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Accessibility

Presentations

Fundamentals First

Before you dive in to the resources below, be sure you understand the basics, which all work together to help us create an accessible digital environment.

Review the fundamentals

Alternative Text

  • Format images, charts and graphs to include alt text that describes both content and function.
  • Tag images that do not present important content or do not have a function (e.g., is not a link) as decorative. If your software doesn’t allow you to mark an image as decorative, add alt=“” in the alt text box.

Google Slides How-To

Alt text function highlighted in Google Slides
How to add alt text to an image
  1. Right-click the image.
  2. Select Alt text.
  3. Add alt text in the Description box.

Color and Contrast

  • Do not use only color to convey information, indicate an action or distinguish a visual element. Use a second visual cue.
  • Some software has built-in contrast checkers. For those that do not, consult the WebAIM Contrast Checker.
  • Edit template themes to ensure all slides meet the necessary contrast ratio.

Google Slides How-To

Follow the steps below to adjust the colors in your slide deck’s theme.

How to edit your theme colors
  1. Click Slide.
  2. Select Edit Theme.
  3. Click Colors.
  4. Click on each theme color in the dropdown menu to adjust them.
  • Always link meaningful text instead of including the full URL, which is difficult for screen readers.
  • Meaningful text means clearly describing where the link points. For example, see how the “Color and Contrast” section above links “WebAIM Contrast Checker” to let you know the link points to that tool.

Google Slides How-To

Link function in Google Slides
How to hyperlink text
  1. Highlight text.
  2. Click the Link icon.
  3. Paste the URL into the link field.
  4. Click Apply.

Lists

  • Use the built-in list tools to ensure your lists are accessible.
  • Use bullets for unordered lists and numbers for ordered lists.
  • Only use a list structure for logical lists.

Google Slides How-To

Bulleted list and numbered list functions in Google Slides
How to add a bulleted or numbered list
  1. Click Bulleted list or Numbered list icon.
  2. Type your first list item.
  3. Hit Enter to create the next list item.

Structure

  • Use built-in styles to select headings and organize structure.
  • Include a unique, descriptive title on each slide. A person with a visual disability that uses a screen reader relies on the slide titles to know which slide is which.
  • Use only one Title attribute per slide.
  • Follow a logical order for heading levels — don’t skip from a Heading 1 to a Heading 3.
  • Use built-in slide layouts.

Google Slides How-To

When designing your slides, select from the built-in layouts rather than adding a new text box. These built-in layouts should include the correct tags for titles and content.

Apply layout function in Google Slides
How to select a built-in layout
  1. Right-click the left sidebar.
  2. Hover over Apply layout.
  3. Select a layout from the options that appear.

Tables

  • Only use tables to display data, not to format content. When tables are used properly, assistive technology can interpret header rows and the relationship between data cells.
  • Mark your first row as a header row, if the software allows.
  • Keep tables as simple as possible. Avoid merging and splitting cells.
  • Add a brief explanation above the table, if needed.

Google Slides How-To

Built-in accessibility options for tables are limited in Google Slides. Follow the instructions below and then use Grackle to make additional adjustments.

Steps to add table in Google Slides
How to add a table
  1. Click Insert.
  2. Select Table.
  3. Use your cursor to choose the number of rows and columns.
  4. Type in your data, remembering to reserve the first row as a header row.
  5. Create a text box as a caption or use the alt text field to add any additional context.

Sharing Presentations

Avoid exporting your presentation as a PDF, if possible, as PDFs come with many accessibility challenges. Alternative ways to share include simply sharing the presentation file or publishing the presentation to the web. A published presentation is viewable as a single, scrollable HTML page. Screen reader users often find the HTML version easier to read.

Google Slides How-To

How to publish slides to the web
  1. Click File.
  2. Hover over Share and select Publish to web.
  3. In the pop-up window, choose how quickly to advance the slides.
  4. Click Publish.

Grackle Accessibility Checker

Grackle is a Google Workspace add-on that provides an automated accessibility report with information about how to improve the accessibility of your Google Docs, Sheets and Slides.

Once installed and launched, the Grackle panel will open on the right side of your screen. The Accessibility Check will flag errors for you to fix in your presentation. Click an item in the Grackle panel to navigate to that item in your presentation. Once you fix your errors, click Re-Check to scan again.

Learn about Grackle

Additional Resources

Training

Creating Accessible Google and Office Files

This Office of Information Technology workshop covers how to create and audit accessible documents, presentations and spreadsheets across the Google and Microsoft ecosystems.

Canva: Designing Engaging, Accessible Presentations

Explore presentation design using Canva, including ways to make your presentations accessible with alternative text and color contrast.