Blogs

  • Start small: How to make websites with integrated systems accessible

    Even if your content is accessible, people can still run into problems on your site. That’s because many websites include functionality that relies on integrated systems. Without you realizing it, these systems may contain issues. If you want to make your site accessible, those systems must also be adapted. And that’s not easy. One industry that frequently faces this challenge is libraries. Gonnie Nikamp helps libraries with this. She is a digital accessibility consultant at Rijnbrink, an organization that supports libraries in Overijssel and Gelderland. Gonnie explains how libraries are working to improve the accessibility of their complex websites.

  • 15 years of working in a warm bath

    23 May 2011 was a special date for me. Not just any date, but the day I started at Swink. At the time, I could not have known that 15 years later I would have learned so much about myself, both personally and professionally.

  • How Mett ensures digital accessibility as a supplier

    Digital accessibility is mandatory for government agencies and many businesses. This makes it a must for suppliers. Mett is a prime example. This company provides project websites, participation platforms, and knowledge communities for the public sector. They have been committed to accessibility for over 10 years. Product owner Jasper Ludolph and developer Wietse Veenstra share how they got started, what challenges they’ve faced in practice, and what tips they have for other organizations.

  • From awareness to action: digital accessibility at Utrecht University

    Utrecht University (UU) considers inclusion to be important. This means you also need to be digitally accessible across all your channels, says Wouter Dielesen, senior communications advisor at UU. The university has already achieved impressive results in this area. Wouter discusses their approach, the challenges they’ve faced, and where they currently stand in terms of accessibility.

  • With my “antennae up”: this is how I find peace

    The theme of Autism Awareness Week this year is “What does peace of mind mean to you?” In my previous blog post, I explained that certain situations can quickly make me feel anxious. Fortunately, there are also things that do bring me peace of mind. I’ll talk about those in this blog post.

  • Seven types of rest that help me recover

    After writing a guest blog for Swink in 2024 and another one in 2025 as part of Autism Awareness Week, I’ve been asked to write a blog again this year. The theme is “What does peace of mind mean to me?” Good question—and a big one, too…

    • published

  • Does peace of mind even exist?

    The theme of Autism Awareness Week is “What does peace of mind mean to you?” When I think about it myself, I ask: “Peace of mind—do I ever really have that?” In this blog, I’ll take you on a journey through my mind.

  • Why the Kadaster is the “University of Digital Accessibility”

    The Kadaster (The Netherlands’ Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency) is an organisation with more than 100 public front-end systems. As a result, it faces every possible challenge in the field of accessibility. It is no coincidence that Kees Ligtelijn, online channels coordinator, refers to the Kadaster as ‘the University of Accessibility’. That is why we are looking at how they address the issue of accessibility. Together with Debby Kilic, independent digital accessibility consultant, Kees talks about their approach.

  • What the partnership with Deque means for your accessibility audit

    Swink has become a partner of Deque for the Benelux region. By combining our knowledge and experience with that of Deque, we can offer even better services. But what does that mean? One of the changes is that we will now be conducting our accessibility audits using Deque's tool: axe Auditor. Michiel shares his initial experiences, demonstrates what this tool has to offer and explains what this means for our customers.

  • This is how we make our training accessible and autism-friendly

    We train our digital accessibility specialists ourselves. This allows us to guarantee high quality and ensures that new colleagues quickly become familiar with our company. We mainly hire people with autism, which is why it is important that the training itself is also accessible. Specially for Accessibility Week, with its theme of ‘accessible education’, consultant Renate talks about this.

  • Swink and Deque establish partnership for the Benelux

    We have extraordinarily exciting news: Swink and Deque have established a partnership for the Benelux! This makes us one of Deque's first European partners. Are you wondering: what is Deque and why is this important? We are happy to explain.

  • Sunweb Group's journey towards accessibility

    Sunweb Group's mission is to offer “holidays for the many.” This means that vacations must be accessible to everyone. Digital accessibility is part of this. Sunweb Group not only wants to comply with legislation (European Accessibility Act - EAA), but also wants to be a leader in this regard within their industry. Monique van Agthoven, Head of Sustainability at Sunweb Group, talks about their approach and ambitions for digital accessibility.

  • What my running experience taught me about digital accessibility

    More and more organizations need to do “something” about accessibility. At first, this can be as intimidating as Mount Everest is for a mountaineer. Because there is a lot involved. For example, how do you get the organization on board? Accessibility is therefore a long-term process. It's like a marathon. As a marathon runner and digital accessibility researcher, I happen to have experience with both. Put on your running shoes, and I'll take you through the marathon process of accessibility.

  • How to write good alt text for images

    Blind or visually impaired people cannot see images on your site or in your document. Therefore, it is important that you provide images with alternative text. But how do you write such text? Find out here.

  • Digital accessibility trustmarks and certificates? Here's the situation

    As an organization, you have worked on digital accessibility and you want to show it! But how do you do that? Are there quality marks or certifications? And if so, what status do they have? In this blog we will discuss the meaning of trustmarks and certifications for digital accessibility.

  • Accessibility at ANWB: this is how to get it on the agenda

    Due to the European Accessibility Act, accessibility is increasingly on the agenda in the business market as well. But how does a large commercial organization go about this? ANWB has already taken the first steps. Erwin Schaapman, product owner design system digital channels at ANWB, tells about it.