PowerPoint Accessibility Guidelines | UAMS Educational Development

The following tips are specific recommendations for PowerPoint files. It should be used with our full Microsoft Office 365 Accessible Documents Guide.

Accessibility Checker

Ensure your file name describes the purpose of your presentation. [2.4.4 Link Purpose]
- A name like presentation 1.pptx or lecture 1x.ppt is difficult for users to find with assistive devices.
- Use names such as “Photosynthesis Lecture.pptx”

Use slide titles for every slide. [2.4.6 Headings and Labels]
- Assistive technology uses slide titles for navigation.
Ensure no two or more slides have the same title. If necessary, you can adjust the title as follows: “Photosynthesis 1 of 3” [2.4.2 Page titles]
Use descriptive titles that convey the purpose of the slide. [2.4.2 Page Titles]
Do not delete titles. You can hide a title instead by right-clicking and selecting hide. [2.4.2 Page Titles]

Use the built-in layouts for your slides.
- Avoid deleting layouts and creating manual text boxes. This will impact the read order of your slide, it also ensures you maintain a title. [1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence] [2.4.3 Focus Order]
Use pre-existing accessible themes when possible. It is more challenging to build an accessible theme from scratch. Click > New and type “accessible templates” in the search bar.

Do not use color alone to convey meaning or emphasis. [1.4.1 Use of Color]
Ensure text has a contrast ratio of 3:1 [1.4.3 Minimum Contrast]
If you are using a font size of 14 point or below, ensure a ratio of at least 4.5:1.[1.4.3 Minimum Contrast]
The Accessibility Checker can help you check for color contrast issues.
There are also freely available contrast checkers, such as WebAIM’s contrast checker.

Ensure images & graphs include alternative text. Keep the alternative text concise and convey the content and purpose of the image. Try to keep the alternative text down to two sentences. [1.1.1 Non-text Contrast]
Avoid using images with text when possible. If you do, repeat the text on the slide. [1.1.1 Non-text Contrast]
Decorative images can be labeled as decorative. [1.1.1 Non-text Contrast]

Avoid tables if possible. The text in table cells is often difficult to read in PowerPoint with the magnifier tool.
If you do use tables:
- Ensure the table has a header row. [1.3.1]Avoid split or merged cells. [1.3.1]Do not use a table within a table. [1.3.1]
- Avoid blank cells. Ensure the table has a header row. [1.3.1. Info and Relationships]
- Avoid split or merged cells. [1.3.1 Info and Relationships]
- Do not use a table within a table. [1.3.1 Info and Relationships]
- Avoid blank cells. [1.3.1 Info and Relationships]

Ensure embedded audio and video include closed captions. [1.2.2 Prerecorded Media]
Consider attaching a transcript next to the video or audio. [1.2.3 Audio Descriptions or Media Alternatives]
Ensure non-decorative animations include an audio description. For example, if a video shows a process, verbally describe that process. [1.2.3 Audio Descriptions or Media Alternatives]

Utilize the Reading Order pane to ensure that assistive technologies read the content properly on each slide. [1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence] [2.4.3 Focus Order]
Tip: The Title should be read first and will appear at the bottom of the pane.
Tip: You can also use the tab key to check the content order. Tab will focus on elements one at a time with each press.

Avoid using the print option to save as a PDF.
Only save as a PDF after you have ensured your document is accessible. It is easier to address accessibility issues while they are in the native format.
Use the Save As PDF feature in Microsoft. Retain all markup and tags.
Use Adobe Acrobat Pro’s Accessibility Checker to ensure the accessibility of your document further.