Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac 2008, 2011, 2016, and 2019

All office documents start with a template, which can be as simple as a blank standard-sized page or as complex as a nearly complete document with text, graphics and other content. For example, a “Meeting Minutes” template might include headings for information relevant to a business meeting, such as “Actions” above a table with rows to denote time and columns for actions of the meeting.

Because templates provide the starting-point for so many documents, accessibility is critical. If you are unsure whether a template is accessible, you should check a sample document produced when the template is used (see Technique 11, below).

PowerPoint for Mac’s default template for new documents is a blank presentation. If you are connected to the internet, you can access a variety of blank business presentation templates through Office.com. These are all accessible by virtue of being blank.

It is possible to create your own accessible templates from scratch in PowerPoint for Mac. As well, you can edit and modify the existing prepackaged templates, ensuring their accessibility as you do so and saving them as a new template.

To create an accessible template

1. Create a new document
2. Ensure that you follow the techniques in this document
3. When you are finished you should also check the accessibility of the document (see Technique 11, below)
4. Go to menu item: File > Save As
5. In the Save As box, type a name for the template. Using a descriptive File name (e.g., “Accessible Sales Template”) will increase the prominence of the accessibility status.
6. In the Format list, select PowerPoint 97–2004 (.pot)
7. Select Save
   

To select an accessible template

Note: Only use these steps if you have an accessible template available (e.g. that you previously saved). Otherwise, simply open a new (blank) document.

1. Go to menu item: File > Project Gallery…
2. Under Category, select My Templates (or select where you saved the template)
3. Select your accessible template from the template gallery
4. Select Open
   
5. A new document based on the template will be displayed. If you have chosen an accessible template, the document will be accessible at this point. As you add your content (e.g., text, images, etc.), ensure that you consult the sections that follow to preserve accessibility.

In order for assistive technologies (e.g., screen readers) to be able to present your document accurately, it is important to indicate the natural language of the document. If a different natural language is used for a paragraph or selected text, this also needs to be clearly indicated.

To change the default language

1. Go to menu item: Tools > Language
2. In the Mark select text as box, select the language from the list
3. Select Default…
4. Select OK
   

To apply a language directly to selected text

1. Select the text
2. Go to menu item: Tools > Language…
3. In the Mark selected text as box, select the language from the list
4. Select OK
   
   

PowerPoint does not provide “True Headings” or “Named Styles” as does Word.

3.1 Use Built-In Slide Layouts

Instead of creating each slide in your presentation by starting from a blank slide, check whether there is a suitable built-in layout.
Note: The built-in layouts can be more accessible to users of assistive technologies because these technologies sometimes read the floating items on the slide in the order that they were placed on the slide. The built-in layouts have usually taken this into account (e.g., “Title” first followed by other items, left to right and from top to bottom). If you create slide layouts from scratch, it is sometimes difficult to keep track of the order elements were placed.

To apply “true layout” to a slide

1. Go to menu item: Format > Slide Layout
2. In the Slide Layout section that opens, select the layout you would like to use
   

3.2 Customize Using Master Slides

If a layout must be customized, it is recommended that Master Slides be used.

Every slide layout in a presentation is defined by its master slide. A master slide determines the formatting style for various elements of the slide layout. This includes font styles, character formatting, and the positioning of elements. Essentially, each master slide acts as a design template for the slide layout.
If you edit any aspect of the slide layout in the master slide, the change will affect all slides that were created based on it. For this reason, it is good practice to edit the master slide and use the slide layouts before building individual slides. It is essential that you create and use master slides that meet the accessibility requirements outlined in this document.

To create or customize a master slide

1. Go to menu item: View > Master > Slide Master
2. The current slide master with its associate layouts appears
   Note: If you have the Normal view open, the slide master is the larger slide image in the slide thumbnail pane. The associated layouts are positioned beneath the slide master.
3. Customize the existing master slide and its associated layouts to suit your needs (e.g., apply a design, theme-based colors, fonts, effects, backgrounds) ensuring that your changes meet accessibility requirements
4. To create a new master slide, select the Insert New Master icon
5. On the Slide Master toolbar, select Close Master
   

Many presentation applications create content composed almost exclusively of “floating” objects. This means that they avoid the transitions between in-line content and secondary “floating” objects (text boxes, images, etc.) that can cause accessibility issues in word processors.

However, when you are working with “floating” objects, it is important to remember that the way objects are positioned in two dimensions on the screen may be completely different from how the objects will be read by a screen reader or navigated using a keyboard. The order that content is navigated sequentially is called the “Tab Order” because often the “Tab” key is used to navigate from one “floating” object to the next.

To set the tab order

1. Right-click* the image or object
2. Select Order > Bring to Front, Send to back, Bring Forward or Send Backward

A useful aspect of presentation applications is the facility to add notes to slides, which can then be read by assistive technologies. You can use these slide notes to explain and expand on the contents of your slides in text format. Slide notes can be created as you build your presentation.

To add notes to your slides

1. To ensure the notes panel is in view, go to menu item: View > Normal
2. The Notes Pane can be found at the bottom of the window, below the slide
3. Type and format your notes within the Notes Pane below each slide
   

When using images or other graphical objects, such as charts and graphs, it is important to ensure that the information you intend to convey by the image is also conveyed to people who cannot see the image. This can be accomplished by adding concise alternative text to of each image. If an image is too complicated to concisely describe in the alternative text alone (artwork, flowcharts, etc.), provide a short text alternative and a longer description as well.

To add alternative text to images and graphical objects

1. Select the object, then choose one of the options below:
   • Right-click the object and select Edit Alt Text…. The Alt Text pane opens.
     
     • Note: If the Edit Alt Text… option is not visible, select Format Object/Picture.
   • Alternately, select an object. In the menu, select the object’s Format tab. Then, select Alt Text.
2. In the Alt Text pane, add the alternative text to the Description field.
   

7.1 Tables

When using tables, it is important to ensure that they are clear and appropriately structured. This helps all users to better understand the information in the table and allows assistive technologies (e.g., screen readers) to provide context so that the information within the table can be conveyed in a meaningful way.

To insert a table with header rows:

1. Go to menu item: Insert > Table…
2. Select the number of columns and rows
3. Select OK
4. In the Table Styles section that opens above the document pane, select the Options drop-down menu
5. Select Header Row
   

7.2 Lists

When you create lists, it is important to format them as “real lists”. Otherwise, assistive technologies will interpret your list as a series of short separate paragraphs instead of a coherent list of related items.

To create an ordered or unordered list

1. Select the text
2. If the Formatting Palette is not in view, go to menu item: View > Toolbox, Formatting Palette
3. In the Formatting Palette, select Bullets and Numbering if it is not already open
4. In the Bullets and Numbering section, select Type, Bullets for bulleted lists or Type, Numbering for numbered lists
5. To change the style, select a list style from the Style drop-down list
   

At this time, it is not possible to modify pre-formatted list styles or to create your own list styles. [Tested: January 26, 2011]

7.3 Columns

Use Columns feature for placing text in columns. However, because columns can be a challenge for users of some assistive technologies, consider whether a column layout is really necessary.

7.4 Document Title

In case the document is ever converted into HTML, it should be given a descriptive and meaningful title.

To change the title of the current document

1. Go to menu item: File > Properties
2. Enter the Title in the Title text box
3. Select OK
   Note: The title defined in the properties is different than the file name. It is also unrelated to the template name, discussed above.
   

Charts can be used to make data more understandable for some audiences. However, it is important to ensure that your chart is as accessible as possible to all members of your audience. All basic accessibility considerations that are applied to the rest of your document must also be applied to your charts and the elements within your charts. For example, use shape and color, rather than color alone, to convey information. As well, some further steps should be taken to ensure that the contents are your chart are appropriate labeled to give users reference points that will help them to correctly interpret the information.

To create a chart

1. Select a Slide Layout that contains a placeholder for a chart (see Technique 3.1, above)
2. Select the Insert Chart icon from the center of the placeholder
3. Select a Chart Type from the Charts section above the document pane
   Note: This will open the Excel document titled “Chart in Microsoft Office PowerPoint”, where you can input the data you would like to include in the chart. When you have done this, simply close the Excel window and the data will appear on the chart in the PowerPoint presentation.
   Note: This applies a predefined Chart Layout, which can be changed at any time simply by selecting the chart and following Steps 2 and 3 above.

To add titles and labels

1. Select the chart
2. If the Formatting Palette is not open, go to menu item: View > Toolbox, Formatting Palette
3. Select Chart Options to open the Chart Options section, if it is not already open
4. Under Titles, select the title from the Chart Title drop-down list or enter a title in the text box below the drop-down list
5. Under Other options, select the Labels and Legends you would like to include from their respective drop-down lists
6. Under Chart Data, select Data Table with Legend Keys from the Data Table drop-down list to include a data table to help further support the chart

Other Chart Considerations

• When creating line charts, use the formatting options to create different types of dotted lines to facilitate legibility for users who are color blind
• When creating bar charts, go to menu item: Chart Tools > Format and in the Shape Styles section select Shape Fill to apply a texture to help distinguish the bars
• Change the default colors to a color safe or gray-scale palette
• Use the formatting options to change predefined colors, ensuring that they align with sufficient contrast requirements (see Technique 9.2, below)

9.1 Format of Text

When formatting text, especially when the text is likely to printed, try to:

• Use font sizes between 12 and 18 points for body text.
• Use fonts of normal weight, rather than bold or light weight fonts. If you do choose to use bold fonts for emphasis, use them sparingly.
• Use standard fonts with clear spacing and easily recognized upper and lower case characters. Sans serif fonts (e.g., Arial, Verdana) may sometimes be easier to read than serif fonts (e.g., Times New Roman, Garamond).
• Avoid large amounts of text set all in caps, italic or underlined.
• Use normal or expanded character spacing, rather than condensed spacing.
• Avoid animated or scrolling text.

But can’t users just zoom in? Office applications do typically include accessibility features such as the ability to magnify documents and support for high contrast modes. However, because printing is an important aspect of many workflows and changing font sizes directly will change documents details such the pagination, the layout of tables, etc., it is best practice to always format text for a reasonable degree of accessibility.

9.2 Use Sufficient Contrast

The visual presentation of text and images of text should have a contrast ration of at least 4.5:1. To help you determine the contrast, here are some examples on a white background:

• Very good contrast (Foreground=black, Background=white, Ratio=21:1)
• Acceptable contrast (Foreground=#767676, Background=white, Ratio=4.54:1)
• Unacceptable contrast (Foreground=#AAAAAA, Background=white, Ratio=2.32:1)

Also, always use a single solid color for a text background rather than a pattern.
In order to determine whether the colors in your document have sufficient contrast, you can consult an online contrast checker, such as:

• WebAIM: Contrast Checker
• Juicy Studio: Luminosity Color Contrast Ratio Analyzer
• Joe Dolson Color Contrast Spectrum Tester
• Joe Dolson Color Contrast Comparison

9.3 Avoid Using Color Alone

Color should not be used as the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element. In order to spot where color might be the only visual means of conveying information, you can create a screenshot of the document and then view it with online gray-scale converting tools, such as:

• GrayBit v2.0: Grayscale Conversion Contrast Accessibility Tool

9.4 Avoid Relying on Sensory Characteristics

The instructions provided for understanding and operating content should not rely solely on sensory characteristics such as the color or shape of content elements. Here are two examples:

• Do not track changes by simply changing the color of text you have edited and noting the color. Instead use PowerPoint for Mac’s “Track Changes” feature to track changes.
• Do not distinguish between images by referring to their appearance (e.g. “the bigger one”). Instead, label each image with a figure number and use that for references.

9.5 Avoid Using Images of Text

Before you use an image to control the presentation of text (e.g., to ensure a certain font or color combination), consider whether you can achieve the same result by styling “real text”. If this is not possible, as with logos containing stylized text, make sure to provide alternative text for the image following the techniques noted above.

9.6 Avoid Transitions

Transitions between slides and elements in each slide (e.g., bullets in a list flying onto the screen) can be distracting to users with disabilities. It can also cause assistive technologies to read the slide incorrectly. For these reasons, it is best to avoid transitions altogether.

10.1 Write Clearly

By taking the time to design your content in a consistent way, it will be easier to access, navigate and interpret for all users:

• Whenever possible, write clearly with short sentences.
• Introduce acronyms and spell out abbreviations.
• Avoid making the document too “busy” by using lots of whitespace and by avoiding too many different colors, fonts and images.
• If content is repeated on multiple pages within a document or within a set of documents (e.g., headings, footings, etc.), it should occur consistently each time it is repeated.

10.2 Provide Context for Hyperlinks

Hyperlink text in your document should be meaningful when read out of context. To be an effective navigation aid, the link text should describe the destination of the link.

Consider the experience of screen reader users: Generally, screen readers generate a list of links, and screen reader users navigate this list alphabetically. Hyperlink text such as “click here” or “more” is meaningless in this context.

In order to be useful to someone using a screen reader, ensure that hyperlink text is self-describing and meaningful on its own. To make the address of hyperlink clear when printing, you may wish to include the address in brackets following the descriptive text of the hyperlink.

To change link text

1. Type (or paste in) a web address and press spacebar or “Enter” to convert into a hyperlink
2. Highlight the link
3. Go to menu item: Insert > Hyperlink…
4. Edit the text in the Display box
5. Select OK
   

10.3 Accessible Presentations

It is important to consider accessibility before, during, and after presentations. Below is a helpful link with guidance on how to make presentations accessible to all:

• “How to Make Presentations Accessible to All” (Source: W3C-WAI Draft)

At this time, PowerPoint 2008 for Mac does not offer a mechanism to check for potential accessibility errors in your document prior to publishing. [Tested: January 17, 2011]

In order to get some indication of your document or template (see Technique 1), then you may consider saving the file into HTML in order to perform an accessibility check in one of those formats, as described below.

To evaluate HTML accessibility

Another option is to save the document into HTML format and use one of the web accessibility checkers available online. Such as:

• AChecker
• WebAIM Wave Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool

To evaluate PDF accessibility

If you saved your document in tagged PDF format, you can use the following tools and steps to evaluate the accessibility of the PDF document:

• Adobe Acrobat Professional
• CommonLook PDF Evaluator
• PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC) – a free alternative provided by “Access for all”

To evaluate PDF accessibility in Adobe Acrobat Professional

1. Go to menu item: Advanced > Accessibility > Full Check…
2. In the Full Check dialog, select all the checking option.
3. Select the Start Checking button.

In some cases, additional steps must be taken in order to ensure accessibility information is preserved when saving/exporting to formats other than the default.

In some cases, additional steps must be taken in order to ensure accessibility information is preserved when saving/exporting to formats other than the default.

Note: Before saving in other formats, you may want to run the Compatibility Report feature by selecting Compatibility Report… from the Save As dialog. This checks the compatibility of your existing document with the format you have selected save your document as. The results of this check are revealed in the Compatibility Report dialog, where you have explanations of errors and options to fix them. To run this check at any time, go to menu item: View > Toolbox, Compatibility Report.

PPT

1. Go to menu item: File > Save As…
2. In the Save As box, type a name for the file
3. In the Format box, select PowerPoint 97-2004 Presentation (.ppt)
4. Select Save

HTML

1. Go to menu item: File > Save as Web Page…
2. In the Save As box, type a name for the file
3. Select Save
4. Check the HTML file for accessibility (see Technique 11, above)

To clean up your HTML file

• Remove unnecessary styles, line breaks, etc.
• Remove unnecessary id, class, and attributes
• Remove font tags
• Remove styles in the <head> tag
• Ensure the <th> tags have a scope attribute
• Remove <p> tags nested inside <th> and <td> tags
• Check for accessibility (see Technique 11, above)
  Note: you may wish to use HTML editors or utilities to help with this process.

Disclaimer: This list is provided for information purposes only. It is not exhaustive and inclusion of an application or plug-in on the list does not constitute a recommendation or guarantee of results by the IDRC.

The following accessibility related plug-ins and support are available for PowerPoint for Mac:

• PPT2HTML – offers an accessibility tool bar for adding alt-text to charts.
• PowerTalk – an accessibility tool that provides a good approximation of how presentations will sound with a screen reader. [Editor’s note: Tool no longer available.]

If you are interested in what features are provided to make using PowerPoint for Mac more accessible to users, documentation is provided in the Help system:

1. Go to menu item: Help
2. Enter “Accessibility” as your search term in the Search box

1. Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac Help
2. GAWDS Writing Better Alt Text
3. Ryerson University: Microsoft PowerPoint Accessibility Tipsheet (PDF)
4. Microsoft PowerPoint: Video Tutorials

This document was produced as part of the Accessible Digital Office Document (ADOD) Project.

This project has been developed by the Inclusive Design Research Centre, OCAD University as part of an EnAbling Change Partnership project with the Government of Ontario and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

Date of Version on the ADOD source page: 10 Feb 2011

Copyright © 2011 Inclusive Design Research Centre, OCAD University
This material may be reproduced and distributed in print or electronic format only as long as:
(a) the reproduction is offered at no cost to the recipients; and
(b) the reproduction must preserve the “Version” section; and
(c) the reproduction must preserve the “Acknowledgments” section; and
(d) the reproduction must preserve this copyright notice.