Disability news round up: Braille signage and autism in Ethiopia

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 the effect of reality television on the mental health of those who take part in such programmes. The Sun 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, Peter Dinklage won an Emmy 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 "improving the lives of disabled people."

Elsewhere in the news:

UK medics lead Europe's first embryonic stem cell trial (BBC News)

Dutch engineers make 'robot legs' for stroke patients (BBC News)

Virus link to ME called into question (BBC News)

Terminally ill people warned over possible benefit cut (BBC News)

Welfare cuts have been exaggerated, says Lib Dem minister (The Guardian)

Schizophrenia and epilepsy have 'strong link' (BBC News)

Learning to live with autism in Ethiopia

Wheelchair racers set new record in the Tyne Tunnel's annual spectacular (The Guardian)

Mental health and disability stigmas thrive in India (The Independent)

Innovative start-up company employs an entirely autistic workforce to test out software (Mail Online)

Sainsbury's introduces Braille signage (International Supermarket News)