PowerPoints and Accessibility

Introduction

• Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the most popular tools for creating slide show presentations.

• It is often used to organize thoughts for a meeting or lesson, to present key points in a live presentation, and even to create handouts.

Powerpoints and Accessibility

• Although there are no definitive guidelines, accessibility is about making presentations readable, usable, and navigable for everybody, not just people with permanent or temporary physical impairments.

• Usability means that the presentation offers a convenient and efficient browsing experience to the reader, and allows them to access the information contained in the presentation

Navigability

• Navigability means that the presentation can be easily traversed, the reader is aware of where they are and how they got there, and information is organized according to a logical system that readers can follow

Check the object order

• Items on a slide are read in the order that they are added to the slide. If you have any slides that you’re unsure about the order, use the Tab key in the slide view. Each press of the tab key selects the next shape in sequence. The title and text should be the first items listed.

• If any of your objects are not in the desired order, use the Order commands on the Draw menu to move them forward and backward in the stacking order.

Set up the slide show• By default, PowerPoint allows the reader to advance

through slides using the Enter key, space bar, mouse click, and so on. This is a boon for persons with mobility issues.

• Avoid using the Browsed by an individual mode when setting up your slide show (Slide Show menu, Set Up Show command). This restricts the advancement of slides to links that you include in the slides.

• Avoid modifying slide transitions in such a way that it will hamper someone with mobility or cognitive limitations. Try not to automatically advance slides since some persons may not have enough time to absorb the information.

Common accessibility problems in PowerPoint presentations:

1. Graphics, figures, logos, and flow-charts are not accessible for many people using assistive technologies.

2. The text is not available for screen reader users if the information is not structured within auto layouts provided by PowerPoint program.

More

• 3. Poor contrast between background and text makes the information difficult to read on the screen.4. Multimedia (i.e. streaming video) could present a real challenge for deaf people and for people with visual impairments

Screen Readers

• A primary consideration for PowerPoint accessibility is compatibility with screen readers

Creating Slides in Outline Mode

• This is an important technique for achieving accessibility

• By entering your content in the outline mode, you make sure slides use the placeholders and slide layouts properly. This is especially important for proper text flow in your finished presentation.

• The following lists the techniques for creating a presentation in Outline Mode

Create the outline

• Start with a blank presentation. Create the majority of your presentation content in the outline view.

• To change to outline view, on the View menu, click Normal, and then in the leftmost pane of the program window, click the Outline tab.

• Type the content of your presentation directly in the outline pane.

• PowerPoint will start adding text automatically with the Title of the Title Slide.

New Slides

• Press Enter to create a new slide. • Before typing another title, press the TAB key

to demote the paragraph to type your subtitle.

• Press Enter after typing your subtitle and then press the Shift-TAB keys to create a new slide and enter the title.

Continue

• Continue in this fashion until you have entered all the Titles and text for your presentation.

• The keystrokes for editing in the outline mode are:

Key Combination Action• SHIFT+TAB or ALT+SHIFT+LEFT ARROW Promote a

paragraph • TAB or ALT+SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW Demote a paragraph • ALT+SHIFT+UP ARROW Move selected paragraphs up • ALT+SHIFT+DOWN ARROW Move selected paragraphs

down • ALT+SHIFT+1 Show heading level 1 • ALT+SHIFT+PLUS SIGN Expand text below a heading • ALT+SHIFT+MINUS SIGN Collapse text below a heading • ALT+SHIFT+A Show all text or headings • SLASH (/) on the numeric keypad Turn character formatting

on/off

Presentation Metadata

• Metadata is of great use because its allows the presentation creator describe their work in broad detail

• This allows the user decide whether they need to through all of it or whether they can return to it some other time

Add metadata• Metadata increases the accessibility of your

presentation by making it easier to find. On the File menu, click Properties and fill in the blanks on the Summary tab.

• Pay particular attention to keywords. These are the words a search engine will use to find your presentation.

• Set up a handy reminder by clicking Options on the Tools menu, and then going to the Save tab and putting a check next to Prompt for file properties.

• PowerPoint will automatically open the Properties dialog box when you save a new presentation.

Design and Layout

• Slide design and Layout have a major bearing on accessibility since they provide choices which can impact on the users access

• Change your presentation to Normal View by clicking the Normal View button in the lower-left corner of your PowerPoint program window.

• On the Format menu, click Slide Design and in the Slide Design task pane, apply a design template with high contrast between the background and text.

• Avoid light backgrounds because they enhance the effects of screen flicker. Screen flicker at a high enough rate may trigger seizures in some individuals.

• Check the contrast between the background and text on your presentation by printing a slide to a black-and-white printer with the grayscale box unchecked. Change your design template and test again if needed.

Design template Choices

• Accessible design template choices are affected by two factors: color contrast and font selection.

• Color blindness (color vision deficiency) is a condition in which certain colors cannot be distinguished. Red/Green color blindness is the most common form and causes problems in distinguishing reds and greens. Another color deficiency, Blue/Yellow, is rare.

Colour Blindness

• Color blindness seems to occur in about 8% - 12% of males of European origin and about one-half of 1% of females. Total color blindness (seeing in only shades of gray) is extremely rare. There is no treatment for color blindness, nor is it usually the cause of any significant disability. However, it can be very frustrating for individuals affected by it

Fonts

• Fonts should be large and easy to read. • Avoid serif fonts such as Times New Roman.

Serif fonts look great on paper, but are difficult to read on screen.

• Instead, stay with common sans serif fonts such Arial and Tahoma

Slide layouts

• Every version of PowerPoint since at least 2000 contains a series of highly-accessible slide layouts.

• PowerPoint is designed to encourage the use of these slide layouts, especially in newer versions.

Layout Templates

• Using these templates correctly will ensure that your files have correctly-structured headings and lists, proper reading order, etc.

• The correct use of slide layouts is probably the most significant thing you can do to ensure that your content is accessible.

PowerPoint 2000-2003

• Select Format > Slide Layout... or use the Slide Layout sidebar.

PowerPoint 2007-2010

• Select Home > New Slide, or select the New Slide button, and a menu of slide types will appear.

Add graphics, clip art, and more

• Go through your presentation and enhance it with clip art, charts, and so on. Add the items in the order you want them to be seen and read on the slide. Keep in mind that any non-text elements need a narrative description.

• Resist the urge to add unnecessary images. Be selective in your choice of non-text elements.

• Choose images and items that enhance your slide and make the message clearer.

Note Size matters

• Bigger is not always better, especially when viewing files over the web. PowerPoint files can quickly “bloat” as you add and delete items. Your presentation may not be accessible if it’s too large. It may be difficult to download for persons with slower connections.

• Images and sound files can add a lot of unnecessary weight to your files. Use them prudently and only when they add value.

Colour Contrast

• Take color contrast into consideration as you did with the presentation design.

• Avoid animated gif images. The rapid, repetitive motion of animated gif images can be distracting to persons with cognitive issues and may increase screen flicker

Alternative text for images• PowerPoint presentations usually include images. While

these images are sometimes decorative, many contain content that should be given a text alternative.

• For Example, Analogies and metaphors increase the ability to absorb and retain your message, especially in a technical presentation. They provide a “mental bridge” to the content of the presentation.

• Images that reinforce metaphors of the slide message can be especially effective.

• Images can be given appropriate alterative text in PowerPoint. This alternative text will be read by a screen reader in a PowerPoint file and should remain intact when exporting to HTML or PDF.

Notes

• There is no way to add empty/null alternative text to an image in PowerPoint.

• If your presentation has decorative images that do not convey unique content, the best thing to do is to leave the alternative text field blank.

• If the image does not have alternative text, it will typically be skipped by a screen reader.

Word ART

• "Word art" is actually converted to an image in Office 2003-2007 and must be given alternative text. It remains text in Office 2010.

PowerPoint 2000-2003

• To provide alternative text, right click on the image, then select Format Picture....

• A dialog box will appear. Select the Web tab and then add the appropriate alternative text.

PowerPoint 2007

• Adding alternative text to images is less intuitive in PowerPoint 2007. To add alternative text, right-click on the picture and select Size and Position.

• A dialog box will appear. Select the Alt Text tab.

Image Filename 1

• You will notice that the image filename is entered into the field by default.

• The filename is never appropriate alternative text.

• This functionality will almost certainly result in misuse of the alt attribute.

Image Filename 2

• Replace the filename with appropriate alternative text.

• For this image, it would be something like "WebAIM - Web Accessibility in Mind."

• If an image is decorative, remove the filename and leave this field blank.

PowerPoint 2010

• PowerPoint 2010 moved the alternative text field back to an intuitive place, but made things more confusing by creating two fields for alternative text.

• To add alternative text to an image, select Format Picture...

Format Picture open

• With the Format Picture menu open, select the option for Alt Text in the sidebar.

• Two fields will appear, one labeled Title and one labeled Description.

• For best results, add appropriate alternative text to the Description field, not the Title field.

Title Field

• Information in the Title field will not be saved as alternative text when the file is saved as HTML

Using AutoShapes

• While AutoShapes may appear to be images, they are actually text boxes. AutoShapes include squares, rectangles, circles, stars, call-outs, etc. Screen readers will read the text contained within the AutoShape.

• They may or may not read the alt-text associated with the shape. If you add text inside your AutoShapes, make sure the words are relevant and make sense.

Using charts

• When using charts, avoid having color as the only method to convey information. Use the PowerPoint fill feature to add texture to chart items. This will help them stand out more for persons with visual deficiencies.

PPT2HTML

• Or use PPT2HTML, available from RDP. PPT2HTML’s accessibility toolbar has an invaluable tool for adding alt-text to charts.

• With a few clicks, PPT2HTML will apply the chart information in a linear format to the alt-text of the chart.

Embedded Charts

• Embedded charts should be given alternative text, but sometimes the content of the chart might be too long for alternative text.

• If your presentation contains numerous charts or graphs, consider including a link to the original PPT file.

• The data that is used to create the chart will be accessible in the original file (it is basically a simple spreadsheet), but will not be included

Including media

• Avoid using media in a presentation to be posted on the web.

• Most media files are not integrated into the presentation file and require a separate download.

• Media files also do not convert well to other formats such as text-only and PDF.

• If you do decide to use media in your presentation, follow these guidelines:

• For video only, add alt-text to describe the complete video.

• For audio only, include a text transcript of the audio and a readily accessible link to it.

Audio and Video together

• For audio and video together (multimedia), you must have the clip captioned. – Providing a transcript of the audio portion of a

multimedia clip is not acceptable. The reader must be able to read the caption as the video is playing.

Readability

• Readability involves making sure that the language used in a presentation is understandable by its audience, and that spelling and grammar are correct. It also involves ensuring that slides can be read properly, regardless of the browser or platform being used by the reader.

Check readability

• The content of your presentation should be clear and simple so that it’s easy to understand. Using clear and simple language promotes effective communication. Access to written information can be difficult for people who have cognitive or learning disabilities.

• Using clear and simple language also benefits people whose first language differs from your own, including those people who communicate primarily in sign language.

Readability 2• Avoid using abbreviations and acronyms, if possible. Abbreviations

and acronyms are inconsistent. One person’s Meeting (MTG) could be another person’s Mortgage (MTG).

• I advise that you copy and paste your outline to a Microsoft Office Word document and run a more extensive version of the spelling and grammar checker. To set this up in Word, press the F7 key and then, in the Spelling and Grammar dialog box, click Options, and check the Check grammar with spelling box and the Show readability statistics box. Click OK and run the spelling and grammar checker.

• When complete, the readability statistics window opens. By using short paragraphs, sentences, and words, you can greatly increase reading comprehension of your presentation. This isn’t “dumbing down” your presentation, it’s communicating effectively.

Effective description of charts, graphs and diagrams

• This involves:• communicating the purpose of your image • determining which pieces of information are

the most significant to achieving your purpose

• establishing a logical, user-oriented order to the information you communicate through your images.

remember

• Remember that it is the content expert that is in the best position to determine these criteria and develop an effective description to accompany the informational images you use so they are accessible to all.

Data tables and accessibility issues

• In HTML, there are ways to identify row and column headers in a data table (using the <th> element). In PowerPoint, you can style rows and columns so they appear as data tables, but there is no way to add the content in a way that will be identified by a screen reader.

Adobe

• If your presentation contains more than the simplest tables, and if you have Adobe Acrobat, consider saving your presentation to PDF and adding the additional accessibility information in Acrobat Pro.

Using tables• When using tables in your presentation, you must describe

the contents in narrative detail. After adding your table, select it by clicking on the outside border, right-click and select Ungroup, answer Yes when prompted to convert the table to shapes. Right-click again, point to Grouping, and click Group. This allows the possibility of adding alternative text

• Another alternative is to create your table in Word, and apply formatting using the Table AutoFormat feature. (On the Table menu, click Table AutoFormat and then check the boxes to apply formatting to the Heading rows and First column.) Then copy and paste the table into PowerPoint. As long as you keep your tables simple and not nested, most screen readers will read it correctly.

Links

• Hyperlinks are usually created in PowerPoint by pasting the full url into a page (e.g., http://webaim.org/techniques/powerpoint/) and hitting space, Enter, or some other key.

• This automatically creates a link. It is simple, but the URL may not make sense to the reader.

Changing the Link Text

• To change the link text, select a link, right click and select Edit Hyperlink, or select Ctrl + K. Change the URL in the Text to display field to something more descriptive.

Set ScreenTips for links

• PowerPoint links give you the option of adding a descriptive caption.

• This is much more effective than having the reader see a long URL. To add screen tips to your links, highlight the link, press CTRL+K, click the screen tip button and enter a meaningful short description of the link in the Set Hyperlink ScreenTip box.

Note

• If you are creating a presentation that is intended to be displayed electronically and in a printout, you may want to include the URL and a description in the link text - "WebAIM article on accessible PowerPoint (webaim.org/techniques/powerpoint/)."

Other principles

• Ensure that font size is sufficient. If your presentation will be viewed on a projector, font size may need to be even larger.

• Provide sufficient contrast. If your presentation will be viewed on a projector, sometimes the contrast needs to be even more pronounced.

• Do not use color as the only way to convey content.

• Avoid automatic slide transitions. • Use simple slide transitions when possible.

Complex transitions can be distracting. • Use simple language.

Outline and Notes Panels

• PowerPoint contains two panels that can sometimes be used to enhance accessibility: the outline panel and the notes panel.

• The outline panel contains a text outline of the content that appears in your slides.

• Reviewing this panel can help ensure the content on the slides is logically sequenced, that slide titles are unique and meaningful and that reading order is appropriate.

Panel Text

• The text in this panel may also be a good starting place for handouts or HTML alternatives to slides (more below).

• Alternative text for image and text boxes that are not part of the default layout will not be included in the outline view.

Notes Panel

• The notes panel allows the speaker to add notes and information that will not appear on the slides.

• It can be used to add additional information to printed handouts as well.

• Placing image or chart descriptions in this area is not reliable and should be avoided. This information may not be accessed by a screen reader, especially if the presentation is saved to PDF or some other format.

Taxt Boxes

• Check reading order of text boxes that are not part of the native slide layout. They are usually the last thing read by a screen reader.

• If you have embedded video, ensure that the video is captioned, and that the player controls are accessible.

Embedded Audio

• If you have embedded audio, ensure a transcript is included.

• If your slides contain animations, ensure that they are brief and do not distract from the most important content on the page.

• To run the accessibility checker, select File > Info > Check for Issues > Check Accessibility.

• This will start the accessibility checker.• The checker presents accessibility errors (e.g.,

images with no alternative text), warnings (e.g., unclear link text) and tips (e.g., slide reading order). Feedback about the importance of each item, as well as tips on how to repair it, are included. Selecting an item in the report will select the corresponding item in the file.

PPTX Format

• The "pptx" format is the default file format for files created in PowerPoint 2007 and newer.

• The format has some advantages (such as smaller file size), but is not as widely supported as the old "ppt" format.

• Although there is a free download that allows users to open the newer format in older versions of PowerPoint, some content will be lost in the conversion process.

On the Web

• If the PowerPoint file is going to end up on the web, or if your going to send it to someone and are not doing anything that relies on the newer pptx format, consider saving files as PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation (*.ppt) in Office 2007 and 2010.

Convert PowerPoint to Other Formats

• PowerPoint is a good format for face to face presentations, but it is usually not the best format for content on the web.

• The file can be large, and users must either have Microsoft Office or a special plugin in order to view the file.

• One of the following formats may provide a better alternative.

Export to PDF

• PDF is often the best format to display PowerPoint presentations on the web. The file size is relatively small, distracting slide transitions are removed, and everyone has a PDF reader.

• Most importantly, heading structure and other accessibility information will remain intact if you export the file correctly.

• If you have a presentation with tables, and if you know how to add additional accessibility information in Adobe Acrobat, it might be possible to create a PDF file that is more accessible than the original PPT file.

Create HTML slides or outline

• Important• Many versions of PowerPoint have a Save As

Web Page option. • It does not create accessible HTML content

and should be avoided.

HTML and CSS

• If you are comfortable with HTML and CSS, and if your content is intended to be displayed on the web, you could consider creating your own slides in HTML.

• You would have to create your own "next" and "previous" buttons and make sure the links are accurate,

Creating your own web presentation

• This method is not as difficult as you might think.

• It is usually easiest to start with the content in the outline panel, and then add in images as well as visual styles.

• You can also create an HTML outline in addition to the PowerPoint file. This would allow users to review the structure of your presentation in a browser without having to open the main presentation.

• To create an HTML version, select and copy the contents of the Outline panel, paste in into an HTML editor such as Dreamweaver, and clean up the content.

Additional Information

• You may also wish to add additional information to the outline, such as relevant images (with appropriate alternative text).

Use other accessibility tools• There are a number of accessibility tools that may help you

create accessible web content from PowerPoint presentations. The following are a couple of the most popular tools.

• Lecshare is a tool that allows you to add synchronized audio narration to PowerPoint presentations. You can view these as videos or as HTML slides with embedded audio.

• The Virtual 508 Accessible Wizard (formerly Illinois Accessible Web Publishing Wizard) creates accessible HTML versions of PowerPoint presentation, but to do so, it creates numerous files. They have a version of the tool for Office 2000-2003 and for 2007 (no mention of 2010).