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Re: PowerPoint Accessibility

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From: Paul.Adam
Date: Sep 1, 2011 12:42PM

PowerPoint accessibility for JAWS/windows is super easy, just make sure all objects have alt text and each slide has a unique title.

LecShare does a great job of checking the original PPT for accessibility and you can even add alt text in that app which will save it back to the PPT. You can also use the free LecShare app as a PPT a11y checker before sending out or posting to the web.

The worst issue is how PowerPoint's are read on the Mac or iPhone, the alt text of images gets trashed and replaced with garbled text. Well that and NVDA won't read a PowerPoint at all :( I love that screen reader too! Maybe one day? MS should donate them some money to speed up the process.

Here's a copy of the checklist I developed from scouring the web for accessibility info a year or so back. It's super detailed and tries to cover every possible issue. May be overkill.

Accessible PowerPoint Documents Checklist
Formatting and Layout
 All slide text can be viewed in the Outline View.
 Slide show was created from an existing slide layout.
 Information in outline view appears in the same order as in slide view.
 Document uses structure such as Titles, Lists, and Tables to define elements.
 White space is controlled with styles and NOT with the Enter key.
 Slide numbering is used, NOT manually typed page numbers.
Text and Lists
 Text boxes are NOT used. Instead Text Placeholders that appear in the slide layout are used.
 Slide master styles are used to control formatting.
 Recommended fonts are used. (i.e. Times New Roman, Verdana, Arial, Tahoma and Helvetica) Text to be viewed on a projector should be large.
 Bullet styles are used for bulleted lists, NOT manually typed characters (e.g. Hyphens).
 List numbering is used for numbered lists, NOT manually typed numbers.
Columns
 Columns are set-up using the Column tool. Spaces and tabs are NOT used to create the look of columns.
Tables
 Complex tables are NOT used.
 The tab key or indent is NOT used to format tabular data.
 Tables used for data are created using the Table tool.
 Data tables use column headings.
 Tables have a logical reading order from left to right, top to bottom.
 Tables do NOT use merged cells.
Links
 All hyperlinks have titles describing the purpose or target of the link. “Click here” or “more” is NOT used as link titles.
 Links contain the fully qualified URL (i.e., http://www.google.com NOT www.google.com).
 Link URLs and email URLs are shown on the screen next to the title of the link.
E.g. Google (http://www.google.com/) & DARS Accessibility ( <EMAIL REMOVED> )
Non-Text Elements (Illustrations & Objects)
 Graphics were not copy/pasted into the slides, rather, inserted through the insert icons in the slide’s layout.
 The notes pane is used to describe complex images, flow charts, tables, and audio.
 Tables, charts, and graphs are created within PowerPoint rather than another program.
 All non-text elements have alternative text descriptions that convey the same information to the user that the image conveys.
 Images which do not convey information have a carriage return as alternative text.
 Complex images are grouped and alt text is added.
 Complex images (e.g., charts and graphs) have descriptive text directly below the image.
 Images with similar contents are grouped and one alt text is provided.
 Document does NOT use background images or watermarks.
 Word Art is NOT used.
 Drawings made with Shapes are imbedded as a PDF file with alt text.
 Flashing images are NOT used.

Color
 Color and highlighting is NOT used as the only way to provide information.
 Information conveyed with color is also available without color.
 Colors used in your document provide good contrast.
File Names and Document Properties
 File name does NOT contain spaces and/or special characters.
 File name is concise, generally limited to 20-30 characters, and makes the contents of the file clear.
 Document Properties (i.e. Subject, Author, Title, Keywords, and Language) are filled out. Note: For Author, do not use individuals name or contractor name. Should use government organization name (i.e., HHS).
Multimedia
 Transcripts are included for audio clips.
 Captions and audio descriptions are included for videos.
 Sounds play automatically as the slide appears.

Paul Adam
Accessibility Specialist
Center for Policy and Innovation
<EMAIL REMOVED>