Our websites:

Our social media sites - YouTube, Twitter and Facebook

YouTube X Facebook Instagram
1158

How do I make my slide presentations accessible for my learners?

Posted by Craig Mill on the 5th November, 2021

I’ve had a few queries recently asking how to make PowerPoint accessible, particularly for learners with a visual impairment who use a screen reader.

We have lots of resources on making Word accessible for example the YouTube video playlist on 'Creating Accessible Documents' and the popular free online interactive module 'Creating Accessible Documents'.

But surprisingly, we don’t have anything on making PowerPoint accessible, so I thought I would write a short guide - making content accessible benefits everyone!

Thankfully, PowerPoint, and other slide software such as Google Slides and Keynote, don’t require a lot of work to make them accessible, just some careful thought and planning beforehand.

I thought this poster from Hull University, Designing for Diverse Learners', was a good starting point with some simple yet useful suggestions to enhance inclusion.

Some golden rules

When it comes to making PowerPoint accessible there are a few golden rules to follow, such as;

The guide also has some information on presenting and using subtitles and some tips on using captions for media such as audio and video.

PowerPoint templates

Microsoft has developed some accessible PowerPoint templates which you can download here.

Download the guide in different formats

Download in Word format

Download in accessible PDF format

Download in ePub reader (requires an ePub reader)

Download in audio format (mp3)

If there's anything I've missed in the guide or something you would like to see included, please let me know.

Online course - £30

Empowering Autistic Learners through the use of Assistive Technology

Newsletter: join thousands of other people

Once a month we'll send you an email with news, research and thoughts, as well as training courses and free webinars you may wish to attend.