An accessible presentation is about both the slide deck and how you present it. Clear slide titles, a sensible reading order, good contrast and accessible images and media all help people follow your content.
Create an accessible slide deck
- Give every slide a clear, unique title
- Check the reading order of the content on each slide and correct it where needed
- Add useful alt text to meaningful images and charts
- Use enough colour contrast and do not rely on colour alone to communicate meaning
- Keep text clear and concise. If you need to provide more detail, consider using accessible notes or a separate handout
- Keep tables simple and use clear headers
- Add captions to video and provide alternatives for important audio or visual information
- Use descriptive link text
Check accessibility
Run the Accessibility Checker while you work and again before sharing the presentation. Review and fix the issues it identifies.
The checker will not find every accessibility problem, so also review the slides yourself. Check that the reading order makes sense, content does not rely on colour or layout alone, and images and media have appropriate alternatives.
Present accessibly
Accessibility also matters when you deliver the presentation.
- Share accessible slides or other materials in advance where possible
- Turn on captions for spoken content when presenting online
- Describe important visual information that is not explained aloud
- Read out key information instead of saying only “as you can see here”
- Give people enough time to read and understand more complex slides before moving on
Sources and further guidance: Microsoft Accessibility Checker | W3C Designing for Web Accessibility