Creating Accessible Presentation Using PowerPoint 2010 for PC Table of Contents Accessibility Checker... 2 How to turn on the Accessibility Checker:... 2 Slide Layout... 5 Selecting a Layout... 5 Accessible Hyperlinks... 6 How to Create an Accessible Hyperlink... 6 Figures and Images... 7 Alternative Text:... 7 To Insert Alt. Text:... 7 Lists... 8 How to make an accessible list:... 8 Reading Order... 9 To Check Reading Order:... 9 Duplicate Slide Titles...10 Missing Slide Titles...10 Color & Contrast...10 How to Change the Design of a Presentation...11 1
Accessibility Checker The Accessibility Checker is a tool built into PowerPoint 2010 for PC that allows you to track whether or not your document is ADA -compliant. How to turn on the Accessibility Checker: 1. Before turning on the Accessibility Checker, it is important to know if your document is a PowerPoint 2010 document. To check this, look at the document title at the top of the screen. If it says Compatibility Mode, you must use the following steps to convert your document (a) Go to the File tab at the top of the document screen. (b) Select Info, and then click the Convert button (c) The newly converted file will no longer say Compatibility Mode at the top of the document. 2) To Turn on the Accessibility Checker: a) Go to the File tab in the top left area of the presentation, and select Info. b) Select the Check for Issues dropdown menu, and select Check Accessibility 2
c) The Accessibility Checker is now on and checking your presentation. 3) Navigating the Accessibility Panel a) The Accessibility Check side-panel has three sections that classify any accessibility issues in a PowerPoint. i) Errors: The errors, which are at the top of the panel and are denoted by a red exclamation mark, are urgent issues that have to be taken care of in order for a document to be accessible. ii) Warnings: Warnings, the middle panel denoted by a yellow triangle, are issues that make a document difficult to use, but are not as critical as errors. iii) Tips: Denoted by the blue circle at the bottom of the panel, tips are ways in which your document can be improved to be more accessible. 3
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b) When your document is ADA compliant, the Accessibility Checker panel will display the following message: Slide Layout In order to have a well-organized presentation, it is important that you use the pre-made slide layouts that are available on Microsoft PowerPoint. Manually made layouts using textboxes will present issues with a slide s reading order. Selecting a Layout 1. To view the layout options available to you, select the Layout menu, located on the home ribbon at the top of the presentation. Be sure to select the layout that best fits your content. 2. Once you have selected a layout, enter your content in the textboxes provided. 5
Accessible Hyperlinks An accessible hyperlink is one that has a clear and concise description of the website that the embedded link goes to. An inaccessible hy perlink is one that is just a website URL that has been copy and pasted. How to Create an Accessible Hyperlink 1) Paste the URL you wish to use onto the slide.highlight the URL and right click it. In the menu, select Edit Hyperlink 2) In the menu that pops up, type in a descriptive title for the link in the Text to Display box. Click Ok to save your description. 3) Your accessible hyperlink will look like this: 6
Figures and Images Alternative Text: It is important to insert Alternative Text (Alt. Text) for each image or chart in the presentation. Alt. Text provides a written description of the image that screen readers can read. To Insert Alt. Text: 1) Right-click on the image, and select Format Properties 2) In the window that pops-up, select Alt Text at the bottom of the window. Here, you can add a title to the image, as well as a short description of the image. Click Close to save your Alt. Text. 7
Lists In order to create an ADA compliant list, you must always use the numbering or bulleted list-making options provided by PowerPoint. Manually created lists using the tab key are not accessible. How to make an accessible list: 1) Type out the items you wish to list, on separate lines of the document. To do this, hit the Enter key on your keyboard between each item. 2) Highlight the text you wish to place in a list. Then find the bullet point and numbering options at the top of the Home ribbon. 3) Select the function you prefer. You also have the option to select different list formats in the dropdown menus of each function. 4) Now your list is accessible! 8
Reading Order Reading Order is the order in which the content on a slide will be read by a screen reader. It is important to check the reading order of each slide in order to make sure that the presentation is not confusing. To Check Reading Order: 1) Select the Arrange button on the Home ribbon. In the dropdown menu, select Selection Pane. 2) A pane will appear on the side of the screen. It will display the items on the slide in list form. The list is read from the bottom to the top, so the first item to be read on a slide should be at the bottom of the list. 3) As you click each item in the side pane, it will be highlighted on the slide. To rearrange how the content will be read, use the arrows at the bottom of the pane. 9
Duplicate Slide Titles Avoid using the same title for multiple slides, as it can cause confusion for students using screen reading programs. To create an accessible presentation, number slides with the same title (Example: Part 1, Part 2; (continued); etc.) Missing Slide Titles It is important that every slide have a unique title, in order to distinguish it in the presentation. If your slide does not have a title, select a pre -made PowerPoint layout that has a title box, and input your information in the appropriate fields. Color & Contrast When designing your presentation, keep in mind that some colors are harder to read than others. To make a presentation accessible, use simple color schemes that will be easy to read. Example of an inaccessible presentation color scheme: Example of an accessible presentation color scheme: 10
How to Change the Design of a Presentation 1) If the design of your slide is inaccessible, you have two options; a) You can choose a design provided by PowerPoint. These Design options are provided under the Design tab. b) You can also manually change the colors your presentation. To do so, go to the Design tab, and use the Background Styles drop-down menu to select a background. Keep in mind that contrasting colors are the easiest to read for all students. 11