AllyUp is created by Jake Abma, a strategic accessibility expert with 30+ years in UX, design, and front-end development, W3C invited expert, and former Accessibility Lead at ING Bank across 40+ countries.
When more than a decade ago Jake's mother got a thrombosis and had to learn everything all over again, he saw first-hand how important it is for digital products to welcome everyone by design.
That experience led Jake to build AllyUp, an AI assistant that puts 30+ years of accessibility expertise into the hands of every designer, developer, and compliance lead on your team.
“Don't just aim to pass an audit. Build a product that welcomes everyone by design. Accessibility isn't just about code, it's about people, systems, and the culture you build inside your organisation.”
Active contributor to WCAG 2.1, WCAG 2.2, and WCAG 3.0, the international standards that govern digital accessibility compliance worldwide.
Contributor to the W3C AMM Task Force. The AMM is the aligned framework for measuring and improving organizational accessibility maturity.
Recognised ambassador for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the global treaty underpinning the EAA legal framework.
Global Accessibility Lead at ING across 40+ countries. Embedded WCAG into design systems, procurement, and a 200+ member Champions Network.
From pixel-level design work to C-suite strategy, decades of understanding what makes digital products work for every human who uses them.
One of the leading voices on strategic accessibility in Europe, sharing practical guidance, EAA updates, and inclusion strategy with a global audience.
2023 – present
Shaping a long-term Design for All strategy through accessibility policies and technical implementation of inclusive solutions.
Coordinating across IT, marketing, and customer service to drive EAA improvement plans, monitor progress, and organise audits.
2024 – present
Building Allxs B.V. as a strategic accessibility consultancy and developing AllyUp as an AI tool that makes expert accessibility knowledge available to every team.
Gained deep insights into how organisations structurally embed inclusion, and used those insights to shape everything AllyUp does.
2012 – 2023 · 11 years
Global lead for digital accessibility across 40+ countries, embedding WCAG principles into design systems, procurement, and engineering culture.
Led W3C working group participation and WCAG 2.1 development. Established the 4-Level Champions framework used by 200+ team members.
2017 – present
Invited Expert in the W3C Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AG WG), contributing to WCAG 2.1, WCAG 2.2, and WCAG 3.0 development.
Also an Invited Expert in the W3C Accessible Platform Architectures (APA) Working Group since 2022, focused on accessibility APIs and assistive technology interoperability.
2016 – present
Ambassador for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), actively spreading knowledge and raising awareness of the rights of people with disabilities worldwide.
The CRPD is the global treaty underpinning the European Accessibility Act's legal framework, representing the rights of 1.3 billion people living with a disability.
