While the Internet may reprsent an unrivalled opportunity for disabled people, dedicated websites have been few and far between. Nick Morrison meets the people behind a move which could become a template for the rest of the country.

WHILE designing websites has long been a question of business for Keith Pattison, his latest project is more of a personal venture. Along with partner David Andrews, he has created a site aiming to provide a lifeline for disabled people.

In and out of hospital ever since he was in a car crash 26 years ago, injuries to his left leg have left him with difficulty standing or sitting for any length of time, and unable to take part in any sport.

"Because I have a disability which affects my life, the discrimination I have had has made me aware of some of the problems," he says. "It is obviously much more difficult for people with more severe disabilities than I have, but people aren't aware of what it is like, and that is what has driven me - personal experience."

Keith and David, who run Net Effects from offices on Consett Business Park, approached regional development agency One NorthEast last year with the idea of setting up a website aimed specifically at disabled people, as a departure from their normal business of creating sites for companies.

"We were looking at potential opportunities and One NorthEast were talking about including a section for charities and disabilities on their website," Keith says. "I had been involved with disability sites in Yorkshire and London, and I felt that this was an opportunity to enhance One NorthEast's site."

With backing from One NorthEast, the result is now up and running. NE Ability is a gateway site, or portal, providing links to sites run by charities and disabled groups, or information on groups which do not have their own sites.

"Previously, there was no focused entry point. If you want to find out about this man and his dog who runs a charity, it can be very difficult," Keith says. "Because this is a regional portal site and it is high profile, it could be a good way in for many people."

David, who runs the commercial side of Net Effects, adds: "There are all these little pockets of charities trying to do their bit, but there was nothing embracing the whole area.

"When we told disabled groups what we were doing, the phones never stopped ringing with people saying 'About time too.' A lot of people had been looking at doing this, but we took the bull by the horns and went out and did it."

The backbone of the site is a database storing information and contact details of more than 750 charities and organisations operating in the North-East, who have all been approached to ensure they were willing to take part. Links are provided for groups with their own websites, while The Northern Echo's own CommuniGate project can put organisations without their own site online for free.

Up and running for just a few weeks, the site is developing all the time and will include news on issues affecting disabled people, including the Echo's Access All Areas column, details of forthcoming events, links to employment services and information on transport, shopping and recreation issues, amongst others.

Keith says: "The disabled community uses the Internet a lot and that is part of the ethos behind this site. It is about giving people information and making them more aware, and providing what they want, as well as giving them a bit of fun."

But David emphasises that the site is much more about telling people where they can get what they're looking for, rather than providing it directly.

"We're not experts in all these fields, we just point people in the right direction," he says. "Someone might need help or advice, or wants to buy something, and they would not know where to go, so they come to us and, while we don't have the answers, we know a few people who might."

Although it has only been up and running a few weeks, feedback even before its launch proved how welcome it was, Keith says.

"I always knew that it was necessary and it would be well-received, but I really have been taken aback by how much interest we have had, and now it is taking up 100 per cent of my time," he says.

While the site is limited to the North-East now, and is the only one of its type in the country, there are plans to expand across the rest of the UK. David and Keith are now talking to development agencies in other regions about the possibility of setting up similar sites elsewhere.

The site, also backed by the County Durham Development Company, will be officially launched by Maria Eagle, Parliamentary Under Secretary in the Department for Work and Pensions, on June 13.

David says: "This is something we have all enjoyed doing and we're really proud of it. It is a good story for the North-East."

* The NE Ability site is at www.n-e-ability.co.uk