hackney carriage policies in a bid to increase the number of wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAV) and to meet equality legislation.

Under a draft plan, which is due to go out to consultation next year, the council is proposing to only allow new taxi registrations for WAV, electric or potentially hybrid vehicles.

However, one driver's representative warned councillors that limiting the type of vehicles they could purchase would reduce the number of WAVs in operation.

Ripon-based Richard Fieldman, who represents around 100 members of the North Yorkshire Taxi Drivers group, said: "Many drivers have already expressed that if this policy is adopted, they will simply leave the trade and seek employment elsewhere due to the constant restrictions you are putting in place."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Fieldman said the policy would result in taxi drivers being replaced by drivers from firms such as Uber who are registered outside the county.

"We are already being swamped and overtaken by a massive influx of Uber cars in North Yorkshire," he said.

"They have a distinct advantage over us regarding licensing conditions and we must be able to have equal choice of vehicle over them."

Wheelchair user Ian Lawson, chair of the North Yorkshire Disability Forum's Accessible Transport Group, addressed the council's executive on Tuesday and urged the authority to do more to increase the number of WAVs on the county's roads.

He said previous efforts by North Yorkshire's local authorities over several decades had failed to address the problem.

"From personal experience and countless conversations with other wheelchair users, I know the devastating impact of this accessibility barrier," he said.

"Medical and dental appointments are missed, as are work commitments, and lives are stifled by social isolation, all because we cannot access a basic mode of transport."

Gareth Dadd, deputy leader of the authority, said he sympathised with both the taxi drivers and those who wanted to see more WAV taxis in operation.

"It's a really hard circle to square and I don't think there is a single solution to it.

"I'm keen for this to be a very genuine, open consultation where all options are on the table to be considered."

A 12-week consultation on the plan is due to launch in January.

From BBC

As the potential for surgically installed brain implants hots up, could a new type of non-invasive wearable technology, which turns thoughts into speech, be a more simple way to support people with communication challenges? Gus Alexiou finds out.

Chris Benedict, 41, DJs at clubs and events across Santa Barbara, USA, under the name DJ of Ability.

When it comes to gigs, he has a crew to help him unload the van and get him set-up, but getting the crowd going in a loud environment can prove tricky.

Chris has cerebral palsy. His speech is impaired and he uses a motorized wheelchair.

"People often struggle with what I am trying to communicate," he says. "This is a barrier that makes daily life difficult."

At times, he finds himself going on long descriptive journeys to get his point across because he finds certain words, like "chocolate" difficult to say. "As you can imagine, this can be time-consuming, frustrating and exhausting."

Chris's frustration is a problem technology company Cognixion is hoping to solve.

The California-based venture has created a head-worn device called the Cognixion ONE which comes with a visor and looks like a virtual reality (VR) headset. It displays pre-set commands on the inside of the visor such as: "Please can I have a cup of coffee?" or "My name is Chris".

The wearer fixates on the command they want and six electrodes, attached to the headset, read the users visual cortex brainwaves and determine which command they want. Once selected, it is then voiced electronically or appears as text running across the visor.

It is different to eyegaze technology because there are no cameras or eye-tracking involved and can help reduce the fatigue some might find in holding their eyes still to keep a cursor or pointer on a single icon.

Spontaneous sentences can also be composed at a rate of about 30 words per minute. This may not be lightning fast, given that it is four times slower than broadcast speech, but the designers say it is adequate for a basic conversation and to be understood by others.

Cognixion's CEO, Andreas Forsland, says: "It's all about the power of conversation.

"Once someone can have a simple conversation, all kinds of opportunities open up. You can develop friendships, you can answer questions, you can have more independence or just go buy a coffee."

As well as human-to-human communication, the technology can integrate with Amazon Alexa to complete programmed household tasks, such as turning the lights on.

Andreas says: "Imagine someone who's unable to communicate but entirely cognitively intact. What we've had to think about is how we can help people bypass their body, bypass the meat and the nervous system and get right to the outcomes by controlling things through mental fixation."

Chris has been one of the first people to try the Cognixion ONE at its prototype stage.

"Being able to connect with those around me immediately, without any delay, makes it like I'm not locked in when I can't get the words out," he says. "And there is no guessing about what I'm trying to say. I feel truly heard."

As well as his space exploration and electric vehicles, tech tycoon Elon Musk has another side hustle - Neuralink - a company looking at the feasibility of implanting probes directly into the human brain to allow for wireless communication with devices such as phones and computers.

Musk views the meshing of brain and machine as a vital component in ensuring human supremacy over rapidly evolving AI technology and believes that one day, his pioneering brain implants will be as commonplace as owning an iPhone.

For people living with physical and communication difficulties these ambitions open up a world of possibilities such as controlling robotic limbs to driving mobility devices through the power of thought alone.

But Dr. Tom Chau, based at the Holland Bloomview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto and a specialist in communication disorders offers a word of caution. He believes there are more advantages with the wearable versions and their implantable counterparts could be a step too far.

"Implant procedures carry a risk of infection, haemorrhage, and tissue injury," he says. "There are reports of degraded signal quality over time from implanted devices and hence a subsequent surgery may be required."

In contrast, he says the wearable systems, like the one Chris is trialling, come with advantages.

"For one, users are no longer tethered to a computer display and are thus free to move through their environment."

US telecommunications giant Verizon has already spotted the Cognixion ONE's potential. It has bought the assisted reality start-up into its Forward For Good team which works with socially conscious start-ups.

It is hoped the device will be available to consumers by the end of 2025, subject to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval which, in turn, has agreed to fast-track the process.

For Chris, the technology's potential is tantalizing. Used to socialising and loud clubs, he says it has made his working life easier and made "all my interactions more enjoyable rather than a basic conversation being taxing and frustrating".

He says: "I can connect with my crowd better. Plus, it looks super cool and is something I actually want to use when I'm out and about."

Great Britain won 12 medals, including seven golds, at the 2024 World Championships in Kobe, Japan

India will host the World Para Athletics Championships for the first time next year, with the competition staged in Delhi.

World Para Athletics announced the 12th Championship will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium from 26 September to 5 October 2025.

"We are delighted to announce that the first major championships of the new Paralympic cycle towards Los Angeles 2028 will be hosted in Delhi," said Paul Fitzgerald, head of World Para Athletics.

The 2025 Championships will be the largest international Para-sport event to be held in India.

"India is one of the best examples of the growth and development of Para-athletics in the last decade," Fitzgerald added.

Over 1,000 athletes from more than 100 nations took part in the last Worlds in Kobe, Japan in May.

From BBC

Former professional darts champion Kevin Painter has thrown arrows almost every day for 40 years.

Throughout his career he thrived under pressure, playing in the most prestigious competitions and taking home more than £900,000 in prize money.

But earlier this year, he went to throw a dart and it physically would not leave his hand.

"You're in shock, I stood there for ages. I just couldn't get my arm up to let go of the dart," he said.

Kevin was suffering from dartitis, a mental condition where the brain stops a player from being able to release a dart.

Finding a cure would become the 57-year-old's latest challenge.

"[Dartitis is] in the absence of any physical trauma, it's purely psychological," said Dr Linda Duffy, professor of psychology at Middlesex University.

From 1982 to 1987 she was ranked women's world number one and also experienced dartitis.

"I used to combat it with extra practice. It was heard of back in the day, but not many people spoke about it," she said.

Dartitis can affect all players, professional or amateur.

Jack Langston, a darts referee and online content creator, was 12 when he first experienced the condition.

"There was a little pause just before I threw the dart," he said.

It was barely noticeable at first but eventually it became so bad he would take 60 seconds to throw three darts.

By the age of 13, he was forced to quit and at the time, considered his darts career to be over.

"You're turning up and getting beat by people you know you should be beating," he said.

"It's so demoralising. It's a real mental struggle."

Every case is different, and there is no one single cause, but lots of players report it comes from a fear of missing.

"It's brought on by anxiety and stress," Kevin said.

"Where others have panic attacks, for me it manifested as dartitis."

Dr Duffy says that - perhaps due to its name - players have a tendency to view dartitis as a problem unique to the sport which therefore demands unique solutions.

"It's just another cognitive disorder, so it should be treated that way," she says. "The underlying mechanisms that cause dartitis are the same things that cause any other anxiety disorder."

She recommends cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to enable the player to reframe dartitis as a challenge they need to overcome.

Kevin has been trying to conquer the condition with hypnotherapy - and CBT - taking sessions with Chris O'Connor whose company Eccleston Park Hypnotherapy is the official "hypnotherapy partner" of the Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA).

During his sessions, the patient lies on a sofa and is guided into a trance where they are then "hit with all the confidence work and the motivation work", Mr O'Connor said.

"It's all about getting them to visualise an area of their life they want to improve."

After eight sessions, it seemed Kevin's dartitis had been cured for good. But two weeks later, during a televised match at the World Senior Darts tour, the condition returned. "I was really, really disappointed," he said. "I thought it had gone."

He's now back working with Mr O'Connor on cracking the disorder long term.

The therapy Mr O'Connor offers is tailored for each person he treats, using a mixture of Solution Focused Brief Therapy, hypnosis and visualization techniques to eliminate dartitis, he said.

Mr O'Connor said: "It's results-based, with clients often noticing changes after just a few sessions.

"I work with four world champions across UFC, darts, and snooker, and seven elite PDC darts players in the world top 30. So far, I have helped over 50 clients eliminate dartitis in the last two years."

Unlike Kevin, Jack has managed to shake his dartitis and with lasting results.

In January, the 31-year-old decided to start throwing with his left hand.

"[It was] the biggest decision of my entire life playing darts," he said.

But it worked, and within three months he was winning matches at amateur tournaments.

Alongside his better performances, Jack found another benefit - he no longer needed to drink alcohol to play.

"I used to shake if I didn't have a beer I'd be so nervous," he said.

"If you'd have told me a year ago I'd play darts sober, I wouldn't have believed you."

In another bid to aid his recovery, Kevin has also started to drink less.

Despite there being no established link between drinking and dartitis, it's a sign of his determination to try everything to kick the condition.

"It's no secret everyone likes a drink when they play," he said.

"But you have to put the effort [into the treatment]. I like to go for a walk in the mornings to clear my head."

"Everyone's been very supportive," he said.

"I've spoken to so many people who have it or have had it. I wouldn't have had those conversations if I didn't get dartitis."