Accessible Cookies

How do cookies and consent declarations impact digital access for people with disabilities? How can developers design solutions that ensure digital inclusion for everyone, regardless of ability?

This close-up image features a young girl with partially braided dark long hair, sitting in front of a laptop. A bowl of chocolate cookies is positioned next to the laptop. The image is focused on her hands, with the right hand interacting with the laptop keyboard, and the left hand holding a cookie with a bite taken out of it. The upper part of the girl's head is not visible as it is outside the frame of the picture. — How do accessible cookies and consent declarations impact the use of digital services for people with disabilities? Image: Freepik.

We want to raise awareness of how cookies and consent declarations impact people with disabilities. By examining the accessibility of specific elements across websites and understanding how lack of access affects users, our goal is to promote the importance of accessibility in both public and private digital services. By enhancing knowledge among decision-makers, web developers, and individuals who rely on digital aids, we aim for this project to lead to increased digital inclusion for everyone, regardless of ability.

Universally designed consent declarations

We are conducting a two-step analysis of various websites to examine the accessibility of cookies and consent declarations. The analysis will include expert evaluations and user tests with individuals who have physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities. We will publish our findings in a report and develop a checklist for website owners on the universal design of consent declarations.

The project’s target audience includes decision-makers and web developers in public and private sectors. The results will be particularly relevant for those responsible for collecting user information and managing cookies on websites and digital services.

The Funka Foundation

Together with the Funka Foundation, we are working closely with users who have disabilities, particularly those with cognitive challenges and those who rely on assistive devices.

The Funka Foundation specialises in universal design and accessibility, with a particular focus on cognitive and motor impairments. They will contribute their extensive experience from disability-related projects, along with their expertise in understanding user needs, requirements, and methodologies for user testing.

Our goal is to enable users with disabilities to independently access websites and digital services on an equal footing as other people.