Accessible Conversion of PowerPoint Documents To The Web

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Accessibility Features Within PowerPoint

PowerPoint has a number of built in features for increasing document accessibility. PowerPoint also has the ability to save presentations as web pages. However, LecShare is a product that offers an easy interface to check and edit accessibility settings and will be covered in the next step of this documentation.

Adding Alternative Text to Graphics

When inserting graphics into a presentation, alternative text should be created for all meaningful graphics. For example, if a picture of students working at a computer is inserted, the alternative text would briefly describe what is happening in the picture (i.e. Students Working at Computer). This provides information when visuals are not available due to a physical disability in a person’s vision, or when visual data is not able to display on a particular device.

To insert alternative text:

1. Insert the graphic (picture) into a presentation.
2. Right-click the picture:



3. From the menu, select “Size and Position”.
4. The Size and Position dialog box opens. Select the Alt Text tab:



5. If no alternative text is listed, then enter the alternative text for the picture in the Alternative Text field:



6. Select the Close button to close the window.

 

Additional Notes on PowerPoint Accessibility

In additional to providing alternative text in all presentations, increase the accessibility of documents by following these guidelines:

• Use the themes delivered within the PowerPoint software.
• Think twice when adding animations. Are they necessary to the presentation?
• Use the object shortcuts for inserting and creating graphs and tables.
• If an external document is inserted into a presentation (embedded), the inserted document must also be accessible.
• Use an external editing program such as LecShare to make sure the presentation is accessible. LecShare is covered in the next step of this documentation.

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