When you create a PowerPoint presentation for any purpose (i.e. class lecture, group presentation, meeting, poster), get in the habit of running it through the Accessibility Checker built right into the tool. Not only should this become a habit, but it is something you can share with your students who submit PowerPoint presentations for class assignments.
Remember it is everyone’s responsibility to make our online content accessible for all users. Students who learn these practices can take these skills into their future workplaces to help build a culture where all content is accessible. Common best practices for making PowerPoints accessible is well documented by Microsoft’s Office Support.
Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible.
The accessibility checker inspects your slides and reports back errors found, warnings and tips. In the examples below you can see how the checker reports any issues found. One of the most common is the lack of alt text and descriptions needed for all images. Did you know that a chart you create needs an alt text and description?
Image is the Info page for a presentation with the Check for Issues expanded showing the user how to select the Check Accessibility option.
This image shows the accessibility checker reporting that no issues were found in the presentation.
This image highlights an example of a PowerPoint presentation with issues found. There are a couple of errors and a tip that were reported.
Slide demonstrates an Alt Text Error. Included in the image is the display of the error, and the Format Picture view showing where an all text title and description can be entered.
