Use this checklist to guide you toward creating accessible MS PowerPoint slides. Start with practices that you find quick and easy, then build from there. The Check Accessibility tool in PowerPoint may help you detect and correct common accessibility issues.
Small changes can have a big impact!
General
- Choose a simple Design Theme (text should always appear on a solid background, with sufficient contrast between the text and background colours)
- Ensure that all text (including headings and subheadings) uses normal capitalization, not all caps
- Limit amount of text/images per slide to avoid clutter and maximize white space
- Use PowerPoint’s preformatted slide Layouts when creating slides
- Give every slide a unique title
- Keep animations and transitions simple
- Check slides using the built-in “Check Accessibility” tool
- Create a bottom-to-top reading order (z-order) of elements on each slide
Text
- Use text that is preferably 24-32 points (18 points, minimum)
- Use a plain sans serif font (e.g., Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Tahoma, or Verdana)
- Ensure sufficient contrast between the text and background colours
- Create lists with the built-in bullets or numbering function, not typed characters or hyphens
- Use the built-in slide numbering function, if numbering slides
- Use style elements to organize and structure the slides (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.)
- Hyperlink text should indicate the target of the link; it should not say "click here"
- If the presentation is also provided as a printout, include the URL along with the hyperlink text
Images and other Visual Elements
- For each image, include meaningful alt text (a short description of the nature and content of the image) using the built-in function in PowerPoint
- Label decorative images as "decorative" in the alt text interface
- Do not use colour as the only means of conveying information (check by going to Accessibility > Inspect without Colour)
- Avoid using text on images; if you must use an image with text in it, ensure that an alternative format is available (e.g., image alt text or long image description) that includes all of the text shown in the image, in a text format”
- Include captions, transcripts, and descriptive text transcripts (if needed) for embedded videos and audio
- Check colour contrast using the Colour Contrast Analyser
Tables
- Create tables using Insert Table
- Use a simple table structure; do not nest tables or split/merge cells
- Indicate whether the table has a header row and/or a first column (i.e., a header column)
Resources
- Colour Contrast Analyser (CCA)
- Microsoft Office Make your PowerPoint Presentations Accessible to People with Disabilities
- eCampusOntario Accessibility Resources – Microsoft PowerPoint Template
- eCampusOntario Accessibility Best Practices
- Accessible Campus Using PowerPoint
This Creative Commons license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon our work non-commercially, as long as they credit us and indicate if changes were made. Use this citation format: Accessibility Checklist for MS PowerPoint. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo.