WWW.DISABILITYARTSONLINE.ORG.UK
Disability Arts Online provides lots of information on the disability arts sector, for artists and art lovers. There is loads of news on the latest exhibitions, theatre productions, events and art prizes within the sector. My favourite part of the site is the artists’ blogs page, as you can find out more about the inspirations and processes that influence their work.
WWW.DO-IT.ORG.UK
This is a great resource for finding places to volunteer in the UK and overseas. You can search the website for opportunities according to your interests and skills, anything from ‘Arts and Culture’ to ‘Politics’ to ‘Legal Aid and Justice’. A friend of mine recently found an opportunity on the site for leading weaving workshops for primary school children. She usually works as a textile designer for a high street fashion chain and, while the workshops were a challenge and a big difference to her everyday life, she enjoyed working with the children.
WWW.STUMBLEUPON.COM
If you’re looking for something completely new, or you’ve just run out of websites, Stumble Upon is fantastic. You select a category then press the ‘stumble’ button to find a website on the topic, and if you don’t like the site just press ‘stumble’ again to find another one. It’s a great way to discover sites that you never knew existed and also to find information on new artists. It is slightly addictive, though, so set yourself a time limit.
WWW.THEONION.COM
Working in communications means that I have to be up-to-date with all the latest news, which can sometimes be a bit gloomy. The Onion is a really refreshing take on the news, because it’s all made up! It looks like an ordinary news website, but the stories will make you laugh. The news broadcast videos are really funny too. Sometimes the acting is so good that the stories are almost believable.
WWW.360CITIES.NET
If, like me, you don’t like rain or snow, then this is a good way to escape the weather without having to book a flight. The site has 360 degree photographs of cities all over the world, from Miami to Mumbai. If you do like snow then Reykjavik and Barrow (in Alaska) are on there too. It’s amazing to be transported to far-flung places and have the chance to ‘look around’. There is also a great birds-eye view of London, which I just about managed to find my flat on.
Amala Anyika is Communications Officer at Shape, a disability-led arts organisation working to improve access to the arts for disabled people.
e info@shapearts.org.uk
t 0845 521 3457
w http://www.shapearts.org.uk