Insert Presentation Title

Insert Presentation Subtitle if applicable

Working with this template
• Read the content on each slide to familiarize yourself with the steps you
must take to ensure your presentation is accessible.
• Select Home > New Slide to begin adding your content.
• If you choose to use a different colour theme, be sure to check that the
colours used for fonts and backgrounds meet contrast requirements. To
check contrast, use the following tool: WebAIM contrast checker
• If you add a background, choose a simple background and verify that
there is enough contrast against the foreground text colour.
• Delete the guideline slides once you are completed.
Check accessibility while you work
• The Accessibility Checker is a tool • To manually launch the Accessibility
that reviews your content and Checker, select Review > Check
flags accessibility issues it comes Accessibility. The Accessibility pane
across. opens, and you can now review and
• The Accessibility Checker also fix accessibility issues.
suggests how you can resolve the • At the bottom of the Accessibility
issues that appear. pane, you will find a link to the Help
content about making documents
accessible. Review the information
and use it as a guide to ensure the
content you add to this template
follows accessibility best practices.
Give every slide a title
• A person with a visual disability that uses a screen reader relies on the
slide titles to know which slide is which.
• Select Review > Check Accessibility. On the Accessibility ribbon, expand
the Slide Title menu by selecting the dropdown.
• The options that appear depend on whether a title placeholder exists or
not, and what element is selected on your slide.
• If you do not want a title to appear in your presentation, delete the title
placeholder, expand the Slide Title menu, and choose Add Hidden Slide
Title. It will be positioned off-slide, be read by a screen reader, but will
not appear in your presentation.
Set the reading order of slide contents
• When you create slides, putting the objects in a logical reading order is
crucial for screen reader users to understand the slide.
• Select Accessibility > Reading Order Pane. When the screen reader
reads the slide, it reads the objects in the order they are listed in the
Reading Order pane.
• In the Reading Order Pane, you can change the order by selecting an
item and using the up and down arrows to change the order, or you
can click on an item and drag it to a different position in the list.
Tables
• Avoid tables if possible and present the data another way, like paragraphs
with headings and only use tables for data, not for layout.
• Avoid fixed width tables.
• Use table headers: in the Table Design tab, in the Table Styles Options
group, select the Header Row checkbox. Type your column headings.
• Do not merge cells, split cells, leave cells blank, or nest tables.
• In the Accessibility tab, choose Alt Text to provide a description that can
help screen reader users better understand the table.

Header 1 Header 2 Header 3 Header 4

Data 1.1 Data 2.1 Data 3.1 Data 4.1
Add alt text to visuals
• Alternative (alt) text briefly describes the image, its
intent, and what is important about it. Screen readers
read the description.
• To add or edit alt text right click on the image and
choose View Alt Text.
• The alt text should not be longer than a short
sentence or two.
• Do not repeat the surrounding textual content or use
phrases such as, "a graphic of" or "an image of.“
Create accessible hyperlink text
• Links should convey clear and accurate information about the
destination. For example, avoid using link texts such as "Click here,"
"See this page," "Go here," or "Learn more." Instead include the full
title of the destination page.
• If the title on the hyperlink's destination page gives an accurate
summary of what’s on the page, use it for the hyperlink text. For
example: Add a hyperlink to a slide.
Use accessible font format
• To reduce the reading load, select familiar sans serif fonts such as Arial
or Calibri.
• Use larger and/or bold font for headings. Use fonts 11-14 points in size
for body text.
• Avoid using all capital letters and excessive italics.
• Only use underline for hyperlink text to help users be certain when text
is a link.
• Be sure links show an underline and are not just indicated with colour
so that people who are colour blind know that the text is linked even if
they can’t see the color.
Add captions to audio and video
• Make your presentation more inclusive to people who are deaf or
hard of hearing by adding captions and subtitles in videos and audio.
• Create closed captions for a video
• Add captions to an audio file in PowerPoint
• When delivering a presentation, enable the Always Use Subtitles
checkbox on the Accessibility tab. PowerPoint will use the
microphone to listen to you speak and use an AI-powered service to
convert the speech into captions displayed on the screen as you
present.
• Present with real-time, automatic captions or subtitles in PowerPoint
Charts and Diagrams
• Ensure the chart style you choose Example
includes text labels, does not depend 4th set

on only colour to comprehend, and

9%

that the colour contrast is 3rd set

10%

appropriate.
• Select the chart, right click, and
choose View Alt Text to add or edit a 2nd set
1st set
59%

text description that will help screen

23%

reader users understand the content

of the chart.
1st set 2nd set 3rd set 4th set