Microsoft PowerPoint 2010

To create an accessible template

1. Create a new document
2. Ensure that you follow the techniques in this document
3. When you are finished you should also check the accessibility of the document (see
Technique 11, below)
4. Go to menu item: File > Save As
5. In the Save as type list, select PowerPoint Template
6. In the File name box, type a name for the template. Using a descriptive File name (e.g.,
“Accessible Sales Template”) will increase the prominence of the accessibility status. As
well, filling in the text box labeled Tags with the term “accessibility” will improve its
searchability as an accessible file.
7. Select Save

To select an accessible template

Note: Only use these steps if you have an accessible template available (e.g. that you previously
saved). Otherwise, simply open a new (blank) document.
1. Go to menu item: File > New
2. Under Available Templates, select My Templates

1
 3. In the New document dialog, select your accessible template from the list
4. Select OK

5. A new document based on the template will be displayed. If you have chosen an
accessible template, the document will be accessible at this point. As you add your
content (e.g., text, images, etc.), ensure that you consult the sections that follow to
preserve accessibility.

Technique 2. Set Document Language

In order for assistive technologies (e.g., screen readers) to be able to present your document
accurately, it is important to indicate the natural language of the document. If a different
natural language is used for a paragraph or selected text, this also needs to be clearly indicated.

2
To change the default language
1. Go to menu item: File
2. Select Options from the list in the left window pane
3. Select Language from the list in the left of the Options dialog
4. Under Chose Editing Languages, select the editing language you want to use
Note: to add an editing language, select the language from the drop down list labeled
[Add additional editing languages]
5. Select Set as Default
6. Close all Office 2010 programs and open them again for the changes to take effect

To apply a language directly to selected text

1. Select the text
2. Go to menu item: Review
3. In the Language section, select the Language button
4. Select Set Proofing Language
5. In the Mark selected text as box, select the language from the list
6. Select OK

Technique 3. Use Built-In Layout and Styling Features

PowerPoint 2010 does not offer “True Headings” or “Named Styles” as does Word 2010.

3
3.1 Use Built-In Slide Layouts
Instead of creating each slide in your presentation by starting from a blank slide, check whether
there is a suitable built-in layout.
Note: The built-in layouts can be more accessible to users of assistive technologies because
they technologies sometimes read the floating items on the slide in the order that they were
placed on the slide. The built-in layouts have usually taken this into account (e.g., “Title” first
followed by other items, left to right and from top to bottom). If you create slide layouts from
scratch, it is sometimes difficult to keep track of the order elements were placed.

To apply “true layout” to a slide

1. Go to menu item: Home
2. In the Slides section, select the Layout button
3. Select the layout you would like to use from the drop down menu

3.2 Customize Using Master Slides

If a layout must be customized, it is recommended that Master Slides be used.

4
Every slide layout in a presentation is defined by its master slide. A master slide determines the
formatting style for various elements of the slide layout. This includes font styles, character
formatting, and the positioning of elements. Essentially, each master slide acts as a design
template for the slide layout.
If you edit any aspect of the slide layout in the master slide, the change will affect all slides that
were created based on it. For this reason, it is good practice to edit the master slide and use
the slide layouts before building individual slides. It is essential that you create and use master
slides that meet the accessibility requirements outlined in this document.

To create or customize a master slide

1. Go to menu item: View
2. In the Master Views section, select the Slide Master icon
3. The current slide master with its associate layouts appears
Note: If you have the Normal view open, the slide master is the larger slide image in the
slide thumbnail pane. The associated layouts are positioned beneath the slide master.
4. Customize the existing master slide and its associated layouts to suit your needs (e.g.,
apply a design, theme-based colors, fonts, effects, backgrounds) ensuring that your
changes meet accessibility requirements
5. Go to menu item: File > Save As
6. In the File name box, type a file name
7. In the Save as type list, select PowerPoint template
8. Select Save
9. On the Slide Master tab, in the Close section, select Close Master View

5
Technique 4. Set a Logical Tab Order
Many presentation applications create content composed almost exclusively of "floating"
objects. This means that they avoid the transitions between in-line content and secondary
"floating" objects (text boxes, images, etc.) that can cause accessibility issues in word
processors.

However, when you are working with "floating" objects, it is important to remember that the
way objects are positioned in two dimensions on the screen may be completely different from
how the objects will be read by a screen reader or navigated using a keyboard. The order that
content is navigated sequentially is called the "Tab Order" because often the "Tab" key is used
to navigate from one "floating" object to the next.

Tips for setting a logical “tab order” for "floating" objects

 The tab order of floating objects is usually from the “lowest” object on the slide to the
“highest”.
 Because objects automatically appear “on top” when they are inserted, the default tab
order is from the first object inserted to the last. However, this will change if you use
features such as “bring to front” and “send to back”.
 The slide’s main heading should be first in the tab order.
 Headings should be placed in the tab order immediately before the items (text,
diagrams, etc.) for which they are acting as a heading.
 Labels should be in the reading order placed immediately before the objects that they
label.
 For simple slide layouts, it may be possible to simply insert objects in a logical tab order.
 For more complex layouts, it may be easier to simply to create the slide as usual and
then set the tab order (see below).

To set the tab order using the ‘Selection Pane’

1. Go to menu item: Home
2. In the Drawing section, select Arrange > Selection Pane…
3. In the Selection and Visibility pane, all the elements on the slide are listed in reverse
chronological order under Shapes on this Slide
4. Elements can be re-ordered using the Re-order buttons located at the bottom of the
Selection and Visibility pane
Note: The tab order of elements begins at the bottom of the list and tabs upwards.

Technique 5. Use Slide Notes

A useful aspect of presentation applications is the facility to add notes to slides, which can then
be read by assistive technologies. You can use these slide notes to explain and expand on the
contents of your slides in text format. Slide notes can be created as you build your
presentation.

6
To add notes to your slides
1. Go to menu item: View
2. In the Presentation Views section, select Normal to ensure that the notes panel is in
view
Note: You can then select menu item Home, to access text formatting options
3. The Notes Pane can be found at the bottom of the window, below the slide
4. Type and format your notes within the Notes Pane below each slide

Technique 6. Provide Text Alternatives for Images and Graphical Objects

When using images or other graphical objects, such as charts and graphs, it is important to
ensure that the information you intend to convey by the image is also conveyed to people who
cannot see the image. This can be accomplished by adding concise alternative text to of each
image. If an image is too complicated to concisely describe in the alternative text alone
(artwork, flowcharts, etc.), provide a short text alternative and a longer description as well.

Tips for writing alternative text (“Title” in PowerPoint 2010)

 Try to answer the question "what information is the image conveying?"
 If the image does not convey any useful information, leave the alternative text blank
 If the image contains meaningful text, ensure all of the text is replicated
 Alternative text should be fairly short, usually a sentence or less and rarely more than
two sentences
 If more description is required (e.g., for a chart or graph), provide a short description in
the alternative text (e.g., a summary of the trend) and more detail in the long
description, see below

7
  Test by having others review the document with the images replaced by the alternative
text

Tips for writing longer descriptions (“Description” in PowerPoint 2010)

 Long descriptions should be used when text alternatives (see above) are insufficient to
answer the question "what information is the image conveying?"
 In some situations, the information being conveyed will be how an image looks (e.g., an
artwork, architectural detail, etc.). In these cases, try to describe the image without
making too many of your own assumptions.
 One approach is to imagine you are describing the image to a person over the phone
 Ensure that you still provide concise alternative text to help readers decide if they are
interested in the longer description
Alternatively, you can include the same information conveyed by the image within the body of
the document, providing the images as an alternate to the text. In that case, you do not have to
provide alternate text within the image.

To add alternative text to images and graphical objects

1. Right-click* the object
2. Select Format Picture…
3. Select the Alt Text option from the list
4. Fill in the Title. If more description is required (e.g., for a chart or graph), provide a
short description in the Title (e.g., a summary of the trend) and more detail in the
Description.
Note: If the document is ever saved to HTML, the Title and Description fields are
combined into a single HTML <alt> tag.

8
Technique 7. Use Built-In Structuring Features
7.1 Tables
When using tables, it is important to ensure that they are clear and appropriately structured.
This helps all users to better understand the information in the table and allows assistive
technologies (e.g., screen readers) to provide context so that the information within the table
can be conveyed in a meaningful way.

Tips for tables

 Only use tables for tabular information, not for formatting.
 Use “real tables” rather than text formatted to look like tables using the TAB key or
space bar. These will not be recognized by assistive technology.
 Keep tables simple by avoiding merged cells and dividing complex data sets into
separate smaller tables, where possible.
 If tables split across pages, set the header to show at the top of each page. Also set the
table to break between rows instead of in the middle of rows.
 Create a text summary of the essential table contents. Any abbreviations used should be
explained in the summary.
 Table captions or descriptions should answer the question "what is the table's purpose
and how is it organized?" (e.g., "A sample order form with separate columns for the
item name, price and quantity").

9
  Table cells should be marked as table headers when they serve as labels to help
interpret the other cells in the table.
 Table header cells labels should be concise and clear.
 Ensure the table is not “floating” on the page (see Technique 4).

To add a table with headings

1. Go to menu item: Insert
2. In the Tables section, select the Tables icon
3. Select the number of rows and columns you would like your table to have
4. Select the table and a Table Tools menu item should appear
5. Go to menu item: Table Tools > Design
6. In the Table Style Options section, select the Header Row check box
Note: Whenever possible, keep tables simple with just 1 row of headings.

7.2 Lists
When you create lists, it is important to format them as “real lists”. Otherwise, assistive
technologies will interpret your list as a series of short separate paragraphs instead of a
coherent list of related items.

To create an ordered or unordered list

1. Go to menu item: Home
2. In the Paragraph section, select the Bullets icon for unordered lists or select the
Numbering icon for ordered lists
3. To select a different list format, select the arrow beside the icon
4. Select a format from the format Library that appears in the drop-down menu

To modify list styles

1. Go to menu item: Home
2. In the Paragraph section, select the arrow beside the Bullets icon for unordered lists or
select the arrow beside the Numbering icon for ordered lists
3. Select Define New Bullet… to create a new unordered list format
4. Select Define New Number Format… to create a new ordered list format
5. In the New Bullet dialog or the New Number Format dialog, select the list
characteristics
6. Select OK

7.3 Columns
Use Columns feature for placing text in columns.
Note: Because columns can be a challenge for users of some assistive technologies, consider
whether a column layout is really necessary.

10
7.4 Document Title
In case the document is ever converted into HTML, it should be given a descriptive and
meaningful title.

To change the title of the current document

1. Go to menu item: File
2. Select Info from the list in the left window pane
3. In the right window pane, select the Title text box
4. Enter the Title
Note: The Title defined in the properties is different than the file name. It is also
unrelated to the template name, discussed above.

Technique 8. Create Accessible Charts

Charts can be used to make data more understandable for some audiences. However, it is
important to ensure that your chart is as accessible as possible to all members of your
audience. All basic accessibility considerations that are applied to the rest of your document
must also be applied to your charts and the elements within your charts. For example, use
shape and color, rather than color alone, to convey information. As well, some further steps
should be taken to ensure that the contents are your chart are appropriate labeled to give users
reference points that will help them to correctly interpret the information.

To create a chart
1. Select a Slide Layout that contains a placeholder for a chart (see Technique 3.1, above)
2. Select the Insert Chart icon from the center of the placeholder
3. Select a Chart Type from the Insert Chart dialog
4. Select OK

Note: This will open the Excel document titled “Chart in Microsoft Office PowerPoint”,
where you can input the data you would like to include in the chart. When you have done
this, simply close the Excel window and the data will appear on the chart in the PowerPoint
presentation.

To add titles and labels

1. In the Chart Tools menu section, go to menu item: Layout
2. In the Labels section, select the type of title or label you would like to define (e.g., Chart
Title, Axis Titles, Data Labels)

To apply a predefined Chart Layout

1. In the Chart Tools menu section, go to menu item: Design
2. In the Chart Layouts section, select a Quick Layout from the scrolling Chart Layouts
gallery

11
To change to a different predefined Chart Type
1. In the Chart Tools menu section, go to menu item: Design
2. In the Type section, select the Change Chart Type icon
3. In the Change Chart Type dialog, select a chart type from the left pane
4. Select a Chart Design from the right pane
5. Select OK

Other Chart Considerations

 When creating line charts, use the formatting options to create different types of
dotted lines to facilitate legibility for users who are color blind
 When creating bar charts, go to menu item: Chart Tools > Format and in the Shape
Styles section select Shape Fill to apply a texture to help distinguish the bars
 Change the default colors to a color safe or gray-scale palette
 Use the formatting options to change predefined colors, ensuring that they align
with sufficient contrast requirements (see Technique 9.2, below)

Technique 9. Make Content Easier to See

9.1 Format of Text
When formatting text, especially when the text is likely to printed, try to:
 Use font sizes between 12 and 18 points for body text.
 Use fonts of normal weight, rather than bold or light weight fonts. If you do choose to
use bold fonts for emphasis, use them sparingly.
 Use standard fonts with clear spacing and easily recognized upper and lower case
characters. Sans serif fonts (e.g., Arial, Verdana) may sometimes be easier to read than
serif fonts (e.g., Times New Roman, Garamond).
 Avoid large amounts of text set all in caps, italic or underlined.
 Use normal or expanded character spacing, rather than condensed spacing.
 Avoid animated or scrolling text.
But can’t users just zoom in? Office applications do typically include accessibility features such
as the ability to magnify documents and support for high contrast modes. However, because
printing is an important aspect of many workflows and changing font sizes directly will change
documents details such the pagination, the layout of tables, etc., it is best practice to always
format text for a reasonable degree of accessibility.

9.2 Use Sufficient Contrast

The visual presentation of text and images of text should have a contrast ration of at least 4.5:1.
To help you determine the contrast, here are some examples on a white background:
12
  Very good contrast (Foreground=black, Background=white, Ratio=21:1)
 Acceptable contrast (Foreground=#767676, Background=white, Ratio=4.54:1)
 Unacceptable contrast (Foreground=#AAAAAA, Background=white, Ratio=2.32:1)
Also, always use a single solid color for a text background rather than a pattern.
In order to determine whether the colors in your document have sufficient contrast, you can
consult an online contrast checker, such as:
 Juicy Studio: Luminosity Color Contrast Ratio Analyzer
 Joe Dolson Color Contrast Spectrum Tester
 Joe Dolson Color Contrast Comparison

9.3 Avoid Using Color Alone

Color should not be used as the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an
action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element. In order to spot where color
might be the only visual means of conveying information, you can create a screenshot of the
document and then view it with online gray-scale converting tools, such as:
 GrayBit v2.0: Grayscale Conversion Contrast Accessibility Tool

9.4 Avoid Relying on Sensory Characteristics

The instructions provided for understanding and operating content should not rely solely on
sensory characteristics such as the color or shape of content elements. Here are two examples:
 Do not track changes by simply changing the color of text you have edited and noting
the color. Instead use PowerPoint 2010’s “Track Changes” feature to track changes.
 Do not distinguish between images by referring to their appearance (e.g. “the bigger
one”). Instead, label each image with a figure number and use that for references.

9.5 Avoid Using Images of Text

Before you use an image to control the presentation of text (e.g., to ensure a certain font or
color combination), consider whether you can achieve the same result by styling “real text”. If
this is not possible, as with logos containing stylized text, make sure to provide alternative text
for the image following the techniques noted above.

9.6 Avoid Transitions

Transitions between slides and elements in each slide (e.g., bullets in a list flying onto the
screen) can be distracting to users with disabilities. It can also cause assistive technologies to
read the slide incorrectly. For these reasons, it is best to avoid transitions altogether.

13
Technique 10. Make Content Easier to Understand
10.1 Write Clearly
By taking the time to design your content in a consistent way, it will be easier to access,
navigate and interpret for all users:
 Whenever possible, write clearly with short sentences.
 Introduce acronyms and spell out abbreviations.
 Avoid making the document too “busy” by using lots of whitespace and by avoiding too
many different colors, fonts and images.
 If content is repeated on multiple pages within a document or within a set of documents
(e.g., headings, footings, etc.), it should occur consistently each time it is repeated.

10.2 Provide Context for Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks are more effective navigation aids when the user understands the likely result of
following the link. Otherwise, users may have to use trial-and-error to find what they need.
To help the user understand the result of selecting a hyperlink, ensure that the link makes
sense when read in the context of the text around it. For example, while it would be confusing
to use “more information” as a link by itself on a page, it would be fine to use “more
information” as a link in the following sentence: “The airport can be reached by taxi or bus
(more information).”
To make the address of hyperlink clear when printing, you may wish to include the address in
brackets following the descriptive text of the hyperlink.

To change link text

1. Highlight the link and right-click*
2. Select Edit Hyperlink (Ctrl + K)
3. Change the text in the Text to display box to something descriptive

10.3 Accessible Presentations

It is important to consider accessibility before, during, and after presentations. Below is a
helpful link with guidance on how to make presentations accessible to all:
 “How to Make Presentations Accessible to All” (Source: W3C-WAI Draft)

Technique11. Check Accessibility

If you wish to check the accessibility of your document or template (see Technique 1, above),
PowerPoint 2010 offers an “Accessibility Checker” to review your document against a set of
possible issues that users with disabilities may experience in your file.

14
The “Accessibility Checker” classifies issues as
 Error – content that makes a file very difficult or impossible for people with disabilities
to understand
 Warning – content that in most, but not all, cases makes a file difficult for people with
disabilities to understand
 Tip – content that people with disabilities can understand, but that might be better
organized or presented in a way that would maximize their experience
To learn more about the Accessibility Checker and the rules it uses to identify and classify
accessibility issues in your document, visit the PowerPoint 2010 help section (see Accessibility
Help, below). Use the search term “accessibility checker rules” in the help search box.

To use the “Accessibility Checker”

1. Go to menu item: File
2. Select Info in the left window pane
3. Under Prepare for Sharing, an alert will appear if a potential accessibility issue has been
detected

4. To view and repair the issues, select Check for Issues and then Check Accessibility

5. An Accessibility Checker task pane will open, showing the inspection results

15
 6. Select a specific issue to see Additional Information
7. Follow the steps provided to fix or revise the content

In order to get further indication of the accessibility of your document or template (see
Technique 1), then you may consider saving the file into HTML or PDF in order to perform an
accessibility check in one of those formats, as described below.

16
To evaluate HTML accessibility
Another option is to save the document into HTML format and use one of the web accessibility
checkers available online. Such as:
 AChecker
 WebAIM Wave Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool

To evaluate PDF accessibility

If you saved your document in tagged PDF format, you can use the following tools and steps to
evaluate the accessibility of the PDF document:
 Adobe Acrobat Professional
 PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC) – a free alternative provided by “Access for all”

To evaluate PDF accessibility in Adobe Acrobat Professional

1. Go to menu item: Advanced > Accessibility > Full Check…
2. In the Full Check dialog, select all the checking option
3. Select the Start Checking button

Technique 12. Use Accessibility Features when Saving/Exporting to

Other Formats
In some cases, additional steps must be taken in order to ensure accessibility information is
preserved when saving/exporting to formats other than the default.

PDF
PDF documents are not always accessible. Accessible PDF documents are often called
“Tagged PDF” because they include “tags” that encode structural information required for
accessibility. To evaluate the accessibility of your PDF document, see Technique 11 (above).
1. Go to menu item: File
2. Select Save As
3. In the File name box, type a name for the file
4. In the Save as type list, select PDF or XPS Document
5. Select the Options button
6. Under Include non-printing information in the Options dialog, ensure that the
Document structure tags for accessibility check box is selected

17
 7. Select OK and Save

HTML
1. Go to menu item: File
2. Select Save As
3. In the File name box, type a name for the file
4. In the Save as type box, select Web Page
5. Select Save
6. Check the HTML file for accessibility (see Technique 11, above)

To clean up your HTML file

1. Remove unnecessary styles, line breaks, etc.
2. Remove unnecessary id, class, and attributes
3. Remove font tags
4. Remove styles in the <head> tag
5. Ensure the <th> tags have a scope attribute
6. Remove <p> tags nested inside <th> and <td> tags
7. Check for accessibility (see Technique 11, above)
Note: you may wish to use HTML editors or utilities to help with this process.

18
19