大象传媒

In the run-up to next year's Paralympic Games in London, disabled athletes and disability culture is set to become more prominent than ever before. I was born partially deaf, so I鈥檝e spent much of my life being very aware of everything deaf-related; from books to films and websites.

It's only in the last few years that I鈥檝e become more aware of different disabilities, and of news, arts and sport from a disability perspective. Here鈥檚 a few of the websites that have given me an insight into a rich and vibrant world I鈥檓 still getting to know.

Let's start with site. The broadcaster has the broadcasting rights for the 2012 games along with a great website that provides athletes鈥� video diaries, news items and inside stories. You can filter information by sport or by athlete, narrowing it down to the bits you鈥檙e interested in. There听are听also features on the history of the Paralympic Games, which is rarely covered in the mainstream press.

Additionally, the 大象传媒 has an which will also help you find out who the key individuals are in the run up to 2012.

With blogs, opinion pieces, disability news and message boards, the 大象传媒鈥檚 Ouch!听blog has covered disability with humour, honesty and a fresh perspective ever since editor Damon Rose thought of the name for the site while taking a shower!

Regular columnists have their own unique take on disabled life, while the highlight of the site is the award-winning podcast, which is presented by comedian听Liz Carr, and regularly manages to pull off the trick of being hilarious and informative at the same time.

There are two other disability sites I really enjoy. website has a range of sections for all tastes, covering a wide range of areas including travel, the arts and even motoring. There are听some great columnists - look out for opinion pieces by Lorraine Hershon and Jane Muir in particular.

, meanwhile, is the website for Scope鈥檚 magazine, with news items, features and content from the magazine, balancing a focus on lifestyle with a strong sense of disability politics. I really enjoy the readers鈥� letters - which give a real insight into their views.

For people who are visually impaired, the 大象传媒鈥檚 In Touch site features 鈥渘ews views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted,鈥� catering for people who would benefit from listening to programmes.

Another area of disability that has come to the fore in recent years is disability arts, with many artists across different media going on to achieve international renown.

features reviews of plays, films, music and exhibitions by disabled artists. There are听also artist profiles and blogs (I enjoyed posts by Penny Pepper and Jon Adams), news, listings and an opportunity section that can help you get involved yourself!

Most importantly, the site gives you an idea of the newest work, with an insight into the thinking behind it. Sign up for their monthly newsletter to keep fully up to date.

If it鈥檚 theatre you鈥檙e interested in, are perhaps the best known disability theatre company, having worked with a range of disabled actors, writers and directors on a range of high-profile productions since they were founded in 1980.

Another prominent company is , a touring theatre company focusing on actors with learning disabilities. Then there鈥檚 , who produce plays presented in BSL (British Sign Language) and English, from a deaf cultural perspective. With all three companies, their sites help you find out about their current productions and where to see them (with performances in London and across the country) as well as the training, support and opportunities they offer.

I hope the sites I鈥檝e mentioned here give you a great start in finding out all about disability and particularly about disability sport before the Paralympics. Most of the sites also have a range of further links to other sites with even more information! So have a browse and explore a whole new world.

Charlie is a journalist and scriptwriter specialising in articles and films featuring deaf culture and sign language. He has written for the Guardian online and has contributed to programmes for Radio 4, while his films have won international awards. He also works in the arts, helping to make theatre accessible for deaf people.