Like Word, PowerPoint Presentations are subject to accessibility requirements for disabled users. Many of the same principles will apply, but you'll need to begin assembling your presentation with accessiblility in mind first.
The first step in creating a PowerPoint presentation is choosing an accessible slide theme or template. When choosing a slide theme or template structure, you must consider the contrast between the slide text and the background. If the contrast is poor or if the background is busy, this make it hard for accessibility users to read the document. You'll want to select a slide theme with excellent contrast and simple backgrounds.
One of the most effective ways to build a PowerPoint presentation for accessibility users is to set a Master Slide Template. This will ensure screen readers can follow the hierarchal structure of the text. It will also ensure the reading order from slide-to-slide is consistent. To check or change the reading order, navigate to Home > Arrange > Selection Pane. This pane will show text, images, or other visual information as objects. Highlighting an object in the pane will also highlight it in the slide.
The reading order for the elements in this page is bottom to top. The first (bottom most) object on the slide will be read first. If another object is added to the page on top of the this first object, it will be read next by a screen reader. Click and drag the objects to rearrange the reading order. You may also select one of four options to bring objects forward or backwards to adjust the reading order.
Just like Word documents, PowerPoint presentations require alternative text for all images so they are accessible.
PowerPoint allows you to identify a single row of column headers and a single column of row headers to make contents of the table more accessible to screen reader users.
To identify the headers in a table:
If the first column of the table contains headers for each row, make sure the First Column checkbox is checked. Most screen readers will not identify table headers in PowerPoint, but it is still recommended to perform this function. Additionally, these headers will be transferred when saving/export to PDF.
PowerPoint automatically creates a hyperlink a full URL is pasted onto a slide and Enter or Space are hit. You'll need to add descriptive text to the link for accessibility purposes.
To change the descriptive text for the link:PowerPoint also includes a tool that will identify many common accessibility issues. The accessibility checker is basically the same in Windows and Mac, but the steps to start the check are different.
To run the accessibility checker in Windows, select File > Info. Select the Check for Issues button and then choose Check Accessibility.
To start the accessibility checker on Mac, select the Review tab, and then choose Check Accessibility.
In Windows and Mac, the Accessibility Checker sidebar will appear to the right. The checker presents accessibility errors (e.g., images with no alternative text), warnings (e.g., unclear link text) and tips (e.g., check slide reading order for slides with custom content). Selecting an item in the report will highlight the issue within the slide. Information about the issue, and instructions on how to repair it, will also appear at the bottom of the sidebar.
Last Updated: November 08, 2023
