Accessibility for PowerPoint

These guidelines were developed with heavy reliance on WebAIM. The guide is mainly for Office 365 and Office 2020 users. If you use an older version or would like more details, please see WebAIM: PowerPoint Accessibility.

Training Available

These guidelines are intended to assist users and as a reminder for techniques learned in training. It does not replace formal training to make your PowerPoint presentations accessible. For training resources, see Accessibility Training Resources.

Best Practices

• Use plain language appropriate to your audience
• Ensure text is large enough to read (especially when it is on distant screen)
• Choose fonts that are easily readable
  • Easily readable: Verdana and Tahoma
  • Use sans serif fonts
  • More on readability with WebAIM
• Ensure sufficient contrast between text colors and background colors
  • Light text on dark backgrounds
  • Dark text on light background
• Do not use color as the only way to convey meaning
• Keep transitions and animations simple (don't distract from your presentation)
• Embedded video must have captions.

PowerPoint Accessibility Basics

1. Choose an accessible theme/template
2. Use “New Slide” to choose the layouts of your slides
3. Check and correct reading order
4. Add Alternative text to images
5. Use the table tools to indicate header rows for tables
6. Create human readable links that are understood out of context
7. Check Accessibility

Start with a Theme