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Guidelines: Accessible PowerPoint Files



Categories: Must Should MAY

The "May Items" can provide added functionality for people with disabilities.

 

  1. Create a custom template: PowerPoint allows users to save presentations as JPG image files, and uses a consistent naming convention to do so (Slide1.JPG, Slide2.JPG, etc.). This allows users to create an HTML template that can be used and reused with different presentations. An instructor using this template can create an accessible HTML presentation by cutting-and-pasting the text of the presentation into HTML tags.

  2. Choose the "View: Black and White" option to view presentation without color. PowerPoint allows users to choose a black-and-white view for presentations. Scroll through the presentation with the black-and-white feature turned on to check for readability.

  3. Print the document using black ink only. If your presentation is hard to read on a black-and-white printer, it may be hard to read for most users - as well as being hard to read for people with and without disabilities on many opaque projectors. (Using the black-and-white feature does not catch all possible contrast problems.)

  4. Provide alternate templates without backgrounds on request. Additionally, try having students with access to PowerPoint to use the black-and-white feature to view presentations.

  5. Consider removing custom animations. Animated slide transitions and animated text or images typically add little to a presentation and can be distracting for many users. Some custom animations may cause the screen to flicker, which may trigger seizures.

  6. Make sure acronyms and abbreviations are clearly expanded when they are first used.Expanding acronyms or abbreviations increases the usability of the document. It allows users to navigate more quickly through the PowerPoint presentation, and allows users to understand the document more fully than they could if the expansions did not exist.

  7. Identify the primary language of a documentPlacing a disclaimer about the primary language at the beginning of the document allows viewers who use assistive technologies such as screen-readers or Braille machines to set their devices accordingly, so the language will be conveyed properly, and thus understood properly by the viewer.

  8. Place distinguishing information at the beginning of every slide that outlines the topic for that slide.Providing titles and headings at the beginning of every slide allows users to navigate through the PowerPoint presentation easily, and thus find what they are looking for more quickly

  9. Create a style of presentation that is consistent across pages.Making sure the same font is primarily used throughout the document and making sure the same background applies to all of the slides increases usability of the document in that it prevents the user from having to learn how to view every individual slide. It also prevents those with cognitive disabilities from being distracted by a different format for every slide.


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