Research on cognitive accessibility

Persons with cognitive disabilities often experience problems describing what exactly the barrier is. We know that many users find web sites, e-serices and e-commerce hard to handle, but even ticket machines, information signs and many other online systems create difficulties. This problem will likely grow when society gets more and more digitalised.

That is why Funka will focus on cognitive accessibility for the coming three years. The research project is managed by the Swedish organization of the dyslectic and the Swedish organization for children, youth and adults with intellectual disabilities and further disability organizations and funded by the Swedish Inheritance Fund Commission and the Swedish Consumer Agency. 

Funka is a partner in the project and Stefan Johansson, Funka ideologist and accessibility expert, will lead our work, which includes researching:

  • How can individuals who have great difficulties in telling what they experience as difficult yet tell us what they think is difficult?
  • How can individuals with cognitive impairments participate in development and evaluating processes? Not as test persons but as equal partners with real influence?
  • How can the demands that individuals with cognitive impairments have, be implemented in standards or as a basis for guidelines and rules?

These are the basic research questions to be addressed. The work will start with methodology studies and audits of different tools.

In the project a number of individuals with different impairments will get training and be offered to foster knowledge and experience which can make it possible for them to take place in Swedish and international standardisation work. Presently, very few persons representing this perspective is active in standardisation. One important task for the project is therefore competence raising in individuals that can be involved in improving the standards and guidelines.

Another important aim of the project is to empower and encourage people with cognitive impairments to independently contact and influence today’s suppliers that create complicated solutions. If this succeeds, the result will be a less complicated society for everyone of us.

 

Funded by: The Swedish Inheritance Fund Commission and the Swedish Consumer Agency.
Consortium: The Autism and Asperger Association in Sweden, The Swedish Dyslexia Association, The Swedish National Association for Persons with Intellectual Disability and a few other Swedish disability organizations. 
Period: 2013-2016

Project update

  • New take on cognitive accessibility research

    The important project on cognitive accessibility Funka has participated in is coming to an end. But instead of closing down, the participants have formed a new association, to continue influencing society in a direction towards cognitive accessibility.