Not long ago, I heard about and joined this UK-based website, DAB Photography Online – Bringing Disabled and Able-Bodied Photographers Together. I have spent some time over the last week learning to navigate the site and to post to it. At first, I though it might replicate much of what Flickr does for me. Now that I have had a chance to take a deeper look, I find an important, though subtle difference. Flickr is primarily a photo-sharing site. The groups, comments and discussions add to Flickr’s value, but it is designed to host and organize lots and lots of its members’ photos.
DAB, on the other hand, is not about hosting photos. The main focus at DAB is the discussion forums, where individual photos can be posted, discussed and dissected. All the photos posted, however, are hosted over on Flickr, on Photobucket or some other photo-sharing site. DAB has some other features, besides the forums, such as a blog service and some articles, but these are very secondary to the discussions. So far, the DAB folks have been very welcoming and shared some nice thoughts on the photos I have posted. So far as I have noticed, the level of discussion has not been too technical and the level of photography has been that of good hobbyists (not unlike me), making DAB a pleasant, rather than intimidating, meeting place for photographers of all abilities.




















The PWD is a newly formed group set up to encourage disabled people to take up the hobby of photography and to support and encourage those already involved in the hobby.
PWD has an active website http://www.photographerswithdisabilities.com here can be found an active gallery where members can display their work, it provides a forum where photographers can discuss any issue related to photography and also seek support from other members.
A display of members work can be seen within the permanent display of work by disabled artists at the Vassal Centre in Bristol, this also acts as a shop window as work can also be sold here.
The group runs regular studio days at a variety of locations within the Bristol area, here members are encouraged to develop their skills taking portraits and still life photographs, where appropriate supported by the non-disabled members of the group. Weekly Photoshop sessions are another regular feature of the group, again run within an accessible environment.
The group intends to raise funds to open an accessible studio initially in Bristol and, as the membership grows to open further studios and facilities around the country.
Although based within the Bristol area the group is open to members nationally, anyone wanting further details should contact the PWD by emailing us at info@photographerswithdisabilities.com