Making Presentations Accessible for the Visually Impaired and Blind

Low Vision Accessibility BIG BOLD CONTRAST

Formatting for Enhanced Print: 1.18 point or larger text spacing between lines 3.Margins flush left and rag right 4.Block paragraphs, no indents 5.San serif font, wide bodied 6.No columns 7.Lines of text average 39 characters 8.Use of color and/or b/w line drawings Complete guidelines available at: Elaine Kitchel, American Printing House for the Blind

Typical Font Serif Font can be more difficult to read Serif (projections) can cause letters to appear to blend together Examples Include: Bodini MT Lucida Bright Times New Roman

Preferred Font Verdana Antique Olive Tahoma Arial APHont Sans Serif Font is more readable Examples include:

Point Sizes Headings should be 32 point or larger (22 point for web pages) Subheadings should be 30 point or larger (20 point for web pages) Text should be 28 point or larger (18 point for web pages)

KISS and Makeup Keep it simple When considering the design of your PowerPoint, think of the makeup of your slides Background Number of colors used Which colors Grayscale vs color vs b&w

Is this easier to read?

Or is this easier to read?

Background Background with complex pictures or graphics make it difficult to read text Background should be one color, devoid of graphics Two-color gradient is acceptable if one color is white and the other a light pastel or if the two colors are adjacent on the color wheel. Elaine Kitchel, American Printing House for the Blind

Use of Color Number of Colors? –2 to 3 –Basically background color and text color –Additional color(s) may be related to graph or image Which Colors? –Not personal preference –Contrast

Which colors Text & background should be of high contrast If the text is dark, the background should be light. If the text is light, the background should be dark. Elaine Kitchel, American Printing House for the Blind

Some good text/background color combinations are: Black and white Yellow and violet Dark blue and yellow Dark red and whiteDark green and white Dark blue and white Black and yellow Violet and white Pink and black Elaine Kitchel, American Printing House for the Blind

Because they provide poor contrast, certain colors should not be used together either as graphic features, background or text: Red and green Red and black Blue and black Green and black Violet and black Dark blue and violet Two values of the same color Elaine Kitchel, American Printing House for the Blind

Grayscale vs color vs b&w Shades of gray should not be used together either as graphic features, background or text because there is almost no contrast Gradations of gray are not as easily distinguishable to one with low vision Shades of gray should not be used together either as graphic features, background or text because there is almost no contrast Gradations of gray are not as easily distinguishable to one with low vision

Low Vision PerceptionAs presented Low Vision Preferred

If color is not possible, clean black-and-white illustrations are preferred. No Grayscale! Elaine Kitchel, American Printing House for the Blind

Highlighting When highlighting, avoid italics Italics create crowding and change the shape of words Instead consider using Underscoring, “enclosing in quotation marks,”or bolding to highlight an important point

Print Disability Accessibility For the print disabled or braille user Even for those with dyslexia Primarily an auditory learner Communication Style Be Descriptive Audio Cueing

Communication Style Speak clearly. And avoid speaking too fast, so participants and sign language interpreters can better understand you and keep up. Use simple language. Avoid or explain jargon, acronyms, and idioms. For example, expressions such as "raising the bar" can be interpreted literally by some people with cognitive disabilities and can be confusing. Give people time to process information. Pause between topics. When you ask if anyone has questions, some people with cognitive disabilities will need extra time to form their thoughts into words.

Communication Style Continued Be visible. Also be in good light so participants can see your face when you talk, which helps some people hear and understand better. Especially when you don't have a microphone, be careful not to face away from the audience to read projected material. Use a microphone. Even in a small room, some people might need the audio electronically. Note that if you ask "Can everyone hear me OK?" some people might be uncomfortable saying that they cannot. Ensure that all relevant sound is audible through the sound system. For example, if the audience doesn't have a microphone, repeat their questions and comments into your microphone before replying.

Be Descriptive Cover all displayed text. Say all of the information that is on each slide. (This does not mean that you have to read the slide exactly as it is, it just means that you cover the visual information in what you say.) Describe pertinent parts of graphics, videos, and other visuals. Describe them to the extent needed to understand the presentation. (You usually do not need to describe decorative images.) Describe other visual information. For example, if you ask a question of the audience, summarize the response, such as, Speaker: "If you make your websites fully accessible, please raise your hand."...then: "About half raised their hand." World Wide Web conference: Web Accessibility Initiative /

Audible Cue Slide transitions with sound can help the listener understand when the presenter is moving on to the next slide –Click –Whoosh –Chime –Camera

Handouts One of two slides per page is preferred If possible, provide electronically prior to presentation, HTML or RTF, MS Word Participant can access electronic document through screen-reader software If possible, provide hard copy large print or braille handout at onset of presentation

Preparing for LP & Braille Select all slides Click office button (top left corner) Select Publish Select create handouts in MS Office Word Word opens up with PPT information Edit and reformat (# the slide, text caption) Sans Serif and font point size of at least 18 Braille: replace bullet points with asterisks

Sharing PPT & the Web PPT 2003 –Right click image –Select format picture –Choose web tab –Type in alternate text box –Select OK PPT 2007 –Right click image –Select size & Position –Select Alt Text Tab –Delete default text –Type in alternate text PPT 2007 –Right click image –Select format picture –Choose Alt text –Ignore title field –Type in description field

Additional Considerations Heavy use of charts-consider access to original PPT –Original should contain spreadsheet for chart –Consider embedding links to access the spreadsheet used to create the chart PPT 2010 –Accessibility Checker –Adobe Add-on with Acc. Enabling & tagged PDF –Only as accessible as original documentation (alt text)

Disease types “Mendelian disorder”: Due to defect in a single gene – Color of Mendel’s peas – Example: Huntington’s disease, certain retinal and corneal dystrophies, various types of ocular albinism “Complex disease”: Risk influenced by many genes, environmental factors, and other interactions – “Mendel’s pea soup” – Example: Alzheimer disease, progressive open angle glaucoma, age- related macular degeneration, myopia

Resources How to create descriptive text for graphs, charts and diagrams utorial.htm Accessibility Guidelines for PowerPoint Presentations owpage&pid=27 Guidelines for the Development of PowerPoint Presentations for Audiences that may Include Persons with Low Vision by Elaine Kitchel

Resources Continued Guidelines for Development of PowerPoint Presentations (PPT file) Guidelines for Print Document Design (for persons with low vision) AER Webinar lePowerPointPresentations.mp4

Food For Thought “Remember, what you do to make your presentation accessible for the person with low vision (or blindness) will ultimately make it more readable (and accessible) for everyone.” Elaine Kitchel, American Printing House for the Blind