Accessible PDF Design

Adobe InDesign is the industry standard for professional document layout — and for accessible PDFs, it's in a class of its own. Unlike word processors or presentation tools, InDesign gives you precise control over the structural elements that drive accessibility: tagging, reading order, heading hierarchy, alt text, and table structure. Paired with the MadeToTag plugin, complex tables can be fully structured and tagged at the source file level, before export, producing a natively accessible document built right from the start.

My work is grounded in over two decades designing exactly the kinds of publications that demand this level of rigor. My years at the World Bank and ICMA weren't spent on retail catalogs or ad campaigns — they were spent on data-dense reports, policy briefs, and research volumes packed with tables, charts, maps, and statistical annexes, written for government officials, academics, practitioners, and international development specialists. That subject-matter depth, combined with hands-on accessibility expertise, is what sets this work apart.

I offer this expertise in two ways. If your organization needs a publication designed from scratch — an annual report, white paper, or policy brief — I can deliver a polished, on-brand document that meets WCAG 2.1 AA and PDF/UA standards, no post-production remediation required. Or, if your team handles its own production, I can build accessible InDesign templates with compliance baked in at the structural level, giving your staff a reliable, repeatable foundation for every publication you produce.