Accessible Presentations

Overarching Best Practices for Accessible Presentations

Structure Content Intentionally

Thinking through a logical structure and content flow can improve both your delivery of the material and the ongoing accessibility of the presentation itself when your learners have access to the digital document.

• Use a linear format when possible, or provide an accessible alternative (e.g., a PDF version with clear headings and descriptions).
• Ensure logical content flow. Provide a logical flow of ideas from slide to slide and within each slide (e.g., reading order and tab order).
• Orient your audience. Include a title slide and agenda, and break your presentation into logical sections if necessary.
• Structure content for easy reading. Use clear headings and bullet points to organize information.
• Keep slides concise. A good rule of thumb is to not exceed six lines of text with six words per line.

Prioritize Keyboard Navigation

Ensure all interactive elements (buttons, links, menus) are accessible via keyboard and have visible focus indicators. When tabbing through your presentation, the tab order should be logical and not result in “keyboard traps” where users can’t navigate out of a section.

Provide Accessible Slide Notes and Handouts

Provide accessible versions of presentation materials (e.g., tagged PDFs, accessible Word docs), including speaker notes or summaries for students who use screen readers. Offering these materials in advance when possible supports preparation.

Learn about accessible documents

Learn about accessible PDFs

Test Your Presentation for Accessibility

Once you have created your presentation, use built-in accessibility checkers in tools like PowerPoint and Google Slides to check for most essential accessibility functionality. You can also test your presentation by interacting with it using only your keyboard or using a screen reader. Beyond testing yourself, you can ask for feedback from students or accessibility experts.

Content Considerations

Write in Plain Language

Using plain language ensures that your content is readable and usable for a broad audience. Clarity and concise language is especially important for presentations.

• Use simple, direct language that’s easy to understand.
• Define technical terms or jargon when first introduced.
• Avoid long, complex sentences or dense paragraphs.

Learn how to write in plain language

Write Accessible Link Text

Link text in documents should be written in a way that indicates what will happen or where users will go if they click on the link. Additionally, links should be consistently styled to look visually different from the body of the page with underlines or something other than color alone. Best practice is to use at least two visual indicators to indicate a link.

Learn how to write accessible link text

Provide Alternative Text for Images

Images that provide content or serve a function need equivalent alternative text. This text will be read aloud to a person using a screen reader to tell them what is in the image. Images may include photographs, graphs, charts, diagrams and more. Additionally, you should:

• Avoid using text embedded in images unless absolutely necessary.
• Ensure visuals are high-resolution and not blurry or pixelated.
• Use simple, uncluttered graphics that support the message.

Learn more about alt text for images

Provide Alternatives for Videos and Audio

Video and audio included in your presentation is subject to accessibility requirements, including providing alternatives for media that requires one sense to be perceived. In short, you must:

• Include captions and transcripts for all embedded media.
• Ensure media players support keyboard navigation and screen readers.
• Avoid autoplay — allow users to control playback.

Learn more about required multimedia alternatives

Presentation Design Considerations

Make Text Size Legible

Use sans-serif fonts like Open Sans, Arial, Calibri, or Verdana to promote legibility. For presentations, 24 point font is the minimum recommended font size for body text and 32 point as the minimum font size for headings.

It is also recommended to set line spacing (or leading) to 1.5 times the font size for increased legibility. This means if your body copy is set to 24 points, you should set the line spacing to at least 36 points.

Use Appropriate Contrast

When choosing colors to use in a presentation, it is important to consider the contrast, especially between text color and its background. Hyperlinks should be distinguishable from the background color and from the color of the surrounding text; if this contrast ratio can’t be met, use an additional visual indicator to indicate a link.

Learn more about using color accessibly

Don’t Use Color Alone To Convey Meaning

Some people can’t distinguish between certain colors or may be using assistive technology to perceive your content. For these cases, it is important not to use color alone to convey meaning. A common example is using red to denote something is an error or otherwise incorrect. Instead of using only color to show this, use words to label the error.

Choosing Your Presentation Platform

Beyond following accessibility best practice in your presentation, it is also important to consider the accessibility of the format of the presentation itself. Choose presentation tools that support accessibility features like alt text, captions, and keyboard navigation.

Linear vs. Non-linear Presentations

The difference between a linear and non-linear presentation comes down to how the content is organized and navigated. While non-linear formats can be engaging, they often pose accessibility challenges — especially under ADA Title II requirements. That’s why many educators stick with linear formats or provide accessible alternatives.

Linear Presentation

A linear presentation follows a set order, typically from one slide to another. Linear presentations are especially helpful for people using screen readers or keyboard-only navigation.

Examples: PowerPoint, Google Slides (when used in default slide order).

Non-linear Presentation

A non-linear presentation doesn’t follow a straight path from Slide 1 to Slide 2 to Slide 3. Instead, it allows users to jump around, zoom in and out, or explore topics in any order — like navigating an interactive map or canvas.

Examples: Interactive maps, zooming canvases, branching slide decks.

Accessibility Limitations of Non-linear Presentation Tools

• Poor screen reader compatibility: Non-linear layouts and animations can confuse screen readers, making it hard for users with visual impairments to follow the content in a logical order.
• Inconsistent keyboard navigation: Interactive elements may not be fully accessible via keyboard alone, which is essential for users with motor disabilities. ADA Title II requires that all digital content be usable without a mouse.
• Lack of focus indicators: Without visible focus indicators, keyboard users can’t tell where they are on the screen — violating WCAG 2.4.7 standards and creating navigation barriers.
• Limited support for Alt Text and captions: Some tools offer alt text and screen reader labels, but these features may be inconsistent or hard to implement. Embedded videos often lack captions or transcripts, which are required for compliance.
• Complex visual layouts: Zooming interfaces and spatial navigation can be disorienting for users with cognitive disabilities and difficult to interpret with assistive technologies.
• Reliance on animations or visuals to convey content: Essential information must be available to learners who can not visually perceive your presentation.