Premier League footballer wins discrimination case

 

Premier League footballer Jonas Gutierrez has won his discrimination case against former employers Newcastle United with a tribunal finding that they knowingly froze him out of the club following a cancer diagnosis.

Gutierrez claimed that after he received the terrible news, the club actively sought to offload him and then prevent him from playing the required number of games to trigger a contract renewal. The club were found to have discriminated against Gutierrez on the grounds of his condition, which in the eyes of law qualified him as disabled.

Citing Gutierrez as a credible and reliable witness, the ruling said the club had acted illegally, with a pending decision regarding compensation.

 

Paralysed man able to play guitar after pioneering treatment

 

In better news, in a world first a quadriplegic man can once again move his fingers after a chip was implanted in his brain. Ian Burkhart can now even move some of his fingers allowing him to play the Guitar Hero computer game.

The chip, which reads his brain signals,which are interpreted by a computer, stimulate muscles and restores some movement. It’s hoped that similar technology can be used to help thousands of other people with similar conditions or who have suffered strokes or brain damage.

 

Mr Burkhart is currently celebrating the ‘big shock’ that has allowed him to move his hands again after undergoing the procedure at Ohio State University. He described the seven hour testing period as ‘completely mentally fatiguing and exhausting’. Adding: ‘You really have to break down each part of that motion and think about it in a more concentrated way. For the first 19 years of my life it was something I definitely took for granted.’

This is one of several developments in recent years that have given hope to people who have suffered from paralysis and we can only hope that further breakthroughs continue to improve the odds for those in these situations.

Along with legislation to help disabled people find work, and stay safe in the workplace (with lifts and emergency safety equipment like evac chairs now a legal requirement) there is a better future ahead for people living with a disability in the UK.