Improve Slide Readability

Readable slides help all viewers, including those with visual impairments, access and understand your content.

1. Use simple sans-serif fonts such as Arial, Calibri, or Aptos.
2. Use at least 18-point font for body text and 24-point or larger text for headings.
3. Maintain strong contrast between text and background.
4. Avoid overcrowding slides with excessive text, images, or visual elements.
5. Use clear, direct language and avoid unnecessary jargon.
6. Do not use color alone to identify categories, status, importance, or meaning.

Tip: View your slides in full-screen mode and from several feet away to confirm that the text is easy to read.

Use Built-In Slide Layouts

Built-in PowerPoint layouts create structure that assistive technology can interpret more reliably.

1. Go to the Home tab and select Layout.
2. Choose a built-in layout that matches the purpose of the slide.
3. Use placeholders for titles, body text, and images whenever possible.
4. Avoid creating slides entirely from manually inserted text boxes.
5. Avoid overlapping text, images, and shapes.

Tip: Built-in layouts improve consistency, readability, and screen-reader navigation.

Give Every Slide a Meaningful Title

Slide titles help participants understand the purpose of each slide and allow screen-reader users to navigate through the presentation.

1. Use the title placeholder in the selected slide layout.
2. Write a title that identifies the slide’s purpose or main idea.
3. Use a unique title for each slide whenever possible.
4. When a topic continues across several slides, add a distinguishing phrase such as Part 1, Example, or Discussion.
5. If you do not want a visible title, use PowerPoint’s accessibility tools to position the title off the visible slide rather than deleting it.

Tip: Titles such as “Key Findings” or “Discussion Question” are more useful than repeating the seminar title on every slide.

Add Alternative Text for Images

Alternative text describes meaningful images for participants who cannot see them or who use assistive technology.

1. Right-click the image.
2. Select Edit Alt Text.
3. Write a concise description of the image and its instructional purpose.
4. Mark the image as decorative if it does not communicate important content.

Example: “Line graph showing enrollment growth from 2020 through 2025.”

Tip: Avoid starting descriptions with “image of” or “picture of.” For a complex chart or diagram, explain the main takeaway in the slide text or speaker narration as well.

Check Reading Order

Reading order determines how slide content is interpreted by screen readers and other assistive technologies.

1. Open the slide you want to check.
2. Go to the Review tab and select Check Accessibility.
3. Open the Reading Order pane or use the available selection and accessibility tools for your version of PowerPoint.
4. Confirm that the title comes first, followed by the main text and supporting visuals.
5. Move objects into a logical order when necessary.
6. Mark decorative objects so they are not included unnecessarily.

Tip: A logical reading order usually follows the same order a person would naturally understand the slide: title first, then main content, then supporting details.

Make Audio and Video Accessible

Multimedia included in a presentation must also provide access to the information communicated through sound and visuals.

1. Use videos with accurate captions.
2. Correct automatic captions when they contain errors.
3. Provide a transcript when it would help participants review or access the spoken content.
4. Describe essential visual information that is not explained in the audio.
5. Test media links and playback before the seminar.

Tip: Captions also help participants in large rooms, noisy environments, and situations where the audio is difficult to hear.

Run a Final Accessibility Check

Before sharing your presentation, use PowerPoint’s Accessibility Checker to find common issues such as missing alternative text, poor reading order, unclear slide titles, or low contrast.

1. Go to the Review tab.
2. Select Check Accessibility.
3. Review the inspection results.
4. Correct the issues PowerPoint identifies.
5. Manually review titles, reading order, alternative text, captions, contrast, and slide readability.
6. Save the updated presentation.

Tip: The automated checker is a starting point. It cannot determine whether your alternative text is meaningful or whether a slide is understandable from a distance.