Recent News

David on Accessibility Directorate of Ontario’s AODA legislative update committee

Hey design thinkers! David continues his work on the committee for the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario’s legislative update on AODA and he is eager to know what you think are the top 3 ways to improve the world’s leading accessibility legislation. Take a moment to tell us your top 3 ways. 

Meanwhile, our committee has published its final recommendations for 2020. The full report will be available soon, for inspection by the public.

More about the committee:

https://www.ontario.ca/page/accessibility-legislative-reviews-committees-and-councils

Moderator, CodeFest4

David was asked to moderate the keynote panel at CodeFest4 at the University of Ottawa (Friday February 19 2016) as Chair of the Carleton Access Network.

CodeFest4 is an open event for public servants, WET contributors and collaborating organizations, for developers, designers, and communicators.

More info: http://wet-boew.github.io/codefest/index-en.html

David named Vice-Chair of IAAP, will become Chair in 2023

The International Association of Accessibility Professionals named David as their Vice-Chair earlier in 2021, in follow up to his continuing service as a member of the IAAP Global Leadership Council since 2018… David is delighted to continue to help the world’s leader in eAccessibility certification continue to grow.

The IAAP is an organization for individuals and organizations that are focused on accessibility or are in the process of building their accessibility skills and strategies. The objective of this association is to help accessibility professionals develop and advance their careers and to help organizations integrate accessibility into their products and infrastructure. The IAAP will provide a place for accessibility professionals around the world to gather, share experiences and enrich their knowledge of accessibility.

2018 announcement of David joining the Council.

David Berman podcast and vodcast guest appearances

Excited to announce David’s latest guest appearances on 3play Media’s Allied Podcast and Grype’s video podcast!

Allied Podcast: What Goes Wrong When We Design for People and Not With People? With David Berman
In this episode, Elisa sits down with speaker and consultant, David Berman, to discuss what could go wrong when we design for people instead of with people.

Listen or view transcript at https://fast.wistia.net/embed/channel/5ao7h2j1uu?wchannelid=5ao7h2j1uu&wmediaid=wnclfrg2oc or anywhere you get your podcasts

Grype Accessible Web Design Without Tradeoffs: Leaving No Member Behind Online
Your association’s members and prospective members are of all levels of ability. Use some of the standards of accessible web design for your member portal to expand your membership and access to your association’s benefits through inclusive web design.

Watch, listen, or read transcript at https://grype.ca/podcast/episode-12-web-accessiblity or wherever your get your podcasts.

David front page news in Pikestaff

The October edition of the UK government’s Pikestaff featured David’s keynote speech at PLAIN 2015 on e-accessibility as the cover story! You can view the entire piece at Pikestaff magazine October 2015.

“In a keynote speech at PLAIN 2015 – an international conference of plain-language specialists held at Dublin Castle in September – the accessibility guru David Berman said that in the last 30 years more people had been liberated by information technology than by wars and revolutions.” Actually, that would be all the wars and revolutions in human history!

Accessibility Webinars

We have been putting on a series of free webinars to help you make sure your Web presence complies with legislation regarding accessibility for people living with disabilities. With expert guidance, you can achieve this without tradeoffs for your entire audience. You’ll broaden your audience, drive down costs, and feel good doing it!

The webinars are for you to attend live… or watch after the fact:

Wednesday January 14, 2015, 2:00 pm until 3:00 pm North American Eastern Standard Time (hosted by 3PlayMedia)
Watch the January 14 2015 recording

Thursday January 15, 2015, 11:00 am until 12:00 pm North American Eastern Standard Time (hosted by the Canadian Marketing Association)
Watch the Jan. 15 2105 recording

Wednesday October 1, 2015, 2:00 pm until 3:00 pm North American Eastern Standard Time (hosted by 3PlayMedia)
Watch the Oct. 1 2015 recording

October 2015 Webinar

Thursday, October 1, 2pm ET

With recent lawsuits and updated legal requirements on the horizon, institutions are more worried than ever about complying with accessibility laws. But how do you know whether the measures you’re taking to make your content accessible are really working?

In this webinar, David Berman, the #1 rated speaker on the topic of web accessibility standards as well as an international expert in the field, will share with you the best tools his team uses when auditing and testing websites and documents. Having an excellent test regimen is a crucial part of online accessibility, and David has found the best tools to fit your workflow, platforms, and competencies… so you don’t have to! A combination of automated and manual testing will establish whether or not your website can be accessed as effectively by individuals with disabilities, and can determine whether or not you are compliant with legal standards. David will provide insight, tips, resources, and free tools for testing the accessibility of your website.

This webinar will cover:

• Why you need to test your website for accessibility
• How to build testing into your workflow
• The benefits of (and the dangers of not) testing for accessibility
• Tips for auditing, testing, and certifying
• The best free tools for accessibility testing

Video of the webinar:

David keynotes Sep 18, International PLAIN Conference, Dublin Castle

David was keynote speaker September 18 at Earth’s largest event on clarity, the 10th International PLAIN Conference in Dublin, Ireland. More about PLAIN 2015 conference 2015 .

David keynotes Aug 8 at Ontario govt. innovation showcase

David keynotes August 8 about the unique opportunity and responsibility for Ontario’s accessibility community at the Government of Ontario’s Parapan event, the Accessibility Innovation Showcase, Toronto, August 8-10, 2015. More on Accessibility Innovation Showcase.

David a member of prestigious White Pencil Award jury

D&AD White Pencil Jury

Following on the heels of speaking at Funka Accessibility Days, in Stockholm, Sweden, David was at the D&AD Awards, London, UK, April 19-23, 2015 as a member of the jury for Creativity for Good.

In harmony with his book, “Do Good Design” this award is given for creative thinking that demonstrates the power to affect real and positive change in the world.

Accessibility Webinars

David presents at free webinars on where to start to get the benefits of making your online sites and documents accessible for all… without tradeoffs.

January 14 2015: “Solving Web Accessibility: Leaving No One Behind” Host: 3Play Media More

January 15 2015: “Spotlight on Digital Accessibility for Your Marketing Campaign” Host: Canadian Marketing Association More

David speaks at RGD Web Design Accessibility Conference

David speaks about the unique opportunity and responsibility for Ontario’s design community: “Designed in Ontario: leaving no one behind online” at Web Design Accessibility Conference 2014 in Toronto, Ontario, October 8, 2014. More on Web Design Accessibility Conference.

Berman speaks in Stockholm, Sweden for Funka Accessibility Days 2015

Funka Accessibility Days 2015
On April 14th, 2015 David Berman spoke at Funka Accessibility Days, northern Europe’s largest conference on accessible ICT. The conference took place in Stockholm, Sweden, at the Elite Hotel Marina Tower. David spoke about designing for extreme users without trade-offs.

AODA / Web accessibility next course: June 29 2015 | join from anywhere!

The course on The New Standard on Accessibility: WCAG 2.0 for people with disabilities, held June 29, 2015 at OCAD University, welcomed participants from all over the province through remote participation. Materials completely covered the new standards (updated for Acrobat DC, Office 2016, and InDesign CS6) … and how to achieve them in HTML, PDF, Word, InDesign, PowerPoint, and even mobile apps. Attendees, onsite and by webinar learned David’s secrets to meet the deadlines, expand audience, improve SEO …and do the right thing. Register for the next event October 2, in Ottawa, Ontario (or bring us on-site to your location, if you prefer) to learn yourself how to design accessibly without trade-offs.  More about this course

David speaks at Design Thinkers 2013 conference

David speaks on “How to make the entire planet your client” at Design Thinkers 2013 conference in Toronto, Ontario, November 6, 2013. More on Design Thinkers 2013.

Berman Accessibility Ribbon tool’s next language to be announced this May on GAAD

Our first accessibility ribbon was announced back in 2015, at the University of Toronto, while presenting at their annual 2 day Information Technology conference in May 2015. They hosted David Berman who spoke as part of a special AODA Discussion Panel at TechKnowFile (#TKF15) on achieving accessibility without trade-offs. He announced the new Berman Accessibility Ribbon for Word in celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), and so it began…

Since then, every year we’ve announce a new ribbon language! French, Danish, Simplified Chinese… we’re taking requests for which languages are joining us for GAAD this year (it’s coming up on the third Thursday this May)!

CBC interview: July 25

David was interviewed by Hallie Cotnam on CBC Radio’s morning show on July 25, 2013 regarding “Accessible web sites” and the federal and provincial government deadlines for them. When we design for the extremes, everyone benefits.

Listen to the interview on CBC’s web site

Berman headed to Malaysia for Do Good Design tour

David headed to Malaysia on August 30, 2013 (with stops in Istanbul and Shanghai) for a string of events: Do Good speeches in Kuala Lumpur and Penang’s USM, the launch of the Code of Professional Conduct for designers in Malaysia and the book launch of the Bahasa Malaysia edition of Do Good Design! There’s pre-coverage featured in Cutout magazine.  Thank you wREGA!and  thank you Dr. Nurul!.

Ethics In Graphic Design blog: “Take The Pledge”

Eileen MacAvery Kane writes on her Ethics in graphic deisgn blog “Take the Pledge” about the recently released new edition of David’s book “Do Good Design.” Along with its release he has asked graphic designers around the world to take the pledge and:

1. Be true to their profession

2. Be true to themselves

3. Use 10% of their professional time to create a better place

“There’s a potential for 8 million hours of time from designers that can be devoted to doing good,” says Berman and he has already received over 112,540 hours in pledges. Read the entire post … or her entire blog: it rocks!

Do Good Design Q&A with Mohawk Paper

In celebration of the launch of the 2013 edition of Do Good Design, printed on 100% post-consumer paper with vegetable inks, we’re sharing with you the interview conducted by Mohawk Papers’ Allyson Van Houten regarding how we used their paper and advise to create a highly sustainable printed product. Full interview with David Berman on Do Good at the Felt & Wire blog.

English edition of Do Good Design now available as accessible eBook

2017 December 3: Happy IDPD 2017! We’re proud to announce that Do Good Design is now available as a fully-accessible eBook, in PDF/UA format. One version for all: Get your copy at our store.

The new edition of Do Good Design launched Earth Day 2013 on April 22. Updated content, better printing, 100% postconsumer papers, and a few fixes… 🙂 Thank you Nancy, Michael, Jason, Tracy and all our dedicated experts at Peachpit and Moore-Langen and Mohawk Papers, and Khadija and Cynthia and Trevor and Mo and Ben and Steven and Paul and Alan and Dad and our entire diligent team for helping produce our best book ever. Available now at Amazon and your local independent bookstore! More about Do Good Design

Do Good Design 2013 edition press release

Design Edge Canada news about 2013 Edition Earth Day launch: New ‘Do Good Design’ edition sports eco-friendly pages or download the pdf [148 kb]

David accepts chair appointment from Carleton University’s READ Initiative

Carleton University’s READ Research, Education, Accessibility and Design Initiative announced Nov 22 that David Berman will be serving a two-year appointment as chair of the Carleton Access Network, a new committee on accessible information technology.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have David Berman join the READ team as chair of our new committee on information technology and to begin our new collaboration by hosting his renowned one day workshop here at Carleton,” said Dean Mellway, acting director of the Read Initiative.

David says he’s “thrilled to be part of making Carleton the most accessible university on Earth”.

Press release: Carleton University Newsroom press release

Charlatan coverage: Coverage in Carleton University student newspaper

David headlines at AIGA Design Revival | Shaker Village, Kentucky

David shares his experience at the AIGA Design Revival 2012 conference. Every two years, AIGA invites the creative community to gather with select guest speakers for three days of creative renewal.

Imagine a design conference in a Shaker community: will David survive with no wireless signal? Oy.

More information about Design Revival 2012

Good Magazine’s “The Fact That Changed Everything: David Berman and Do Good Design”

Carren Jao writes in her Good magazine article “The Fact That Changed Everything: David Berman and Do Good Design” about the revelation David wants to share with the 2 million designers around the world.

“I was sitting with my father and talking about the idea of how social action is not optional and how to use one’s professional life to leave a legacy of goodness,” says Berman. “And we figured out that 95 percent of designers that have ever lived are alive right now.” Read the entire article … or their entire Web site: it rocks!

David speaks at agIdeas 2012, Melbourne, Australia

David presents Making The Planet Your Client: Design & Responsibility, in Melbourne, Australia, at agIdeas International Design Week, one of the World’s largest design conference, May 24 2012. The design week spans May 21 through 25. David defines sustainability by bridging environment, cultural, social, and financial outcomes in a quadruple-bottom line approach. The future of civilization is our common design project!

agIdeas 2012 Web site

David on CBS-TV news about design aiding community

After keynoting at Design Ethos 2012 in Savannah Georgia, David was interviewed by WTOC, the local CBS affiliate. Savannah College of Art and Design gathered city planners, community leaders, and urban and graphic designers from around the world as part of this remarkable conference that included a three-day “Do-ference”. They designed ways to revitalize the 22 block stretch of Savannah’s Waters Avenue.

WTOC-TV news story on the Savannah revitalization project

Davids Design Edge Blog on this project

David keynotes at SCAD’s Design Ethos 2012 conference

Design Ethos 2012 Logo

David speaks on how to make the planet your client at Savannah College of Art and Design’s Design Ethos 2012 conference  in Savannah Georgia, April 19 2012. More on Design Ethos 2012

David speaks on Web accessibility March 21 eve at EAC

David gives a passionate presentation Wednesday evening March 21, 2012 about how making your site more accessible for people with disabilities and difficulties will expand your audience, drive down costs, and feel great too! Only 10 bucks and for a good cause: the Editors’ Association of Canada!

Wednesday March 21, at Capital Hill Hotel & Suites, 88 Albert Street, Ottawa: doors open at 7pm with the presentation from 7:30 til 9. Seating is limited. More about this EAC event.

If you can’t join us, please do keep this in mind: when we design for the extremes, everyone benefits.

And thank you to Carl Stieren for making it happen!

David headlines at EXID 2012, Puebla Mexico

AODA / Web accessibility course tour continues in Ottawa October 25, Toronto…

Nine-city AODA Ontario tour on The New Standard on Accessibility: WCAG 2.0 for people with disabilities. Our courses completely cover the new standards (updated for Acrobat XI, Office 2013, and InDesign 6) … as how to achieve them in HTML, PDF, Word, InDesign, and PowerPoint …learn easy steps to meet the deadlines, expand your audience, improve your SEO … and do the right thing.  More about accessibility courses

Join us on October 25 in Ottawa or for future dates in Ottawa, Hamilton, Cornwall, Toronto (or bring us on-site if you prefer). From November 7, 2012 onward…

Made possible by our amazing hosts and sponsors: Carleton University’s READ Initiative, St. Lawrence College, Design Edge magazine, RGD Ontario.

Accessibility courses: Ottawa, New York, Toronto, Winnipeg, Boston, San Francisco, Washington

Everyone’s talking about the new Standard on Web Accessibility, Section 508, AODA and WCAG 2.0 accessibility for people with disabilities and difficulties. We’ve got two courses (and manuals) that completely cover the new standard as well as how to achieve it in HTML, PDF, Word, InDesign, and PowerPoint …learn easy steps to meet the deadlines, expand your audience, improve your SEO … and do the right thing. More about accessibility courses

Venue: Ottawa (Accessible PDF at Adobe), New York, Toronto, Winnipeg, Niagara Falls, Boston, San Francisco, Washington!

Keynoting at 4ttu 2011, Guinness – Dublin, Nov 17

TerminalFour chose David to keynote at their 2011 t44u Global User Summit, at the Guinness Storehouse brewery in Dublin, Ireland. The 2011 theme was “extending your reach”, and David spoke on the role of Web developers and designers in creating a more sustainable, accessible online world … and raised a few pints!

The new Standard On Web Accessibility | Nov 30, 2011

Everyone’s talking about the new Standard on Web Accessibility and WCAG2. We’ve got the first course (and manual) that completely covers the new standard… learn easy steps to meet the deadlines. David’s pretty passionate about this: unforgettable.
Sponsors: Tbase, RGD Ontario.
Venue for Nov 30: Adobe Ottawa.
More on accessibility courses

Biotechnology Day, 2011 IDA Congress

The IDA Congress in Taipei, Taiwan brought together three global bodies of designers to Taipei for the largest global design conference ever. David moderates on Biotechnology Day. As Sustainability Chair, he also presented the global sustainability standard at Icograda’s General Assembly.

Perfecting your Web Strategy 2.0 | Ottawa

Join David, and Jeff Braybrook from Blueprint, to start where every Web project should: not with graphic design sketches or new technologies, but rather by investing time to decide what you need to achieve, how you’ll get there, and how you’ll know when you’ve succeeded. Strategy course

Designing With A Purpose – Norway Design Council

At the invitation of The Norwegian Design Council in cooperation with GRAFILL and KHIO, David will be in Oslo, Norway on September 22, 2011 delivering the seminar Developing Your Sustainable Project Strategy: Quadruple-Bottom Line Design Thinking.

Vint Cerf on Do Good Design

Vint Cerf, Vice President at Google (and father of the Internet) sent David an email on April 18th in which he told him: “I found great resonance with your ideas. I’ve sent copies of Do Good Design to a number of friends.” (Photo by Charles Haynes)

David appointed to Pool Magazine editorial board

David has been appointed to the editorial board of Pool Magazine, Designindia’s new publication for the design community.

David’s Do Good Indonesia tour

The Do Good Indonesia starts in Jakarta May 27 2011 with a speech on social responsibility and branding, then moves on to Yogyakarta and Bali through June 5.

Libeskind selects Berman for refugee monument

World-reknowned architect Studio Daniel Libeskind selected us for the graphic design and typography for his Wheel Of Conscience monument in memory of the passengers of the M.S. St. Louis (Jan. 20 2011 unveiling, Pier 21, Halifax). More

Develop your Web & print strategy | March 30

Join David March 30, 2011 to start where every Web and print project should: not graphic design sketches, sharp writing or new technologies, but rather by investing time to decide what you want to achieve, how you’ll get there, and how you’ll know when you’ve succeeded. More | Register

Plan or Be planned | February 18, 2011

Plan for this life-changing seminar… ever wondered how David chooses what’s most important, then gets it all done? Learn his secrets Feb 18, 2011.

David keynotes at edUi in Virginia | Nov 8

Beyond Green: Sustainable design, goes beyond the environment. Join David as he launches an inspiring presentation to open the 2010 edUi Conference located in historic Charlottesville, VA. The conference theme is taking professional web development skills to the next level. David provides innovative thinking and provokes us to ask the big questions about our worldly contributions. By the end of this decade most humans will be online. What will we choose to share with them: our style addictions … or ideas the world really needs to share? We can change the world.

50,000th person downloads TimeTo

TimeTo’s now in Download.com’s top 30 PIMs. Registrants from 47 countries say it’s the world’s best (and scariest-looking!) to do list software… it could make you 20% more productive… and proceeds go to save tigers. Take 15 minutes: try TimeTo now.

David Paddles To Kingston & Toronto | Sep 28-29

David’s in Kingston, Ontario Sept 28, 2010 for the RGD Creative Business Summit. Following David’s keynote speech “Designing With a Purpose” there, he paddles on to University of Toronto for an encore presentation September 29. But why is he wearing a life jacket?

Resources for participants:
 Toronto/Kingston 2-page pdf learning guide

Aug 10 webinar | Making The Planet Your Client | David Berman, R.G.D. Ontario

In this webinar, David Berman R.G.D. presents a broad and courageous definition of sustainable design. As David says, “Sustainable design: it goes beyond the environment. 95% of the designers who have ever lived are alive today, and so it’s up to us to decide what our profession will be about. We live in a time of great fragility, yet there has never more hope, and designers have never had so much power. For the majority of humanity the Internet remains a rumour, but by the end of this decade most humans will be online. What will we choose to share with them: our style addictions or ideas the world really needs to share? We can change the world. Let me share my passion: let me tell you how. Don’t just do good design, do good! Register

segdDESIGN reviews Do Good Design

Sue Gould’s review of Do Good Design is featured in the latest issue of segdDESIGN Magazine. In it, she writes: “His selected visual examples are brilliant, many are funny, and they go way beyond they usual indictments of sexism to address the selling of cigarettes, beer, wine, clothes …” (local copy )

David headlines at HOW Conference June 7 | Denver

David headlines June 7, 2010, 9 am at the HOW Design Conference in Denver, Colorado …immediately followed by book signing of Do Good Design at the My Design Shop bookstore. (Contact us if you’d need a speaker registration discount.)

Berman Speaks At Bauhaus | TYPO Berlin

David’s presentation at the “Designing Ecologies” Lecture Series at the Bauhaus School in Dessau, Germany was a great success. On his way home, David dropped in at the TYPOBerlin Conference and Erik Spiekermann spontaneously suggested David speak! David said yes, so come hear him on The Stage Saturday, May 22 at 2pm.

Do Good Design wins place in “Design At Work” show opening May 10 in Ottawa

Do Good Design just won a spot in RGD Ontario’s “Design At Work” show, which will be on display at 350 Albert Street in Ottawa May 9-22, 2010, official opening May 10 at 6 pm. The annual “Design At Work” exhibition travels across Ontario throughout the year. Great news for the book whose story began in David’s hometown of Ottawa and whose journey continues globally! (Korean and Russian editions coming soon!)

David joins Good 50×70 jury

David has agreed to jury the 2010 Good 50X70 competition. Good 50×70 is an Italian non-profit group by designers for designers to create, submit and donate posters. The posters are made available for charities to use.

Review by influential Designboom blog

Do Good Design has been rated by the influential Designboom blog as “excellent, recommended” and described as “provocative and dramatically-illustrated.”