How to Create Accessible Lecture Slides

Best Practice Tips for Accessible Presentations

1. Keep the formatting simple by using existing slide layouts and accessible themes.
2. Every slide should include a title.
3. Use high contrast colors and 18 pt font (or larger). 
4. Ensure that the slides have a proper reading order. 
5. Add alternative text to images. 
   • If an image is decorative, select that in the alt-text pane. 
   • If the description is longer than 200 characters, place a note in the alt-text field that the description is in the speaker note and add the description to the speaker notes.
6. Ensure embedded videos have captions.
7. Post slides in the format they were created in or in PowerPoint, but do not convert to a PDF.
8. Extra tip: If you are using PowerPoint, when presenting, you can turn on the Microsoft Translator feature for real-time captions.

Additional resources: 

WebAim: PowerPoint Accessibility (Links to an external site)

Google Support (Links to an external site)

Video tutorial

Our office has found that many faculty create their own PowerPoint slides which make up a large percentage of what faculty upload to their LMS. Below is a step by step video guide on how to create accessible PowerPoints.

For written documentation, please visit Microsoft Support pages.

What will this look like to the student?

Below is what the PowerPoint will sound like to a student using JAWS

Next Module: Using PDF's in Courses