Starting in 2025, companies will be legally required to adapt a large part of their content to make it accessible to blind and visually impaired people. We discussed this topic with Massimiliano “Maxim” Bonassi, Senior Graphic Designer and Accessibility Specialist at Redpoint.
There are countless things that sighted people or able-bodied people more broadly tend to take for granted. Simple actions such as reading a form or a contract, scanning it visually, immediately identifying the key sections, reviewing it, filling it in, and finally signing it. All these steps rely on abilities that are often assumed to be universal, but for many people they are not. Becoming aware of this is the first step toward understanding accessibility.
But for those who create these documents, how does their approach to work change?
Today, we step into the creative workshop of our agency to talk with “Maxim” Bonassi, Senior Graphic Designer, who together with Kiara Pagtakhan, Junior Graphic Designer, has been building experience and expertise in accessibility for several years.
Hi Maxim, how did this journey begin?
Four years ago – well before accessibility became a legal requirement as it is today a client asked us to make some contractual documents accessible.
The challenge was that, at the time, there were no professionals or institutions able to teach graphic designers and communication specialists how to approach this kind of work. So we began as self-taught practitioners, searching online for the first essential pieces of information and discovering the Istituto dei Ciechi Foundation in Milan, with whom we started a constructive dialogue and exchange.
In May 2025, we took part in the Accessibility Days in Milan, attending two dedicated workshops to strengthen the technical aspects of financial documents, explore the possibilities offered by InDesign, and optimise PDF output – ensuring the highest level of quality for our clients.
Finally, we invited a leading accessibility expert into the agency to run dedicated training courses, so that this approach and these skills could be shared across the entire team.
Why is it important today to invest in accessibility?
With the European Accessibility Act of 28 June, starting in 2025 the accessibility of digital documents will become mandatory for both private companies and public administrations. But accessibility is also closely linked to Corporate Social Responsibility: it goes beyond legal compliance and increasingly calls for concrete action.
That is why, in addition to websites and apps, it is essential that all forms and contractual documents comply with accessibility standards. This ensures compatibility with screen readers and assistive technologies, enabling blind and visually impaired people to navigate and carry out everyday digital activities independently.
Accessibility in contractual documentation is now a legal requirement and will increasingly become part of everyday agency work. In the very near future, financial statements and reports will also need to adapt. What steps should we expect, and how can organisations begin to prepare?
A smart approach could be to create an accessible report alongside the standard one-designed from scratch for blind users in which all the most important information is condensed into a format, language, and structure that can be used by everyone.
Above all, however, embracing accessibility requires curiosity and patience: seeking out the right information, creatively rethinking design, and developing new, cross-disciplinary skills. It takes study, passion, and dedication to anticipate and resolve obstacles, and to break down invisible barriers that we are not always aware of. It is a cultural shift, but also a mindset shift one that speaks directly to social sustainability.