Accessibility work often happens behind the scenes – design thinking sessions, backlog refinements, bug fixes that never make the release notes. Because that effort is invisible, it’s easy for accessibility to be misunderstood, deprioritized, or treated as a checkbox.

But when you pair data with narrative, accessibility becomes visible, meaningful, and aligned with shared goals.

This post shows how to turn metrics into meaning, and how to use AI tools to generate visuals that bring those stories to life.

Start With a Human-Centered Framework

Numbers alone don’t tell a story. A framework helps you shape data so it’s understandable across teams.

For example, Venngage’s guide to document accessibility and inclusive design lays out practical principles – from structure to visual hierarchy – that apply directly to data storytelling:

Their recommendations – clear layout, predictable structure, thoughtful visuals – are exactly what you need to turn raw numbers into narratives that resonate.

Move Beyond Pass/Fail Metrics

Standard compliance metrics – percent complete, number of errors, checklist scores – are necessary, but they rarely inspire action on their own.

People care about:

• What changed
• Why it matters
• How it impacts real users

So translate your findings into trends and experiences instead of static point-in-time numbers.

Show Impact Through Compelling Visuals

Data visualization is one of the most powerful storytelling tools we have. A strong infographic makes patterns obvious and insights memorable. This CDC infographic turns public health statistics into a human-centered story: CDC – “Disability Impacts All of Us” infographic. It doesn’t bury numbers in spreadsheets. It highlights takeaways in a way that’s easy to grasp, engaging, and shareable.

That’s the level of clarity we’re aiming for with accessibility reports.

Use AI to Generate Infographics That Communicate Meaning

You don’t need a design team to create compelling visuals. AI tools now make it surprisingly simple to turn data + narrative into engaging charts and infographics.

Here’s a practical workflow:

1. Define your message
   • What insight do you want to communicate?
   • What trend or change matters most?
   • What audience are you speaking to?
2. Write a focused promptInclude:
   • Key message
   • Data points
   • Visual style (e.g., clean, accessible, brand-aligned)
   • Text callouts (headlines, captions)
3. Use AI tools to generate visuals Some excellent options include:
   • Adobe Firefly – Custom generative visuals with professional polish
   • Gemini’s Nano Banana – Lightweight generative model great for quick visuals and icons (e.g., “create an infographic that shows a 27% drop in keyboard accessibility errors”)
   • Text-to-chart AI tools (Brave search) – Tools that convert plain language descriptions into charts

4. Refine with design best practices

   • Ensure high contrast and readable fonts
   • Add explanatory labels
   • Use whitespace intentionally

By pairing your metrics with visuals crafted in AI tools, you turn abstract data into stories people can see and remember.

Tailor the Story to Your Audience

Different roles care about different signals:

• Designers care about consistency, flow, and how usable something feels
• Engineers want trend lines, regressions, and risk profiles
• Product leaders focus on customer impact and strategic alignment
• Executives care about outcomes tied to goals

Use the same underlying data but tell slightly different stories depending on who you’re talking to. That’s how accessibility becomes part of the shared narrative.

Listen for Real Signals in Everyday Language

Accessibility barriers rarely get reported in technical terms. Users won’t say, “There’s a focus order failure.”

They’ll say things like:

• “I couldn’t find the button.”
• “Nothing happened when I pressed that.”
• “The text was too small to read.”

Capture these plain-language signals from support tickets, surveys, or research notes. They’re rich qualitative data that help explain why the numbers look the way they do.

Progress Over Perfection

Perfection is a trap. You don’t need perfect instrumentation or ideal dashboards to start telling stories.

Begin with what you have:

• A trend line
• A few key data points
• A handful of user quotes

Share it. Talk about it. Build a narrative around it.

The goal isn’t precision for its own sake. It’s clarity that motivates and aligns teams.

Accessibility Stories That Matter

Numbers are necessary. Narratives are necessary. But neither is sufficient on its own.

When you pair data with context, and context with visuals, you create meaning that people can grasp, remember, and act on. Accessibility becomes not just measurable, but meaningful – a part of how your team builds products together.

And that’s a story worth telling.

— This post was written with AI assistance —