Design Lady
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About

Hi, I’m Jerlyn.

Designer, illustrator, author, and accessibility specialist. I lead every project myself and bring in trusted specialists when the work calls for it, so it all ships as one cohesive piece.

Illustrated portrait of Jerlyn O’Donnell, smiling with arms crossed, in a blue blazer.
Illustration of a hand in a blue sleeve reaching toward a bird of paradise held in another open hand.

Where the flower comes from

A garden in Dominica, a studio in the Bronx.

I grew up in Dominica, the friendliest country in the Caribbean, where the bird of paradise grows in the gardens I remember. From junior high through high school I lived on St. Croix, and I still go back to family there; the island is part of who I am. Nobody on either island talked about accessibility. But both taught me to be curious.

As an undergrad, I took notes for Deaf students, and I wanted to know their community, not just their lectures. Years later I met Christina Mallon and watched her type on a phone on the floor with her toes. I’ve been designing for people like her ever since: people who meet the work in ways I didn’t plan for, and should never have to work around it.

The bird of paradise became my mark because it holds eight blades in one flower: eight ways people meet the work. Today I work from the Bronx, for clients well beyond it.

What I bring

Fifteen years in regulated, high-stakes design.

I’ve led experience design inside global healthcare and pharma agency networks, where a missed label can mean a missed dose. At one, embedding accessibility into development took live properties from 76% to 94% WCAG compliance. At another, moving testing into the design workflow cut remediation costs 65%.

I’ve been writing code since I was ten, so my specs speak your developers’ language, and I prototype my own tools, from browser extensions to AI-assisted apps.

Credentials

  • IAAP Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC)Verify my CPACC on Credly
  • IAAP Professional Member
  • Adobe Community Expert
  • NYC M/WBE and SBA WOSB certified firm
  • B.A., New Media Design and Imaging, Rochester Institute of Technology

Books

I also write and illustrate.

Writing on Substack

Notes from The Design Lady.

I write about accessibility, disability models and the tools I build. The three latest posts show here automatically.

Subscribe on Substack

In their words

What it’s like to work with me.

  • Her work always exceeds expectations: flawless UX, visually compelling, all while designed for optimal accessibility.

    D. C., Experiential Strategy and Sensory Design

  • Listen up when she shares her insights in a meeting, because she’s probably right, and the next guy over won’t reach the same conclusion for weeks.

    C. C., Art Director and Illustrator

  • Her tenacity for solving problems is infectious and you just want to be in the trenches with her.

    G. S., EVP, Group Creative Director

From LinkedIn recommendations. Names shortened to initials for privacy.

Let’s make something everyone can use.

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IMPORTANT ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION

INDICATION: Design Lady is indicated for organizations whose websites, documents, and campaigns must work for every person who uses them.

Do not launch if your site has images without alt text, text contrast below 4.5:1, or form fields without labels.

SIDE EFFECTS of inaccessible design may include lost customers, failed procurement reviews, and federal lawsuits (3,117 filed in 2025).

Tell your developer if you rely on an overlay widget. In 2025, 24.9% of website accessibility lawsuits targeted sites that had one installed.

Please see full Prescribing Information: the 5-minute self-audit