Funka
Funka was started in the 1990s as a joint, non-profit initiative among all disability organisations in Sweden. The knowledge, staff and technology of the non profit was turned into a privately owned company in 2000. Today, Funka are market leaders in the field of accessibility and enjoy a close relationship to end user organisations, which ensures a unique level of quality control in every delivery, covering research, studies and consultancy.
Key staff contributing to the Buddy project:
Susanna Laurin is the Chief Research and Innovation Officer at Funka and CPACC cerified through IAAP. Based in Stockholm, she leads the research and innovation department and oversees all ongoing proposals and projects. She has a long experience of accessibility work at strategic level and a background in consultancies owned by the disability organisations. Her expertise in web accessibility ranges from analysis, user testing and methodology work to education and standardisation. Susanna is currently assigned by the European Commission in the review of the Web Accessibility directive as well as a large study on cognitive accessibility.
José Angel Martinez Usero, PhD, is Responsible for European Projects at Funka. Based in Madrid, he has extensive experience as project coordinator of EU projects and several major European Studies on the fields of eGovernment, eInclusion and AHA (Active and Healthy Ageing). After finalising his PhD on interoperability of eGoverment services (2005), Jose started a more consolidated career combining work for consultancies and teaching at several universities, specialising in web accessibility and coordinating several research projects and studies, as well as organising international events in cooperation with key stakeholders.
Jon Matthew Switters has over 15 years of experience in project management. Based in Malaga, he has specialised on European research and innovation projects in the field of accessibility, digital governance, active and healthy ageing and open science. He has extensive experience working on coordination and support actions dissemination activities, actively participating in the PROEIPAHA and WE4AHA CSAs providing coordination and support services to the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA).
