Korea Backs Monopoly for Blind Masseurs

Government opens profession to sighted

(NEWSER) - Blind masseurs in South Korea are protesting what they see as the end of a way of life—and their livelihood, CNN reports. Police arrested 26 yesterday who gathered on a bridge and threatened to jump because the government is for the first time allowing sighted people to become licensed masseurs. Two actually did jump, but neither were injured. The massage profession had been restricted to the legally blind since 1963. More»

(NEWSER) - The London woman banished to the Abercrombie & Fitch stockroom because of her prosthetic arm has been awarded more $13,000 by an employment tribunal, the BBC reports. Riam Dean wore a cardigan to cover the joint between her prosthesis and her body, but the sweater clashed with the retailer’s “look policy.” The tribunal found that policy a violation of employment law, but did not find discrimination. More»

(NEWSER) - Muslims consider canines unclean, which was a problem for a blind Muslim woman who wanted a guide dog. So she got a guide horse. Mona Ramouni of suburban Detroit is getting used to 3-year-old miniature horse Cali—“this is a really awesome little horse,” she told the AP—but it’s not a relationship to be taken lightly. “Taking on a horse as a guide is a huge commitment,” Cali’s trainer said. More»

Some suspect animal owners of abusing of special privileges

(NEWSER) - Miniature horses trek through supermarkets and monkeys queue up at restaurant buffets these days—all to guide the blind, the disabled, and the anxiety-ridden, Rebecca Skloot writes in the New York Times Magazine. But the increasing prevalence of wild and farm service animals among the civilized is reigniting the debate over accommodations for those with special needs. More»

PM's damaged vision may be getting worse, friends worry

(NEWSER) - If Gordon Brown promises not to turn a blind eye to the financial crisis, he could mean that literally—the British prime minister lost the sight in one of his eyes in a rugby accident as a teenager. But now advisers are worried that Brown could lose the already-diminishing sight in his "good" eye, reports the Telegraph. More»