Creating Accessible PowerPoint Slides

On this page, you will learn about a few steps to ensure that your PowerPoint presentations are accessible.  Don't forget that the basics of accessibility still apply!

You have a choice as to how to engage with the material in this lesson. Remember, the key concepts are always addressed in the text. If you need more info or learn by watching, the videos and resources are great supplements.

• Read About It
• Watch a Demo / Video
• Explore Resources on the Web

Basics

The basics of accessibility that have already been discussed (alt-text, font size, careful use of color, etc.) still apply in PowerPoint (PPT). The main difference, when using PowerPoint, is the read order of a slide since PPTs do not use headings in the way that you learned about for Word. To review these basics and to learn how to add alt-text, use color wisely, and embed hyperlinks, review the short videos in the Watch section.

Background, Font & Font Size

Keep your slide background simple - don't present text over watermarks or images. Use simple fonts and try to keep the font size above 22pt.

PowerPoint Layout Templates

The most important thing that you need to remember when using PowerPoint, is to use the layout templates provided in PowerPoint. That means avoid adding any text boxes or adding items on top of the content boxes already provided in the layout templates. The reason behind this is because screen readers may jump over/ignore items, like text boxes, that are added to the pages and exist outside of the content boxes provided. 

Within PowerPoint, you can select a variety of layouts and you also have the option to edit some of those layouts by editing the Slide Master in the View ribbon. This way, all the elements in the slide will be read by screen readers. Microsoft has good tutorial on how to edit the Slide Master Links to an external site..

Reading Order

To check the reading order of a slide, you can use the Selection Pane option under the Format ribbon (or the Arrange menu from the Home ribbon). The order in which items are read will be listed from bottom to top - the first item read will be at the bottom. You can use this tool to reorder the read order by dragging items, if needed. Remember, the title should always be read first.

Another approach to testing the read order is to click on the top left of the slide (no content item should be selected). Then, use your tab key to move from one content item to the next. As you tab through, you will see the order in which the content items will be read.

Slide Titles

All slides need to have a title and each should be unique. This allows someone to know what info is on each slide. If the title is the same between slides, then it is unclear how/why the content of the slides has been broken into multiple slides. If the info does span multiple slides, include "continued" in the title to indicate that the info is spilling over from the previous slide. For multiple similar slides, you can use the number out of total slides, for example, "1 of 3" after the title.

Shapes

Just don't do it. Often shapes are used behind text to create emphasis. Most screen readers will not identify shapes, and you will often split up your text in awkward ways to make it fit within the shape. The example below exemplifies what not to do (notice how the read order is impacted when a shape is moved to the background in order for the text to show on top). 

Animations/Transitions

It's recommended that any transitions you add to your slides are done using the "on click" option, versus timing the animations and transitions. This allows the user/viewer to control the speed at which they view the content and progress through the slides. You can adjust this setting from both the Transitions and Animations ribbons. If you must use transitions, keep them simple and untimed.

Try not to use fancy animations - this can be very distracting from the central message, and in some cases, too much flashing or movement can induce seizures. If animations are too delayed, they may be missed by assistive technology. 

Creating Accessible Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 & 2016 Presentations (15:47)

Not only does this video demonstrate how to make your presentation accessible when you design it, but also addresses considerations to make when presenting to your audience.

PowerPoint Reading Order (1:37)

A short video demonstrating how to check and adjust reading order of a PowerPoint slide.

PowerPoint Images (1:34)

A short video demonstrating how to add alt-text to images in PowerPoint.

PowerPoint: Color and Contrast (1:35)

A short video discussing how to use color wisely in PowerPoint.

PowerPoint Hyperlinks (1:37)

A short video demonstrating how to use hyperlinks in PowerPoint.

• WebAIM PowerPoint Accessibility Links to an external site. - This lesson on PowerPoint covers the basics noted above, but also tips on converting it to other formats. 
• MS Office Support: Creating Accessible PowerPoint Presentations Links to an external site. - Again, Microsoft does not provide the most thorough resource, but Microsoft does provide instructions for the different platforms that you may be using for PPT that are not included in the instructions above (Mac, iOS, Android, and online).
• Images in PowerPoint Links to an external site. - This resource demonstrates best practices and how to make sure images and inserted/embedded correctly.
• Accessibility Checklist: PowerPoint Links to an external site. - Another resource to keep on hand to make sure you're formatting your document correctly before distributing it.