have you thought about what your life would be like if you are no longer able to play live? i would be really, really sorry to not be able to do it anymore but i think that the decision that i'm making with how i'm approaching my career here is to really carve a way of life that allows me to keep playing live. totally intend to continue, butjust at a slightly different pace now. colin paterson, bbc news. cheering and applause. after 17 years at radio 1, annie mac has presented herfinal show on the station. the last 17 years have been the most amazing, magical experience and, yeah, thank you so much for listening. the dj and broadcasterjoined radio 1 as an assistant producer before

hosting her first show in 200a. she's previously said one of the reasons she's leaving the station is to spend more time with herfamily. now it's time for a look at the weather. hello, there. we saw some disruption across england and wales from storm evert, which brought very strong winds for the time of year and also some hefty downpours. this weekend is looking better. there will still be some showers around, but we should see some sunshine around, lighter winds, but it will feel on the cool side. that's because we've got northerly winds blowing down across the country, certainly across the northern half of the country through today, whereas further south the wind will be coming in from a westerly direction. nowhere is immune to shower, but i think most of them will be across eastern scotland, north—east england and parts of central, southern england and wales — the odd heavy, thundery one mixed in there too. winds will be lighter across the south and it could be a little bit warmer than yesterday at 21 to 22 degrees, but a cooler feel to things across the north. that's because this weather front sinking southwards will be introducing some slightly fresher

air right across the country, so for sunday it looks again like a mixture of variable cloud, sunny spells and a few showers. most of the showers across southern parts of the uk, with the odd heavier one. temperatures 20, maybe 21 degrees. feeling cool in the north. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: ahead of the women's 100 metres final this hour — heartbreak for team gb�*s dina asher—smith, who failed to qualify. she's now been forced to pull out of the 200 metres due to a hamstring injury. but there was gold — and a world record — for team gb in the 4—by—100 metres mixed medley relay. and another gold in the mixed triathlon. gunfire. afghan security forces are battling to defend three key cities from advances by the taliban. reports say militants have breached front lines in herat.

medical experts are warning that an oxygen monitoring device, called an oximeter, works less well for people with darker skin tones. bbc news understands the government is no longer considering making it compulsory for students to be fully vaccinate to attend lectures in england. more on all those stories later. now on bbc news, ahead of the paralympics injapan, the bbc�*s disability correspondent introduces us to five people who have experienced important moments in the history of disability. hello, i'm nikki fox. thanks forjoining me at the queen elizabeth olympic park here in london ahead of the summer 2020 paralympic games. in this special edition of witness history, we're looking back at some important moments in the recent history of disability and sport.

coming up: a medallist who competed at the first paralympic games. we'll hear about the special olympics for those with learning disabilities. away from sport, we'll find out why students at america's deaf only university shut down their campus. plus, we'll hear about the specially designed car for disabled people that was both terrifying and exhilarating. but first, when sports enthusiast van phillips lost his leg during an accident, he became immediately frustrated by the clumsy prosthetics on offer. determined to run again, he went on to invent the first carbon graphite prosthetic running leg in 1984. it has since simply become known as �*the blade'. when you lose a body part, it's different from any other experience because it's gone. it'sjust gone.

that was the hardest part, knowing that it was irreversible. i had my accident in the spring of 1976, and i was 21, and winter had just broke and it was now time for spring water skiing. i'd just taken a big cut to the left and the boat quit. so then all of a sudden over my right shoulder, i turn around and another boat came right at me and so the odds are that my ankle's that wide, that's what it hit, the propeller. had i not had a wet suit on, i would have bled out, there was just no way — major arteries were cut. but my knee was bent, the wet suit was tight. itjust stopped the blood flow. they put a cast on your stump and then on the bottom was a pink rubber foot and so i'm sitting there looking at my pink foot and you just feel like your life is gone.

archive: their artificial limb, especially if it's a leg, - is the most important thing in their life. they ought to get, and it seems that now one day they will get, the very best that modern technological skills can provide. the question is when. ijust knew intuitively that there was a better way. just years, several years prior, theyjust put man on the moon. so my early attempts at creating something that would spring and push off was — you know those little insoles you put on the side of your shoe? well, that was my first concept — let's build one of those and those early ones were actually, they weren't too bad, i had a little block of foam on the toe and the heel but then i got really blessed. i met a man called dale abildskov. dale was one of the world's leading aerospace graphite engineers. that night we drew up the drawing of what the leg was to look like and within two, maybe three weeks, i built a leg

and i attached it to my socket. iran down his condominium hallway, i mean fast. that was freedom. that was, that was real inner freedom. i probably built 50, maybe 60 more legs, different types, different arrangements. broke �*em, fell down. till we finally launched our first foot. the first carbon graphite energy—storing prosthesis ever. so if you look at the structure, it's millions of tiny little hair—like fibres, and those fibres stretch, just like our tendons do, and so that energy can be stored in those fibres and that's how we came up with the c—shaped cheetah foot. my foundation's name is called second wind. i'm involved in developing a foot for landmine survivors.

and they have to go to work. you know, they're labourers, they're planting fields, they don't have the luxury of sitting down. for asia, a lot of people work in rice patties. you can't wear a standard foot in water, they rot. in afghanistan, iraq, they're on rocky hillsides, going up and down mountains. we built a design that has increased function, decreased weight and increased strength. the foot has to be able to endure all kinds of different climates. we're calling it the world foot. world foot for all countries, for all peoples everywhere. and when i think of all the amputees in the world that i can actually share that, there was never a greater joy than that for me. van phillips on the invention which revolutionised parasports. our next witness was a bit of a pioneer herself.

in 1960, margaret maughan surprised even herself when she became a gold—medallist at the first paralympic games in rome. but it all started at a british hospital. in 1959, i was working in malawi, involved in a car accident, when i became paralysed and was brought to stoke mandeville hospital in england and from then my life changed dramatically. the director of the unit was ludwig guttmann and his idea was movement. people just not allowed to lie there, becoming ill and miserable. | archive: it's paralysis that keeps| the 200 contestants in wheelchairs, but it can't prevent them from being sportsmen. itjust worked out happened that i happened to be quite good at archery and i used to win

the monthly competition quite often. in 1960 i was very lucky and very surprised to be invited to be in the team to go to the very first international sports event for wheelchair people in rome. archive: visitors to the vatican where 350 paralysed people - who have competed over there in what they called the paralympic games. the olympics had just taken place and we were going to stay in the olympic village in the same accommodation. to our horror when we arrived on the ground, all the buildings were up on stilts. whenever we went in or out and a building, these two soldiers would carry us up two flights of stairs and down two flights of stairs.

it was a very tedious business. during the whole of the games, there was such a togetherness. everybody making new friends, it was great camaraderie and we just supported each other. archery was one of the first competitions to begin. we would shoot six arrows each. and then a little army of people, one for each target, would rush up to the target and collect the arrows and the same thing happened again. i had no idea what my score was, and then i was allowed to go off and watch other people doing different events. we were put on the coaches ready to go back to the village. somebody said, "where's

margaret maughan? we need her, she's needed for a medal ceremony." so they had to then proceed to lift me out of the coach, put me back into a wheelchair and i was wheeled up a little ramp onto the leading position and presented with the gold medal. i wasn't really very excited about it, it had just happened. everything was so bewildering. it's now known as the first medal won by a british person at the first paralympic games. i myself managed to take apart in five paralympics over the years. it's just a marvellous experience, the whole thing. margaret maughan, britain's first paralympic gold—medallist, who sadly died in 2020. up next, a sporting moment

which helped change attitudes. in 1968, the first games for athletes with learning disabilities was held. they were promoted by america's famous political family the kennedys, one of whom had a learning disability. witness history spoke to organiser anne burke and to athlete frank 0livo about a time when people like him were often feared or ignored. i was a teacher in the chicago park district in 1965 teaching physical education. teaching skills to special athletes like frank, and frank was in the very beginning of the programme. i was 20 when i was in the special olympics. i had spinal meningitis. it made me slow. back in the early �*60s, there was no activities and no schooling for people with disabilities, or they were in institutions at the time.

i tried to get on with everybody on the block and theyjust looked and laughed. i wrote to mrs eunice kennedy shriver and asked her if she would donate some money to put on the first special games. she was very excited. i wrote a proposal to her and the kennedy foundation helped fund it. right here at soldier field, we put on the first games. there were 1,000 athletes. in ancient rome, the gladiators went into the arena with these _ words on their lips, _ "let me win, but if i cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." today, all of you young . athletes are in the arena. many of you will win, - but even more important, i know you will be brave and bring

credit to your parents _ and to your countries. let us begin the olympics. thank you. applause. volunteers were needed for almost every individual athlete. this was new for even the volunteers to have even an opportunity to meet first—hand a special child or an adult. reporter: there are seven basic events: running, jumping, - throwing and swimming. my coach came and told me i am in the 50—yard dash. i was excited but kind of nervous. the 50—yard dash, shortest yet severest test of speed - in the special olympics competition. it was hard at first, when they raised the gun and said, "on your marks, get set, bang".

i didn't know if i was going to take off, but i took off! we were all kind of fast runners. i came pretty close to the nose. reporter: only two tenths of. a second separates first and third. i was catching my breath, and my coach, he said "you won first place!" and i said, "thank god!" seeing 1,000 athletes on the field, showing off their skills and actually thrilled to be able tojust be there. winning wasn't the goal, it was crossing the finish line. i felt proud of myself —

other people always put me down, saying, "you won't amount to nothing", and they say now, "he does amount to something, he's special!" anne burke and frank 0livo, who sadly died in 2019. remember, you can watch witness history every month on the bbc news channel, or you can catch up on all our films alongside more than 2,000 radio programmes on our online archive. just go to bbc.co.uk/witnesshistory. now to the 1980s, and a protest which made the national news in america. in 1988, students at the deaf—only gallaudet university barricaded their campus, protesting their board of trustees�* decision to appoint a hearing president. witness history spoke

to dr irving king jordan. it's important to know that i am totally deaf — i can't hear a jet engine, i can't hear anything. right now i'm working with a sign language interpreter, sarah, who's sitting front of me next to the camera, so instead of hearing your questions, i am seeing sarah's signs. newsreader: gallaudet college has i been the centre of deaf education | in america since 1847. in 1987 the president at that time stepped down. right away there was a push for the board to recognise that the next president should be a deaf individual. so they narrowed it down to three finalists. two of us were deaf and one was hearing. i have a lot to bring to the university but i also have a lot to learn from it, and that process must

start right away. the board of trustees voted to name elisabeth zinser the seventh president of gallaudet. dr zinser had a lot of experience but she didn't know anything about deafness. and that's when i guess you could say the protests started. someone had the bright idea to bring buses to block the gates. the rallying cry was "we want a deaf president now! chanting: deaf president now! we want a deaf president! one of the posters out front said "honk if you support a deaf prez", and of course everybody drove past, saw that sign, honked. honking.

then the press started to come, and for a week it was the front page of the washington post. are the students prepared to continue blocking the entrance as long as the board refuses to meet your demands? "we give up our soul in order to get a deaf president". - the chair of the board was jane bassett spilman. and she came to campus and called a meeting. she wanted to talk and explain her decision. woman: are you going to resign? crosstalk and chanting. she used the word "children", said "you children are making too much noise, i can't communicate if you make so much noise." but using the word children to college students? ooh, that was not good. when dr zinser realised

the intensity of the feelings and the sense of the campus, she decided to step down. cheering and applause. the board discussed and decided to name me president. there is one person i want to single out for very special thanks. applause. my wife linda. applause. right now i am getting emotional, so i have to stop. at gallaudet, people who are deaf must have unlimited educational and professional opportunity. i was delighted with the speech, i was delighted. dr irving king jordan, the first deaf president

of gallaudet university. finally to britain, just after the second world war, when the government began providing free vehicles, specially designed for disabled people. colin powell tells witness history about his love—hate relationship with the invacar he received in the 1960s. it's very much a result of the war veterans coming back disabled from the second world war. it became apparent to the government that they needed some form of transportation. newsreel: all have motor invalid chairs and many of them go out i in them every day to work in nearby factories along the great west road. the government came up with designing what we would best describe in those days as being an "invalid carriage". but then they got the brand name, which was the brand name of the manufacturer, they became the invacar.

all were hand controlled, in other words if you take the three petals in a normal vehicle, the clutch, the accelerator, the foot brakes, they were all incorporated to be only operated by hands. i am a victim of polio and have always suffered a restricted mobility. i was 16 when i first got my invalid carriage. the excitement of this vehicle coming into your possession after years of being dependent on, in my case, my parents, to take me anywhere, was an absolute delight and thrill. it gave you the feeling of somehow levelling out the playing field of the limitations put upon you by your disability. it took me to college, when i was a student, it took me to my firstjob, but when we look at it objectively we can see a lot wasn't right with it as well.

reporter: 8596 of disabled people using this vehicle have said to havej complained about its unpredictable behaviour on the road. they were not reliable, they were unstable, they were fundamentally unsafe. the fact that it was a single seater meant in your formulative teenage and 20s years, it was a very anti—social method of transport, because you know, when you started to form friendships with girls and what have you, i was a bit of a rebel, i can't say with my hand on my heart that i didn't sneak a young lady in my car on more than one occasion. she'd sit where the wheelchair, she'd sit, on the floor, very uncomfortable, totally no padding, no seat belt, totally unsafe. reporter: the campaign to get| invalids onto four wheels instead of three switched in october to tower bridge. i did take part in a protest against these vehicles. we were looking for the government to consider issuing a regular,

adapted ordinary cars. eventually the protest got so heated that the government allowed this scheme to allow the provision of a regular car adapted for disabled persons. this triumph spitfire is the first sports car to be converted and cost £115 to switch to hand operation. most things you find in the disability world are never designed by a disabled person. they'd be decided by someone who thinks they know what a disabled person needs. i might be disabled but i'm a human being, i'm as normal as anyone else. it's just that i have additional challenges in my life that the mass—market motoring could have accommodated from day one. colin powell there talking about the invacar. that's all from this special edition of witness history, from the queen elizabeth olympic park here in london. we will be back soon with more

extraordinary stories from the past. but for now from me and the rest of the witness history team, it's goodbye. hello, there. storm evert yesterday brought some damage and disruption across southern parts of the country. it brought almost autumnal weather rather than mid—summer weather to our shores. this weekend, though, it's looking a bit better. it's going to be a little bit quieter. we'll have sunshine and showers in the forecast, but it will remain on the cool side for the time of year. that's because we've got northerly winds running down across the uk. that area of low is what was storm evert. we've got showers in the forecast, mainly across england and wales through the day. some showers also across eastern scotland, north—east england. this will tend to turn heavier into the afternoon, but it's part of wales, the midlands, southern england which will see

the heaviest of the showers. hitand miss. some places will stay dry. we could see quite a bit of dry weather for scotland and northern ireland, albeit rather cloudy. the winds are going to be lighter today than what they were yesterday, particularly across england and wales. it's not going to feel particularly warm for the time of year, particularly across the north of the country, 15 to 19 degrees here, but we could make 21 or 22 across the south—east. the winds will be lighter and, given the sunshine is pretty strong this time of year, it shouldn't feel too bad. as we head through this evening and overnight, most of the showers die away, but a few will linger here and there. most places will be dry, variable cloud and clear spells. temperatures in double figures for england and wales, but some chillier spots across scotland and northern ireland. so into sunday, we've got this very weak weather front spreading south across the country. that's going to introduce the cooler air. maybe a bit more cloud for england and wales as we head on into the afternoon. so it's going to be one of sunshine and showers again. most of them for england and wales closer to that weather front. again, into the afternoon, it could turn out to be heavy and thundery in places.

the odd shower, as well, for the north and east of scotland. we will hold on to a bit more breeze here. otherwise, the winds will be light so any showers will tend to be fairly slow moving. so that cooler air will push its way southwards, so i think highs of 20, maybe 21 degrees in the south, around the mid to upper—teens celsius further north. as we head on into the start of next week, this bump, this ridge of high pressure noses in from the south—west. that will settle things down a bit. there will still be a few showers around, but a more active jet stream later in the week will fire low pressure systems towards our shores. so the general thinking is next week we start off generally fine and settled with some sunshine before it turns a lot more unsettled towards the end of the week.

this is bbc news — with the latest headlines: in the last few minutes, jamaica's elaine thompson—herah has won the women's 100 metres final in tokyo. earlier, there was heartache for team gb sprinter dina asher—smith — who had to withdraw from the games through injury. before that, there was gold and a world record for team gb in the 4x100 metres mixed medley final. team work makes the dream work — another gold in the triathlon mixed relay event, and the first gold medal forjonny brownlee at his third olympic games. afghan security forces are battling to defend three key cities from advances by the taliban — reports say militants have breached front lines in herat.