MS Office Accessibility - Word and PowerPoint

6 tips for creating accessible documents

This presentation introduces you to 6 basic accessibility guidelines for making your documents, emails, and PowerPoints accessible for everyone. Topics covered include color contrast, proper use of hyperlinks, alternate text for images, etc. The series includes a 20-minute presentation and a 20-minute “how-to” session demonstrating the steps you need to create your accessible content.  

Your mission, if you choose to accept:

General Techniques for Word and PowerPoint

PowerPoint Tips

  • Use of the PowerPoint slide layout templates is the most significant thing you can do to ensure your content is accessible
    • Don't use Text boxes: Presentation designers often use "Insert Text box" to create a unique slide layout.  This process makes the content contained in the text box inaccessible to many users.
  • Title all slides with a unique name
  • If a specific slide layout is desired, use the Slide Master Tool to edit slide layout. 
  • Videos: Open caption any videos you insert into your slides (DRC is available for assistance; itaccessibility@arizona.edu)
  • Handouts:  Think about extracting the text and creating an outline of your presentation rather than printing the slides (it saves paper!)
  • Watch our video "How to create an accessible Power Point presentation" (5 minutes)

Additional Resources

Disability Resources (DRC) is YOUR resource for ensuring accessible content!

For Support or Consultation: