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Creating Accessible Documents: PowerPoint Training

Bureau of Aging and Disability Resources

Wisconsin Department of Health Services

Division of Public Health

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Overview

Background

Definition of “accessibility”
Laws, guidelines, and compliance

Keys to accessible documents and presentations
Templates
Accessibility Checker

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What is Accessibility?

Easy and intuitive to use
Intentional design to include accessibility
Universal design: creating accessible products for everyone, regardless of age, disability, or other factors

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Accessibility Laws

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Rehabilitation Act of 1973:

Section 504
Section 508

Telecommunications Act of 1996: Section 255

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All of these laws can be interpreted to include web content and electronic publications, but none of them provide specific standards that agencies have to comply with.

ADA—equal access for people with disabilities in places of public accommodation. This could be interpreted to include web content and electronic publications, but the ADA does not explicitly address online compliance.

Section 508—provides standards for information and communication technology (ICT) to ensure accessibility and usability by individuals with disabilities, but only applies to Federal entities.

Section 504—applies to any entity receiving federal funding, but like the ADA, this is a non-discrimination law and does not explicitly address online compliance.

Section 255—applies specifically to access to telecommunications products and services (such as telephones or internet access), but does not address content standards.

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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

Internationally recognized guidelines for making web content more accessible, especially for people with disabilities
Four principles:

Perceivable
Operable
Understandable
Robust

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Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), as part of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).

Perceivable—Users must be able to perceive the information that is presented. In other words, it can’t be invisible to all of their senses.

Example: a person who is blind can’t see an image, so you need to provide a text equivalent that conveys the information presented by the image.

Operable—Users must be able to interact with and navigate the interface.

Example: a person with a physical disability that cannot operate a computer mouse must be able to navigate a document or webpage with only the keyboard or other form of assistive technology.

Understandable—Users must be able to understand the information and how to navigate it.

Example: Providing definitions for abbreviations or minimizing the use of idioms and jargon so that a person who is Deaf and does not speak English as their primary language can still fully understand the content.

Robust—Users must be able to access the content reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technology. This is mostly in the back-end coding of software and web pages, so we won’t touch on it much here.

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Why Accessibility?

Screen Readers
Screen Magnification
Text to Speech software and hardware
Alternative keyboard and switch access
Captioning
Video description
Learning styles and cognition

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Keys to Accessible Documents and Presentations

Alternative text and text equivalents
Color use and color contrast
Plain language
Appropriate link text
Document structure and navigation
Reading order
Transitions and animations

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Alternative Text and �Text Equivalents

Often called “alt text”
Provides non-visual representation of content or function of a visual element:

Pictures or illustrations
Images of text
Shapes
Charts and graphs
SmartArt

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Frozen Video

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Fonts

Some fonts are easier to read than others.

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Adding Alt Text

Right click on the image.
Scroll to the bottom of the pop-up menu and select “Format Picture...”
In Format Picture menu, select the “Alt Text” tab.

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Reminders for Alt Text

Leave the “Title” field blank.
Enter alt text into the “Description” field of the Alt Text menu.
Make sure your alt text is concise but meaningful—convey the necessary information without going into too much detail.

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Text Equivalents for Multimedia

Audio

Transcription and captions
Alternative languages (including American Sign Language)

Video—describe meaningful onscreen action and visual cues

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Color Choice for Text �and Graphics

When choosing colors, consider:

Users with color blindness or low vision
Elements that are viewed or printed in grayscale

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Using Only Color �to Convey Meaning

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The Problem with �Only Using Color

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Solving the Problem �with Line Markers

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Lines are Still Distinguished

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Color Contrast

The difference in perceived brightness between two colors

Is expressed as a ratio
Applies to visual separation between foreground and background

Black and white: 21:1
Minimum WCAG standard: 4.5:1

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Color Contrast Examples

21:1�The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

4.5:1�The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

7:1�The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

2:1�The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

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Plain Language Example

Not Plain Language

When the process of extricating a vehicle that has been stuck results in ruts or holes, the operator will fill the rut or hole created by such activity before removing the vehicle from the immediate area.

Plain Language

If you make a hole while freeing a stuck vehicle, you must fill the hole before you drive away.

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Appropriate Link Text

Appropriate link text describes function, destination, or purpose of link
Will depend on end source (print or electronic)
Example:

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Inserting a Hyperlink

Go to the “Insert” tab in the top ribbon or right click within the text.
Select “Hyperlink.”

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Inserting a Hyperlink, Cont.

Enter full link address in the “Address” bar.
Type appropriate link text in “Text to display.”

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Text to display

Address

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A Few Keys for PowerPoints

Slide Master View
Reading order
Unique slide titles
Hidden slide titles
Audio and video
Animation considerations
Speaker notes
Accessibility Checker

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What’s a Slide Master?

Starting point and base for presentation
Automatic placement for logos or branding
Sets the fonts, colors, theme, and layouts
Selects the components you plan to use
Create under the View tab

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Why Slide Master?

Efficient
Edit your Theme

Manage changes from one place
Manage accessibility from one place (reading order, content placeholders, etc.)

This is where to put redundant images (branding, logos)
This may be a hidden gem for people!

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Slide Master View

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Slide Master

Adjust and create slide layouts

Delete layouts that you know you won’t use
Create layouts that aren’t available by default
Adjust existing layouts to meet your needs

Manage default reading order and content placeholders
Make changes on all relevant slides at once

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Slide Titles

Unique Title for each slide
Allows screen readers to differentiate
Screen readers use slide titles for navigation

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Hidden Slide Titles

Slide titles act like headings in a written document
Hidden slide titles are still visible in outline view

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Reading Order

Screen reading software is not intuitive
Factors that affect reading order include:

Data tables
Columns
Selection and visibility
Slide Master (in PowerPoint)

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Selection Pane

Allows you to view reading order and toggle visibility of objects on each slide (PowerPoint)
Open by going to the “Arrange” menu on the “Home” tab

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Selection and Visibility

Screen readers will determine reading order from bottom to top
Eyeball icon toggles content visibility

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Transitions and Animations

Unique feature of PowerPoint

Adds “flair!” and “pizzaz!”
Could affect seizure disorders
Creates added burden for users of assistive technology or individuals with cognitive disabilities
Is not compatible with PDF

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Accessibility Checker

Word and PowerPoint
Not perfect
Errors and warnings
Tips and instructions

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Checking Accessibility

To open the accessibility checker, go to:

“File” menu
“Info” tab
“Check for Issues”
“Check Accessibility”

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Check Compatibility

Check for compatibility
Current and previous versions of Office

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Check Readability

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Portable Document �Format (PDF)

For sharing, it’s often useful to convert documents and presentations into PDFs.
When done correctly, PDFs retain heading and list tags and are able to be navigated with screen readers.

“Save As” PDF
Do not print to PDF

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Pop Quiz #1

Scanning in an image, such as form to complete is accessible?
A. True
B. False
C. It depends

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Example of Scanned Form

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Pop Quiz #2

The proper way to make a PDF from WORD or Powerpoint is?
A. Save as PDF

or

B. Print as PDF

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Pop Quiz #3

Do you need a title on each slide?
A. True
B. False
C. It depends

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Resources

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Thank You!

Questions or Feedback?

�DHSWisTech@dhs.wisconsin.gov

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