‘Developing smart and accessible forms and documents’
Accessibility for everyone. Basic skills for everyone. Clear language and simple processes. It starts with a website, a form and a simple structured Word or Indesign document.
Ed Boon knows better than anyone how to help people with a disability (who are not a disability) to cope in the digital world.
Convincing organizations and companies to be aware of accessible and usable digital resources. Help for the elderly and people with a disability, but also for people with low literacy.
As an advocate of digital accessibility and ambassador of the Digital Society Alliance, I am widely deployable in the field of making digital resources accessible, but also thinking about accessibility in Public Transport, Work and Income, Advanced IT and digitalization. Whether it concerns a form (my passion), a smart accessible website and webshop or document, a low-threshold bus or tram stop or an audit. Accessibility is in my DNA. To create awareness, I can quickly switch between administrators and managers. Political-administrative experience in Consumer Consultation Public Transport and active in various theme networks of the VVD (Work and Income, Advanced IT, Mobility). In addition, I have a broad network that also includes members of the House of Representatives.
You can download my resume in pdf-UA compatible format.
What is my vision about accessibility
Since 1993 the W3C guidelines have been around but never really applied by companies because of the technical problems of software that they encountered. Now that more and more semantic CSS is possible and Javascript has been improved, it is already made easier. The new guidelines of the WCAG have now been adjusted based on this semantics. The support is now there within companies.
n websites it’s the same as with forms, user-friendliness and mobile first are my top priorities. Whether it’s a simple website for a small business or a complete portal for SMEs or larger and above all accessible to everyone, that’s my motto. Digital documents must also comply with WCAG. That’s something I’ve been doing since the beginning of my career. Accessible documents ‘by design’. To add power to my experiences, I’ve added power to my experiences with a certificate of completion ‘Creating Accessible pdf’s‘ and ‘Advanced Accessible pdf’s‘.
Since my education at the Media colleague, I have found this subject very interesting and important. I have gained experience in making websites and forms accessible for various projects and assignments. For example, in the past I made the website of the travel organization Rover accessible with the rules of Drempelvrij.nl. Their target group of public transport travelers consists partly of people with a visual impairment. But accessibility is not also for people with an auditory or motor disability. Since then I have been involved in traveler consultation within Public Transport with a focus on making the digital world and signage accessible. I also work a lot with the Oogvereniging, Stichting Voorall and Stichting IederIn, which means that I have seen the problems that visually impaired users experience together with them. Together with them I have tested various forms with the software they use.” After this initial period, designing forms and websites according to the WCAG has become a standard discipline. I am solution-oriented and pragmatic.
My experience with accessibility research started over 10 years ago. For online forms and websites I use tools like Axe, Wave, Webaim Contrastchecker, reading level testers and NVDA-access.
In addition, I have the ability to train others and can also work with digital tools for people with visual, auditory or motor disabilities. For my most recent project: Redesign of the website of the regional consumer organization for public transport, the Metrocov, I helped 3 members with a visual disability to use the website and the meeting platform and applied user experiences. I am familiar with the WCAG EM methodology.
This knowledge and experience come together in the passion to make the digital world accessible to as many users as possible. In the role of digital accessibility researcher I can use this passion and knowledge for Accessibility.
A bit of background on accessibility knowledge
Since my education at the Media Collegium in 1997, I have found this subject very interesting and important. I have gained experience in making websites and forms accessible for various projects and assignments. For example, in the past I made the website of the traveler organization Rover accessible with the rules of Drempelvrij.nl from that time. In addition to a website that was accessible for that time, an alternative text version was also developed according to the semantic structure. Their target group of public transport travelers consists partly of people with a visual impairment. Since then, I have been involved in the Travelers’ Consultation within Public Transport with the focus on making the digital world and signage accessible. I also work a lot with the Oogvereniging, Stichting Voorall and Stichting IederIn, which allowed me to see the problems that visually impaired users experience together with them. Together with them, I tested various forms with the software they use.”
After this initial period, designing forms and websites according to the WCAG has become a standard discipline. I am solution-oriented and pragmatic.
Chain between business and IT and advisor digital inclusion.
Accessibility is a game of interaction between business & IT.
Need a good game master?
Designing a form, document or website is a game of interaction with the filler and the back-end processes and brings this together in smart forms. Because, a smart accessible form, document or website needs no explanation.
Do you want a good game leader who knows the ropes in the digital and accessible world. Then contact me. Don’t wait too long because the European Accessibility Act is coming on the 28th of Juni 2025. Want to know more about the European Accessibility Act and what it can mean for your company.
Personal qualities
Kernwaarden
- responsible and approachable
- openness
- customer-oriented
- collaboration
- thinking along and process improvement
- thinking in form and structure – I recognize both the big picture and the internal coherence within issues
- getting the best out of yourself and your company and in addition I am
- proactive
- persuasiveness
- socially involved
- good organizational skills and organizational sensitivity. I can quickly empathize with the organization of the company.
Type of person*)
*) according the Myers-Briggs method
ENTP The Visionary, the inventor, the innovator (main type: creator)
But also a little bit:
INTP The Thinker, the architect, the scientist (main type: creator)
I think, therefore I am.
Social engaged
- For Rover.nl as a contact person Rover department Zoetermeer and as involved in the Mobility Theme network of the VVD.
- Active Applekring member, I was active for the Klokhuis Foundation for many years. The oldest Apple user group in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, this has come to an end on January 1, 2025, but things will be continued in a different way at the Apple Museum Netherlands i.o.
- Furthermore, I am socially involved in getting people with a labor disadvantage back into the labor process. I am politically active here to improve the employment situation for the self-employed.
Private
Married to Judith. I am sporty, love running, walking, swimming and squash. Judith, my support and confidant with whom I share joys and sorrows.