Creating Accessible Slide Decks

Designing slide decks with accessibility in mind is a powerful way to ensure all students, including those with disabilities, can engage and benefit from your presentation. Here are best practices tailored for accessibility:

♿️ Accessibility-Focused Best Practices for Slide Decks

🧠 General Principles

1. Design for Inclusivity
   Assume you’ll have students with diverse needs (e.g., visual, auditory, cognitive, motor) and design accordingly.

2. Use Plain Language
   Avoid jargon, idioms, or complex sentences. Keep content concise and easy to understand.

👁️ For Students with Visual Impairments

3. Use High Contrast Colors
   Example: Black text on white or yellow background. Avoid red-green combinations (color blindness).

   1. Use the Color Contrast Analyser to test the accesibility of your color combinations!

4. Text, Not Just Images
   Don’t rely solely on visuals to convey meaning. Explain charts, diagrams, or images in text.

5. Alt Text for Images
   Add alternative text (alt text) to every image that conveys meaning, so screen readers can describe them.

6. Avoid Using Text as Images
   Use actual text, not screenshots of text, to ensure it can be read by screen readers and zoomed.

7. Readable Fonts

   • Sans-serif fonts (e.g. Calibri, Arial,) are easier to read.

   • Avoid italics or decorative fonts.

   • Minimum 24pt for body text.

👂 For Students with Hearing Impairments

8. Avoid Relying on Audio Alone
   Provide transcripts or closed captions for any embedded videos or audio clips.

9. Summarize Spoken Information on Slides
   Include key points and terminology in text, so nothing critical is missed if someone can’t hear. Consider adding information to the speaker notes area in your slide deck.

🧠 For Students with Cognitive or Learning Disabilities

10. Consistent Layouts
    Use a predictable slide structure (e.g., title on top, text below, image right side). This helps reduce cognitive load.

11. Break Information into Chunks
    Use bullet points and whitespace to separate ideas clearly.

12. Use Visuals to Support, Not Distract
    Relevant diagrams or icons can aid comprehension—avoid animations or decorative effects that may distract.

13. Provide a Summary or Key Takeaways
    Help reinforce the most important information at the end of each section or slide.

⌨️ For Students with Motor Disabilities

14. Keyboard-Navigable Links
    Make sure any links or buttons work with keyboard navigation (if interactive).

15. Avoid Auto-Advancing Slides
    If using timed transitions, allow for manual control so everyone can process at their own pace.

📄 Documentation & Supplementary Materials

16. Provide an Accessible Copy
    Share your slides in accessible formats (e.g., tagged PDF, accessible PowerPoint, or Google Slides with alt text and headings).

17. Offer a Transcript or Notes
    Include speaker notes or a separate document with detailed explanations, especially for complex content.

18. Use Descriptive Slide Titles
    Help screen readers and students navigating through a deck find what they need quickly.

✅ Testing & Tools

19. Run an Accessibility Checker
    Most presentation tools (e.g., PowerPoint, Google Slides) have built-in checkers to identify issues.

20. Test with a Screen Reader
    Try navigating your deck using a screen reader (like NVDA or VoiceOver) to understand the experience.

Would you like a version of this formatted as a checklist?

Download and use the Accessibility Slide Design Checklist to check your slide deck!