Accessibility for people with mental disorders
Funka, the Royal Institute of Technology and the National Association for Social and Mental Health, RSMH, have conducted a research project to find out how people with mental disorders use electronic communications. The Swedish Post and Telecom Authority funded the project.
Much is known in the field of accessibility in terms of making electronic communications accessible to people with visual, hearing, or motor impairments. For groups with cognitive or mental disorders, we know far less.
To increase the knowledge around the needs and problems that exist with regard to electronic communication for people with mental disorders, the project has been pursued in conversation form, and workshops with more than 100 participants with various mental illnesses.
The study has been conducted in so-called action research format by scientists, accessibility experts and experts on mental disorders and illnesses.
The participants from the target group have been involved in the development of methods for data collection, and have also shared their personal experiences. The participants also took part in the result analysis.
Funding: The Swedish Post and Telecom Authority
Consortium: The Swedish Royal Institute of Technology, KTH (Project lead), Funka and the National Association for Social and Mental Health, RSMS.
Time period: October 2013 - February 2014