How to Create Accessible Presentations
If you will be posting lecture slides or other presentations in Moodle or another online platform for students to read, those files should be accessible to anyone who will use them. This helps ensure that everyone, including people who use screen readers, keyboard navigation, captions, or other assistive technologies, can access and understand the content. This page introduces general accessibility principles for creating presentations and includes practical steps and instructions for applying these principles in common presentation software, such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides.
Many of the practices used to create accessible presentations are the same as those used to create other accessible digital documents. These include using readable fonts, strong color contrast, built-in lists, descriptive hyperlinks, alternative text, and simple tables. However, presentations also require particular attention to their structure.
Most documents are organized in a linear order, with content intended to be read from beginning to end. A presentation slide, on the other hand, may contain several separately positioned objects, such as a title, text boxes, images, charts, and shapes, and their visual placement does not always tell assistive technologies the order in which they should be read. Special attention must therefore be paid to both the overall structure of the presentation and the organization of content on each slide to ensure that assistive technologies can access the information in a logical and meaningful order.
Most presentation software, including Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides, includes built-in slide layouts that provide much of the structure needed for an accessible presentation. Using these layouts and entering content into the provided title and content placeholders helps establish meaningful slide titles and a logical reading order. Additional review is usually needed when you add or reposition text boxes, images, charts, and other objects manually.
This guide includes specific instructions for Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides, two presentation tools supported by Pacific University. The same underlying principles can also be applied when creating presentations with other software, including Apple Keynote.
1. Use Built-In Slide Layouts to Organize Slides and the Presentation
When creating individual slides, use the built-in layouts provided by PowerPoint, Google Slides, or other presentation software. Built-in layouts include placeholders for slide titles, text, images, and other content. These placeholders provide an underlying structure that helps assistive technologies identify the elements on a slide and read them in a logical order.
Avoid starting with a blank slide and constructing the slide entirely from separate text boxes, shapes, and images. Custom slides can be made accessible, but they require more careful review of slide titles, object order, and other structural elements. Using a built-in layout and modifying it only when necessary is usually the easiest way to create an accessible slide.
Use title slides, section headings, and other appropriate layouts to provide structure throughout the presentation. This makes the organization of the presentation clearer and helps people using assistive technologies navigate between sections and slides.
How to apply a slide layout
- Microsoft PowerPoint: On the Home tab, select the arrow next to New Slide and choose an appropriate layout.
- Google Slides: Add a new slide, open the Slide menu, select Apply layout, and choose an appropriate layout.
Both PowerPoint and Google Slides will generally apply a default layout, or the most recently selected layout, when you add a new slide.
Resources: Microsoft provides an overview of slide layouts in PowerPoint as well as instructions for applying a slide layout in PowerPoint. Google provides instructions for applying layouts and themes in Google Slides.
2. Give Every Slide a Unique, Meaningful Title
Give every slide a short, meaningful title that describes its main topic or purpose. Slide titles provide structure for a presentation in much the same way that headings provide structure in a document. People who use screen readers can use slide titles to understand the organization of the presentation and identify individual slides. Clear titles also make presentations easier for everyone to scan and navigate.
Enter the title in the title placeholder provided by the slide layout. Do not create a slide title simply by placing a separate text box at the top of the slide or making ordinary text larger and bolder.
If several slides cover the same topic, give each slide a unique title that distinguishes it from the others. For example, instead of giving three consecutive slides the title “Research Findings,” use titles such as “Research Findings: Student Participation,” “Research Findings: Course Performance,” and “Research Findings: Student Feedback.”
3. Check the Reading Order When You Add or Reposition Slide Elements
The reading order determines the sequence in which a screen reader or keyboard user encounters the objects on a slide. The visual placement of objects does not necessarily determine their reading order. For example, a slide may visually show a title, an image, and then an explanation of the image. If the objects are in the wrong reading order, a screen reader might announce the explanation before the title or place the image description after unrelated information.
Using built-in slide layouts usually establishes a logical reading order. However, if you add text boxes or other elements to the layout, reposition objects, or create a slide without using a built-in layout, the reading order may no longer reflect the intended sequence.
How to check and change reading order
- Microsoft PowerPoint: Select Review and then Check Accessibility. Open the Reading Order pane from the Accessibility ribbon. Review the listed objects and move them into the order in which they should be read.
- Google Slides: A screen reader reads slide elements according to their position in the object stack. Select an object and open Arrange > Order. Use Bring to front, Bring forward, Send backward, or Send to back to change the object’s position in the stack and its reading order. The slide title should generally be farthest back. You can also press the Tab key repeatedly to move through slide elements and confirm that they are encountered in a logical sequence.
Resources: Follow Microsoft’s instructions for checking and changing slide reading order in PowerPoint. The Perkins School for the Blind also provides a helpful guide to setting the reading order in Google Slides.
4. Use Accessible Fonts, Formatting, and Contrast
Use clear, familiar fonts, such as Arial or Calibri, in a sufficiently large size. Microsoft recommends using at least 18-point type in presentations. Larger text may be needed when a presentation will be projected in a classroom or meeting space. Longer blocks of text should generally be left-aligned. Avoid fully justified text, which can create uneven spaces between words and make the text more difficult to read.
Avoid decorative fonts, very small text, and color combinations that have insufficient contrast or are difficult to distinguish, such as some shades of green text on a red background. Do not use color alone to communicate meaning. For example, if you use red text to identify important information, also label that text as “Important.”
Avoid placing text directly over a detailed photograph, illustration, or patterned background unless the text has a solid, high-contrast background behind it.
Readable fonts, sufficient spacing, and strong contrast make presentations easier to follow for everyone, particularly people with low vision, color-vision deficiencies, or reading and cognitive differences.
Resources: Review Microsoft’s guidance for creating accessible PowerPoint presentations, including recommendations for fonts, formatting, color, and contrast, and Google’s guidance for making Google Slides presentations more accessible.
5. Create Lists Using Built-In Tools
When presenting a series of related items, use the built-in bulleted or numbered list tools in PowerPoint, Google Slides, or other presentation software. Do not create lists manually by typing dashes, numbers, or other symbols.
Built-in list formatting provides structure that helps screen readers identify the content as a list and move through its items more easily. Use numbered lists when the sequence matters and bulleted lists when it does not.
Resources: Follow Microsoft’s instructions for adding bullets or numbers to text in PowerPoint and Google’s instructions for creating and formatting lists in Google Slides.
6. Use Descriptive Hyperlink Text
When adding a hyperlink, use link text that clearly describes the destination or purpose of the link. Avoid vague phrases such as “click here,” “read more,” or “learn more,” and do not use a long web address as the visible link text.
Descriptive link text helps people who use screen readers understand where a link will take them, even when they navigate through a list of links without reading the surrounding text. For example, use “ADA Title II Web Accessibility Rule” as the linked text instead of “click here.”
How to add a descriptive hyperlink
- Microsoft PowerPoint: Select the descriptive text you want to use as the hyperlink. On the Insert tab, select Link and enter or paste the destination address.
- Google Slides: Select the descriptive text you want to use as the hyperlink. Open the Insert menu, select Link, and enter or paste the destination address. You can also use Ctrl+K on Windows or Command+K on a Mac.
Resources: Follow Microsoft’s instructions for adding a hyperlink to a PowerPoint slide and Google’s instructions for adding and editing links in Google Slides.
7. Add Alt Text to Images and Other Visuals
Every image that conveys information or performs a function, such as an image that links to another webpage, needs a text description called alternative text, or alt text.
Alt text enables people who cannot see an image, including people who use screen readers, to understand the information or function it provides. The University of Minnesota’s guide to writing alternative text provides an overview of how to create effective image descriptions.
If an image is purely decorative and does not convey information, mark it as decorative when that option is available. When the software does not provide a decorative-image option, leave the alt text field empty.
How to add alt text
- Microsoft PowerPoint: Right-click or Control-click the image and select View Alt Text. You can also select the image and choose Picture Format > Alt Text. Enter an appropriate description or select Mark as decorative when the image does not convey information.
- Google Slides: Select the image, drawing, or graphic. Select Image options and then Alt text. Enter the description that should be presented to a screen-reader user.
Resources: Follow Microsoft’s instructions for adding alt text and marking decorative images in PowerPoint and Google’s guidance for adding alt text and making Google Slides content more accessible.
8. Make Tables, Charts, and Diagrams Understandable
Use tables only to organize data, not to control the visual layout of a slide. Create tables with the built-in table tools and keep their structure simple. Give each column a clear heading. Avoid merged or split cells, nested tables, and completely blank rows or columns. Large or complex tables are difficult to understand on a presentation slide and may be more accessible when provided in an accompanying document or spreadsheet.
Charts and diagrams generally require both alt text and an explanation of their most important information. For a complex chart or diagram, consider including a short summary on the slide and a more detailed explanation in the speaker notes or an accompanying accessible document.
Microsoft PowerPoint
Identify the first row of a table as the header row. Select the table, open the Table Design tab, and select Header Row. Type clear column headings in the first row.
Google Slides
Create a table by selecting Insert > Table. Include clear visible headings in the first row and keep the table simple. Because presentation tables may provide limited structural information to assistive technologies, explain important relationships in the surrounding text and provide complex data in another accessible format.
Resources: Review Microsoft’s guidance for creating accessible tables, charts, and other visuals in PowerPoint and Google’s instructions for adding and editing tables in Google Slides.
9. Review the Accessibility of the Presentation
Microsoft PowerPoint
PowerPoint includes an Accessibility Checker that can identify many common accessibility issues and provide guidance for correcting them.
To run the checker, select Review > Check Accessibility. The Accessibility pane will open and display the issues PowerPoint has identified. Depending on the version of PowerPoint and the presentation, these may include missing slide titles, missing alt text, possible reading-order problems, insufficient contrast, and table issues.
The Accessibility Checker is an important review tool, but it cannot identify every possible accessibility problem. Review the accuracy of alt text, the meaning of slide titles, the clarity of links, the organization of content, and the quality of captions manually as well.
Google Slides does not currently include a built-in accessibility checker, so slides should be reviewed manually for the accessibility practices described on this page.
Resource: See Microsoft’s instructions for finding and correcting accessibility issues with the Microsoft Office Accessibility Checker.
10. Whenever Possible, Share Presentations in Their Original Format
Whenever possible, provide participants with access to the original PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation. This allows them to use their own assistive technologies, zoom settings, display preferences, and navigation tools.
When important information is provided primarily through images, charts, diagrams, or other visuals, consider also providing an accessible outline, transcript, handout, or set of speaker notes. These alternatives can help people who need additional detail or who cannot access the presentation effectively in its original visual form.
If you also provide the presentation as a PDF, remember that exporting an accessible presentation to PDF does not automatically guarantee that the resulting PDF will be accessible. The PDF should be checked separately for accessibility.