1. Creating Accessible Word and PowerPoint Files
NC3ADL Western Region Workshop
March 24, 2015
Carie Whitehead, Central Piedmont Community College

2. The basics
Building a Solid Foundation

3. Fonts and Color Use Sans-Serif Fonts such as Verdana, Tahoma and Arial
Minimum font size of 12 pt. for Word and 14 pt. for PowerPoint (larger if projecting)
Do not use color alone to convey information
Do not over use color
Use high contrast between foreground and background colors
Web Aim’s Contrast Checker uses HEX Color Codes
Think Outside the Slide’s Color Contrast Checker users RGB codes
Have 3 or less font changes or font colors on a page or throughout a presentation

4. Structure and readability
PowerPoint: Check reading order of items on slides
Use built-in styles and layouts to provide a true structure
Avoid using text boxes, a bordered paragraph in Word provides a similar effect an built in layouts in PowerPoint provide structure
Always provide Alt-text for images, diagrams, charts, & tables
File names should be alphanumeric, begin with a letter, avoid spaces, avoid symbols other than underscore or dash, and contain less than 32 characters

5. Adding Alternative Text to Images
In Word or PowerPoint:
Right-click on an image, graphic, chart, or table
Select Format or Properties
Select Layout & Properties, then Alt Text (for a Word table go to the Al Text tab of the Table Properties dialog box)
Fill in the Title. Do not say “image of” or “picture of”
Fill in the description 8-80 characters

6. Long descriptions
If 8-80 characters is not enough to replace the image, then add a long description
Long Descriptions are usually necessary for:
Complex images
Graphs
Charts
Diagrams
Tables
In Word, this can be a caption or in the content of the document
In PowerPoint, look at Outline View. If it does not show up there, the Screen Reader will not read it! Do not put it in Slide Notes unless you are generating a Notes page handout or PDF that include this area.
This is the Notes section that does not show.

7. hyperlinks
Every you ever been presented with a hyperlink and wondered if there is any point in clicking? Is it even safe? Will you suddenly have a computer virus or be pulled into an identity theft scheme?
Properly formatted hyperlinks do not just help users with accessibility needs!
Good hyperlinks answer these questions:
Where am I going?
Why am I going there?
What am I going to do or what is supposed to happen once I get there?
They provide descriptive text that describes the target destination. It is not required, but it is also a good idea to provide the actual URL as plain (not hyperlinked) text when appropriate.

8. Accessibility Checker

9. Creating an Accessible Document
Microsoft Word 2013
Creating an Accessible Document

10. Demo of a Screen Reader
A Screen Reader User’s Experience Using Microsoft Word
To view on YouTube Follow this Link Instead
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11. Headings, Styles, and, lists
Add headings from the Styles group (on the Home menu).
Viewing the Navigation Pane helps to make sure the Headings are working
Change the look of a document by changing styles on the Home tab
Use built-in bulleted and numbered lists from the paragraph group on the Home menu

12. Tables and columns
Always use the column option (on the Page Layout menu in the Page Setup group) NOT tabs, spaces, or tables to create a multi-column look
Use tables for data not page layout
Tables
Do NOT merge or split cells or nest tables
Screen Readers read from top to bottom, left to right
Do not Draw Table, use Insert Table
Choose easily readable fonts
Choose a Table Style to visually distinguish the header row and use borders where needed

13. Tables continued
In order for a screen reader to recognize the first row as a header row, it must also be set to repeat at the top of each page
Add table captions where appropriate to summarize and identify the table
Add Alt Text when the caption is not used or does not sufficiently describe the table
Do not allow rows to break across pages
Split complex tables up into simpler tables where appropriate
Do not use the Enter key to create white space in the table, instead use cell padding and cell margins

14. Creating an Accessible Presentation
Microsoft PowerPoint 2013
Creating an Accessible Presentation

15. Slides, Outlines, and Notes
ALWAYS use built-in slide layouts
Make sure each slide has a unique title
Outline Panel
text only outline of the content of your presentation
Great way to ensure logical sequencing
Notes
Not accessible by Screen Readers!
Great for speaker notes or to create handouts

16. Tables and Charts
PowerPoint Tables are images, not true tables. They are not read by Screen Readers.
Word Tables and Excel Spreadsheets paste in as PowerPoint Tables (graphics)
The only true display of data in PowerPoint is in a Chart
Column 1
Column 2
Column 3
Look At Me
I am
Not a
Table

17. Check reading order
Make sure that the reading order of all object on the slide is logical
On the Home tab, in the Drawing group, click Arrange and the choose Selection Pane
The Selection Pane lists the objects on the slide. Objects will be read back beginning with the bottom list item and ending with the top list item. Correct any out of order items using the Re-order arrows at the top of the pane. If you are unsure which item is which you can hide or unhide items with the eye icon.

18. Increase visibility for colorblind viewers
Avoid using orange, red, and green together in your template and text
Use texture in graphs, instead of color, to highlight points of interest
Circle or use animation to highlight information, rather than relying on laser pointers or color
Keep the overall contrast in your presentation high
View presentation in Greyscale to check contrast View Menu, Color/Greyscale group, Greyscale
Examples of what images look like when you are colorblind:
Check your image:
Color Blindness Simulator:

19. presenting Keep animations and transitions to a minimum
Make sure that transitions aren’t too fast
Screen Readers will read each transition element as a new slide!
Cognitive load theory: Based on Clark and Mayer’s theories of cognitive load and multimedia learning, and overload of either the visual or the auditory channel can hinder learning. Do not overstimulate your learners with too much information on the screen at once or by “jazzing-up” your presentation unnecessarily.

20. Great resources for creating accessible files

21. Where can I learn more? Microsoft Office Help WebAIM
Creating accessible PowerPoint presentations: accessible-PowerPoint-presentations-6f7772b2-2f33-4bd2-8ca7-dae3b2b3ef25
Creating accessible Word documents: Word-documents-D9BF AC-47EA-B91A-78DCACB3C66D
WebAIM
Microsoft Word:
PowerPoint:
Converting Documents to PDFs:
VLC Accessible Office 2010 Presentation
Web Accessibility Best Practices
Microsoft Word:
PowerPoint:
Cognitive Considerations in Designing E-Resources:

22. Central Piedmont Community College, eLearning
Questions Contact Me:
Carie Whitehead
Central Piedmont Community College, eLearning