Internet Accessibility Project

This looks interesting (from the Disabled People's International e-newsletter), particularly as it's focusing on cognitive rather than physical or visual impairments:

Invitation to Participate in Internet and Accessibility Project

The impact of Internet on society has been growing for more than two decades. Today, the Internet has become a dominant platform for nearly real time information exchange and electronic communication, both at high-profile level and in private (virtual) contexts. While these features contribute to an increasingly comfortable use of the Internet as a democratic communication platform, they require advanced usage skills and capabilities, not obviously mastered by all people in society.

The present study focuses on the accessibility of the Internet for people with cognitive disabilities. Unfortunately, many of today's most 'advanced' websites and Internet-based communication tools fail to meet the minimal requirements to be considered accessible for people with intellectual disabilities. For instance, interfaces are overly complex or abstract; the language is not adapted to persons with cognitive limitations; and the size of visual add-ins may not be appropriate.

If you want more information on the project "Internet Inclusive" or if you might be interested in collaborating in this study, do not hesitate to contact: Mrs. Jo Daems, Project Co-ordinator "Internet Inclusive" or Jan Dekelver, ICT Research Coordinator
Email: jo.daems@khk.be
Email: jan.dekelver@khk.be

(the issue of language being "adapted to persons with cognitive limitations" is one that i've been thinking about, if not actually coming to any conclusions on, lately... this thread on the BBC Ouch message board got me thinking about it... any thoughts on the issue would be welcome... anyway, i thought a few people in the autism blogosphere (if they even read this blog) might well be interested in this...)