Creating Accessible Slide Decks & Presentations
Slide decks and presentations are commonly used to share information, deliver instruction, facilitate meetings, and support professional learning. Whether you are creating a presentation in Google Slides, Microsoft PowerPoint, Canva, or another application, accessibility should be considered from the beginning. Creating an accessible presentation goes beyond designing slides. It also involves how information is delivered, how participants engage with the content, and how materials are shared. Applying accessibility best practices and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles can help ensure everyone has opportunities to access, understand, and participate.
Explore the following tips and resources to learn how to create accessible slide decks, present information accessibly, apply UDL principles, and share presentations on websites while maintaining accessibility across different formats.
Use Slide Titles & Structure
Give every slide a descriptive title, use built-in layouts and lists, organize content logically, and check the reading order.
Add Alternative Text to Images
Add alt text that communicates the purpose of meaningful images and mark decorative images as decorative.
Use Accessible Color & Contrast
Choose colors with sufficient contrast and never rely on color alone to communicate information.
Make Text Easy to Ready
Use clear, concise language, large readable fonts, and plenty of spacing to keep slides simple and easy to follow.
Create Meaningful Links
Use descriptive link text that tells people where a link will take them instead of using phrases like "click here."
Use Tables Carefully
Use simple tables to present data, identify headers when possible, and avoid using tables to arrange content on a slide.
Make Audio & Video Accessible
Keep flyers and highly visual designs simple and easy to navigate, using readable text, sufficient contrast, and meaningful alt text while ensuring essential information is available in an accessible format.
Use Animations & Transitions Carefully
Keep movement to a minimum, avoid flashing content, and make sure animations don't interfere with understanding or navigating the presentation.
Describe Visuals & Important Information
Explain key images, charts, graphs, and text aloud so participants don't have to rely on seeing the screen.
Speak Clearly & Use a Microphone
Speak at a comfortable pace, use a microphone when available, and avoid referring to information only through gestures or phrases like "over here."
Provide Captions & Communication Support
Enable accurate live captions and provide additional communication accommodations based on participant needs.
Share Materials Before & After
Provide accessible slides and resources in advance when possible, and share accessible materials and recordings afterward.
Allow Time to Process Information
Pause between slides, explain complex concepts, and give participants enough time to read, process, and respond.
Make Participation Accessible
Offer different ways for participants to ask questions, contribute to discussions, and engage in activities.
Communicate the Purpose & Goals
Include a slide with clear learning goals and explain why the information matters and how it can be applied.
Organize Information into Manageable Sections
Break complex information into multiple slides, focus on one main idea per slide, and use section titles to guide participants.
Present Information in Multiple Ways
Combine concise text, meaningful visuals, diagrams, examples, and spoken explanations to communicate key concepts.
Connect to Prior Knowledge
Include relevant images, diagrams, or examples that help explain information, and ensure they are accessible.
Provide Supporting Resources
Include links to additional resources, summaries, or supporting materials in your slides so participants can revisit information.
Offer Flexible Ways to Participate
Incorporate slides with discussion prompts, reflection questions, polls, or activities that allow participants to engage in different ways.
Encourage Engagement & Reflection
Add opportunities throughout the slide deck for participants to pause, ask questions, reflect, or apply what they've learned.
Use Web Content When Possible
Consider putting important information directly on a webpage instead of in a slide deck to make it easier to read, navigate, and access on different devices.
Use Web Content When Possible
Consider putting important information directly on a webpage instead of in a slide deck to make it easier to read, navigate, and access on different devices.
Use Web Content When Possible
Consider putting important information directly on a webpage instead of in a slide deck to make it easier to read, navigate, and access on different devices.
Provide Accessible Alternatives
Offer an accessible webpage, document, or other format when an embedded presentation or downloadable slide deck creates accessibility barriers.
Check Accessibility After Exporting to PDF
Verify that text, reading order, alternative text, and links remain accessible after converting your presentation to PDF, and run an accessibility check.
General Resources
These resources provide practical guidance for creating accessible slide decks and presentations.
- W3C Web Accessibility Initiative — Making Audio and Video Media Accessible
- WebAIM: Links & Hypertext
- WebAIM: Writing Clearly & Simply
Resources by Platform
Explore the resources below for platform-specific guidance, tools, and instructions to help you create accessible digital content. Accessibility features and options may vary depending on the platform, device, or application version.
- Microsoft
- Canva
