Microsoft PowerPoint Accessibility

Use the information below to assist you in creating more accessible PowerPoint presentations. PowerPoint presentations need to accessible in both the physical classroom and online. For more in-depth tutorials, please see Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities.

• Reading Order: Use the preset slide layouts. These layouts will preserve the reading order of text and other elements on your slides. How to use preset slide layouts. If you decide to manually create text boxes instead of using the preset slide layouts, they need to be placed onto the slide in reading order. This does not refer to positioning, but rather the order in which the text box was placed onto the side. The reading order can easily be checked or rearranged by using the Reading Order pane.
• Font Size: Use a minimum font size of 18 points. Text that is smaller might be difficult to see. This is especially important if the presentation is shown in person. How to change the font size in Office.
• Font Type: Use standard sans serif fonts. Script or decorative fonts can be difficult to read. Serif fonts can be difficult to read on screen. Recommended fonts: Verdana, Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, Lato, Open Sans, Segoe UI. Do not use script or decorative fonts. Serif fonts, such as Georgia or Times New Roman, are ok for headings but should be avoided for body text. See Understanding Accessible Fonts and Typography for Section 508 Compliance.
• Color: Make sure that there is appropriate contrast between the text color and background. Light-colored text on a light background or dark-colored text on a dark background is difficult to see. Use a contrast checker such as the WebAIM contrast checker to ensure there is enough color contrast in your document.
• Alt Text: Include alt text for all non-decorative pictures, tables, graphs, charts and graphics. Alt text is a description of images or other objects that have a visual component. Screen reading software reads alt text out loud for the user. How to improve accessibility with alt text. If the picture or graphic is only used for decoration, select “Mark as decorative” in the alt text options. This way screen reading software will disregard it.
• Color to Convey Information: Do not use color as the only means of conveying information. People who are colorblind might not be able to differentiate the color differences. Do not write “Take note of the text in red.” Include an additional way to differentiate the text. For example, “Take note of the text that is red and with an asterisk.” How to use color and other sensory characteristics plus text to convey meaning.
• Tables: Make sure data tables have a header row and (if needed) a first column. There needs to be a designated header row and/or first column in order for screen reading software to read the contents in a data table in the correct order. When creating tables used for data (vs. just for layout), check the header row option (and if needed, the first column row) in table style options. If you are using a table for layout purposes, make sure to uncheck both the header row and first column options. Please see Use Built In Features to Create Data and Layout Tables for in-depth instructions on how to do this, and for further instructions on how to accessibly create tables, please see Create accessible tables.
• Hyperlinks: Use meaningful text for hyperlinks. Descriptive hyperlink text provides context that allows people who use screen reading software to identify and sort through links. Important: For documents that might be printed, full URLs can be included within the text body or at the end of the document. Instead of typing “Click here to log in to MySCCC,” type “Log in to MySCCC.” Please see how to create a more meaningful hyperlink.
• Animations: Avoid using blinking or flashing animations. Blinking and flashing animations can induce seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. Ensure that animations do not blink or flash more than 3 times per second. See Set the start time and speed of an animation effect.
• Autoplay: Disable autoplay. If a video is set to autoplay, the audio can interfere with the screen reader audio. How to Set the start time and speed of an animation effect.
• Accessibility Checker: Do not rely on the Accessibility Checker to pick up all issues. The Accessibility Checker is an excellent supplementary tool, but it will not identify every issue. How to use the Accessibility Checker.