Resolving Accessibility Issues in PowerPoint 2010

Transcription

1 Resolving Accessibility Issues in PowerPoint 2010 Use the Accessibility Checker 1. Click File > Info > Check for Issues 2. If the Accessibility Checker sees any potential issues, you will see a message next to the Check for Issues button. 3. To view and repair the issues in your file, click Check for Issues > Check Accessibility 4. Your file reappears, and the Accessibility Checker task pane lists the inspection results. 5. Click a specific issue to see Additional Information and steps to change the content. TIP: Documents being viewed in Protected view (opened from an or the Web) will not offer the option to Check for Issues. Enable Editing in the highlighted area at the top of the document and then return to File > Info > Check for Issues > Check Accessibility. TIP: Documents with a.ppt extension cannot run the Accessibility checker. Go to File > Save As, and save as.pptx. Then return to File > Info > Check for Issues > Check Accessibility.

2 Use Slide Titles Using slide titles helps screen readers navigate through the presentation, much as headings in a Word document or Web page. Use the title area of the slide template to assign a unique title to each slide. Increase Visibility for Colorblind Users When creating presentations, choose elements that increase visual contrast so viewers who cannot rely on color distinction can easily understand what they re viewing. Some guidelines to consider: Avoid using orange, red, and green in a template and text.. Use texture instead of color to highlight points of interest in graphs. Draw attention to items on slides by circling the items or using animation, instead of using color. Keep the overall contrast in your presentation high. To get an idea of how a person who is colorblind will see your presentation, go to View > Color/Grayscale group, Grayscale. Verify Order of Slide Elements Screen readers must read every slide in a certain order. It is important to verify the arrangement of elements to make sure the information is coherent when read aloud. To verify the order of slide elements: 1. Go to the Home tab. 2. In the Drawing group, select the Arrange icon to see a drop-down list of commands. 3. Choose Selection Pane.

3 Notes on Order Windows: Objects will be read beginning with the bottom list item and ending with the top item. Macintosh: Item #1 in the panel is read last. Notice the visual order of our slide does not match the order in which a screen reader will read the slide. The heading General Fund (Rectangle 3), will be read last, although it is the topmost element on the slide. Use the Re-Order buttons at the bottom of the pane to reorder the slide elements as necessary until the order is correct. Add Alternative Text (Alt text) Alt text helps people using screen readers understand the content of images in your presentation. Alt text should be including for all of the following: pictures, Clip Art, charts, tables, shapes, SmartArt graphics, embedded objects, video and audio files. Descriptions should be Don t put Alt text here limited to around 20 words or 155 characters. The Alt Text tool can be found under Picture Tools, Format, Picture Styles group. Alternatively: 1. Select an image so that square anchors are visible. 2. Right-click the mouse and select Format Picture. 3. In the Format Picture window, select the Alt Text link on the right, and insert text into the Description field. Click Close to save the Alt Text.

4 Alt Text for Charts, Graphs and Tables Charts and graphs may require longer explanations than simple images. There are two actions recommended to make these items accessible: 1) Add a short caption preceding that describes the content; 2) Provide an Alternative presentation of the findings. For many charts, the best Alternative format is a table with the original figures. To add a caption: 1. Right click near the edge of the chart, graph or table and choose Insert Caption. 2. Choose from the default options or create your own by selecting New Label and enter a caption into the pop-up dialog box. Table Column Headings Screen readers will identify column headings for table content, if they are specified. This information is critical for vision-impaired users to understand a table s content. To specify column headings: 1. Click anywhere in the table. 2. Go to the Design tab at the top of the page. 3. Check the Header Row box. 4. Type (or retype) your column headings. 5. Press the Enter key.

5 Use Simple Table Structure By not using nested tables, or merged or split cells inside of data tables, the date is predictable and easy to navigate. To test and simplify the table structure, do the following: 1. Select the first cell of the table 2. Press the Tab key repeatedly to make sure that the focus moves across the row and then down to the first cell of the next row. 3. If you need to merge or split cells to simplify the table, go to the Table Tools Layout tab, Merge group, click Merge Cells or Split Cells as needed. Avoid Using Blank Cells for Formatting Using blank cells to format your table could mislead someone using a screen reader to think there is nothing more in the table. You can fix this by deleting unnecessary blank cells or if your table is used specifically to layout content within your presentation, you can clear all table styles by doing the following: 1. Select the entire table. 2. Table Tools tab, Table Styles group, click the arrow next to the Style gallery to expand the gallery. 3. On the menu below the gallery, click Clear. Include Closed Captions for Audio or Video When additional audio or video components are used in a presentation, ensure that the content is available in alternative formats, such as closed captions, transcripts or alt text. If you are using PowerPoint 2010, you can download and install the Sub-titling text add-in for MS PowerPoint (STAMP) which lets you easily create closed-captions for video and audio in your presentation. Link to download STAMP. Hyperlinks Screen reader users often scan a document for hyperlinks, so it is important to make sure your links make sense without their surrounding content. For example, a link should say Readings for the week of February 14 rather than Readings for the week of February 14. Click here. To edit a hyperlink s display text: 1. Right-click the URL 2. Select Hyperlink, and then Edit Hyperlink.

6 More Resources Visit the Computer Applications Training Accessibility Formatting page: Link to Visit the Microsoft Support website: Link to Visit the Pennsylvania State University AccessAbility website: Link to