Guidelines for Creating Accessible PowerPoint Slides
- Create and use a Design Style Template: The template creates placeholders for textual content, sets background, color, style and format of the presentation. Ensure that there is a placeholder for slide title and subtitles and other content as a list. See Indezine
- Create a Master Slide using the Template: Enter header, and footer information. Copyright and other information can be entered in the left and center placeholder
- Visual Presentation:
- Use san serif fonts
- Avoid using patterned backgrounds in slides and tables
- Provide sufficient contrast between foreground and background colors
- Do not use color only to convey meaning
- Minimize the use of images for visual effect
- Text:.
- Limit text to 3 – 4 bullet items per slide.
- Use the placeholders within the template to enter the text and other objects so that logical flow follows visual flow of the slide. Do not create individual text boxes to enter content.
- Avoid using text boxes to insert content as these may be left as hidden objects on the slide when content is erased.
- Graphic Objects:
- Group multiple graphic objects into a single object
- Provide Text descriptors for non-textual elements :
- Images, clipart, drawings and other objects: Provide text descriptors that adequately represent the purpose of the image and the information it conveys to the reader.
- Images used for visual effects: do not need a descriptor
- WordArt: PowerPoint automatically enters the text entered in WordArt in the alternative text box
- Diagrams: PowerPoint automatically enters the type of diagram in the alternative text box, however, this would need to be modified to expand the description
- Charts: Insert the chart from within PowerPoint as this will provide a dataset for creating the chart. Do not imported charts as they are images and don't convert easily using third party tools. The chart will still need a text descriptor
- Multimedia: provide text descriptor/ transcripts and captions for all multimedia.
- Notes: use Notes section to provide textual description of non-textual elements or tables.
- Tables:
- Create simple tables by using the Insert-Table feature. Do not use tabs, spaces or text boxes to create tables
- Do not create complex tables. Tables created in MS Word and imported into PowerPoint may not be accessible
- Add a caption to summarize the table
