David Berman Communications

David Berman has over 30 years of experience in design and communications and has worked extensively in e-accessibility and inclusive interface design.

As an author (Do Good Design [Peachpit/Pearson, 2009, 2013]), expert speaker, designer, communications strategist, his professional work has brought him to over 50 countries.

In 2019, David and his team were hired by both the Government of Canada and by a coalition of Canada’s top accessibility organizations to advise on the content of the Accessible Canada Act, as well as to provide advice on policies that will inform the regulations to come.

In 2017, David was named to the AODA Standards Committee by the Government of Ontario, to help improve Ontario’s world-beating accessibility legislation.

David is an Invited Expert to the W3C, the publisher of the WCAG standard for e-accessibility.

David Berman is one of the few hundred people worldwide to hold all of the CPWA, WAS, ADS, and CPACC certifications (in fact, he was the first person in Canada to sit for these examinations), the World’s highest certification for accessibility professionals, issued by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals. IAAP is a division of G3ICT.

In 2021, David was named Vice-Chair of IAAP’s Global Council.

In 2015, he was made an International Advisor by the G3ICT, fitting with his work helping advise governments on four continents on establishing inclusive design policy.

In 2015, he was named International Universal Design Champion for the Government of Ireland.

In 2012, David was appointed chair of the Carleton Access Network at Carleton University.

In 2009 and 2011, David was a judge for the Bubu Awards in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

In 2009, David was appointed a high-level advisor to the United Nations on how accessible Web design thinking can help fulfill the Millennium Development Goals.

His clients include Manulife, People Corporation Inc., Canadian Marketing Association, BMO, IBM, Honda, the International Space Station, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the World Bank, Sierra Club, Tiger Conservation via WWF Canada, APA, McGraw-Hill, Pearson Educational Inc., Via Rail, Loblaw Companies Limited, Ipsos, City of Vancouver, FEMA, Tigercat, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Statistics Canada, University of Ottawa, LCBO, Kenyon College, Shoppers Drug Mart, MSX International, Ernst & Young LLP, Howard Hughes Medical Institutes, Canadian Museum of Nature, OC Transpo, Iowa State University, City of Ottawa, Museum of Nature, Norwegian Design Council, Legal Services Law Line of Vermont, The Conference Board of Canada, Sheridan College, National Research Council, Accessibility Directorate of Ontario, Corus Entertainment Inc., Dutch Bros. 

Coffee, United Health Group, Kleimann, Plain Language Association, Information Technology Authority Sultanate Of Oman, National Disability Authority, Center for Plain Language, WHO, EKOS, and the Aga Khan Foundation. David’s work includes award-winning projects in the application of plain language, typeface design, and the development of a system to republish the laws of Canada in plain writing and design.

Since 1984, David has worked to establish a code of ethics that embraces social responsibility for certified graphic designers throughout Canada. The Society of Graphic Designers of Canada ratified his draft nationally in May 2000. He served as the first elected president of the Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario, North America’s first accredited graphic design organization, from 1997 to 1999. He drafted the association’s constitution and Rules of Professional Conduct and authored Ontario’s accreditation examination section on ethics and professional responsibility. He has served as the national Ethics Chair for graphic design in Canada since 2002. David also served on Axel Lebois’s committee to develop the ICT4IAL Accessibility Guidelines.

In November 2005, David was elected to the board of Icograda (now ico-D) the world body for graphic design and visual communications and was re-elected to a second term in 2007, and a third term in 2009. Since 2011 he serves as Sustainability Chair.