Microsoft PowerPoint

Best Practices for Accessible PowerPoints

Overview

This guide will give you an overview for making PowerPoints accessible.  The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services provides a detailed PowerPoint Document 508 Checklist Links to an external site..

Microsoft Office

Make Your PowerPoint Presentations Accessible Links to an external site.

This site provides step-by-step guides for every PowerPoint accessibility best practice for Windows, Mac, and Android operating systems.

WebAIM

 PowerPoint Accessibility Links to an external site.

This site gives examples of best practices and guides for the processes.

 

Best Practices

Exercise File:  Download Creating Accessible PowerPoints

You can work through the exercise file to practice the best practices for creating accessible PowerPoints.

Use the Accessibility Checker

Check Accessibility Button

Newer versions of Microsoft have the Check Accessibility button available on the Review tab of the menu ribbon.

Older versions will have the Accessibility Checker in the "Info".

  1. Select the File tab from the Ribbon
  2. Select Info from the left menu
  3. Select the Check Issues button, and then Check Accessibility
  4. The Accessibility Checker task pane appears to the right.
  5. View the Inspection Results

Info menu to Check Accessibility

The report will list errors and tips.  If you click on the error, the information describing how to correct the problem will be displayed at the bottom.  Tips will also describe related best practices.

 4_AccessCheckerReport.png

 Alternative Text

Add alternative (Alt) text that is a succinct and concise description of content or function to:

  • Images
  • Charts
  • Shapes
  • Tables

Decorative images that do not convey unique content, should have a blank (“ ”) description. 

Do not use “This is an image of…” in the description

Add Alternative Text to Images

  1. Right-click the image and select Format picture.
  2. In the Format Picture pane, select the Size and Properties icon and then choose Alt Text.
  3. In the Description text box, type the alt text for the image.

Format Picture Menu

Alternative Text to Charts

 

7Chart.png

  1. On the Chart’s border in PowerPoint, right click
  2. From the menu that appears, select Format Chart Area
  3. On the Format Chart Area pane, select the Size and Properties icon and then Alt Text
  4. In the Description window, enter descriptive narrative text
  5. Select the Close button

Define a Clear Table Structure

Tables should have a simple structure with column headers.  Avoid blank cells, merged cells, and nesting tables. 

  1. Position the cursor anywhere in a table.
  2. On the Table Tools Design tab, in the Table Style Options group, select the Header Row check box.

10headerRow.png

 

Ensure that Slides Have Unique Titles

Slide titles are used by screen readers for navigation.  For that reason, it is a best-practice to give every slide a unique title and check the Outline View of the presentation.  

Outline View Button on the View tab of the menu ribbon

 

Add visible titles to your slides:

  1. Select View from the Ribbon, Outline View from the pane
  2. Place the mouse pointer to the right of the Title slide box for this slide
  3. Type a unique name
  • Tip: To restore a deleted slide placeholder text box, select Reset from the Slides Group on the Home tab.

Layout

PowerPoint provides the Layout selector.

  • Using Layouts to insert new slides ensures:
  • The reading order remains intact.
  • Text and title and body and slide attributes convert to PDF.
  • Adds the text to the outline (textbox will not)

13NewSlideLayout.png

Microsoft Office Video on Using Layouts

 

Reading Order

Add Content and images to the slide in the order it should be read.  A screen reader reads the elements of a slide in the order they were added to the slide.

You can open the Selection Pane to check and correct the order.

Selection Pane located on the Drawing Tools tab of the Menu Ribbon in the Arrange drop down

  1. Select Home tab, select Arrange from Drawing section
  2. From the Arrange menu select Selection Pane
  3. From the Selection & Visibility pane on the right, select an item to be placed in the correct reading order (Bottom is read first)
  4. Select the Reorder arrows to place the item in the correct reading order.

Links

Links should describe the destination, not list the URL. Links should not use non-descriptive text such as “link”, “click here” or “Read more….”.

Incorrect:  To learn more about SCF please visit http://scf.edu/. Links to an external site.

Incorrect:  To learn more about SCF please click here. Links to an external site.

Links to an external site.Correct:  To learn more about SCF please visit SCF Homepage Links to an external site..

Create Meaningful Hyperlinks

HyperLink Menu

  1. Select the descriptive text that you want to use for the hyperlink
  2. Right-click the text
  3. From the Insert Hyperlink menu, type the web address in the Address: window
  4. Select OK

 Color

Sufficient contrast is provided and color is not used solely to convey important information. 

Check your color contrast Links to an external site. 

Avoid

  • Green & Red 
  • Green & Brown 
  • Blue & Purple 
  • Green & Blue 
  • Blue & Grey 
  • Green & Grey 
  • Green & Black
  • Light Green & Yellow

Bad Contrast Colors

Sources

"Make Your PowerPoint Presentations Accessible." Office Support. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2017. <https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Make-your-PowerPoint-presentations-accessible-6f7772b2-2f33-4bd2-8ca7-dae3b2b3ef25#PickTab=Windows Links to an external site.>.

"PowerPoint Accessibility." WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind. N.p., 18 Aug. 2014. Web. 01 May 2017. <http://webaim.org/techniques/powerpoint Links to an external site./>.

Secretary, HHS Office of the, and Digital Communications Division (DCD). "PowerPoint Document 508 Checklist." HHS.gov. US Department of Health and Human Services, 19 Aug. 2015. Web. 01 May 2017. <https://www.hhs.gov/web/section-508/making-files-accessible/checklist/ppt/index.html Links to an external site.>.