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[Web Review] BBC’s Ouch! — The Painless Guide to Disability

By Audris Woon

Ouch! No, that wasn’t me crying out in pain.

Ouch! is an interestingly humorous website from the BBC that presents the minutiae of everyday life from the perspective of the disabled. You can get disability news, trivia, events and happenings, or simply just discussions about everything and anything that is occurring in the disabled community. This website, started on 17 June 2002, is slowly gaining ground and support from the British community and capturing the attention of people around the world. Ouch! website

So what makes Ouch! so different from other sites offering information and support on disability? It has to be the alternative approach taken by the Ouch! team in presenting the website as more of a lifestyle magazine. Ouch! aims to be an outlet of expression for the disabled, be it their views towards society’s treatment of the disabled, the difficulties they face, the daily ups and downs of the regular columnists or even their playful mockery of the ‘normal’ people. The content of Ouch! is never dull. Instead, it is even thought-provoking most of the time, offering insights into the facets of life of the disabled.

Ouch! has 10 sections, namely News, Features, Columnists, Close Up, Weblog, Life Files, Play, Your Space, TV & Radio and Links.

The News section includes disability news and the latest groundbreaking happenings in the world of disability.

In the Features section, you will find a large selection of serious yet creative articles on subjects ranging from love and relationships through to movies and access, written from a first person perspective by disabled writers around Britain. An interesting article is ‘Arse about face?’ which talks about the frustrations of wheelchair-bound Victoria Bignell who, being at the height of most people’s butts, has difficulties communicating with others in social situations due the height difference problem.

Similarly, Ouch’s Columnists section is home to a large and varied collection of personality-led comments and observations from their regular disabled writers.

The Life Files section features the disabled engaging in various activities, covering topics that range from holidays and travel, through to food, motoring, student life and even parenting. There are also articles that tell of the DIY disasters while trying to redecorate your home and the empathy with persons who have a fear of buying clothes.

Of course, how can one not miss out the Play section where you will find all the fun stuff: quizzes, games, downloads, video clips, top tens, cartoons and funnies. Highlights include the fun quizzes and the interesting top ten lists such as Ten things never to say to a disabled person which make the site very appealing to the young and defying the image of a dull and boring site.

In addition, this site has a weblog that is packed with disability news, trivia, web happenings and more.

With such captivating and inspiring content, Ouch! certainly deserves two thumbs up for its refreshing approach towards bonding the disabled community and offering a channel for the disabled to reach out to the people around the world. Its spunky and fun image is also a plus point that makes this website appealing to each and every individual keen to take a peek into the lives of the disabled. So how can you disappoint yourself by not checking out this website? Hesitate no more and click here to venture on an Ouch! experience now!