Accessibility in Presentations

What It Is

Accessible presentations are curated to reach the widest audience possible by minimizing barriers created by colors, fonts, images, and other presentation elements. While the act of presenting can and should also be made more accessible, this document will only focus on accessibility in crafting the presentation file.

Why It Matters

Accessible presentations ensure that students get the most out of your lessons. Students provided with more equitable access to the information being taught will perform better and have a reinforced sense of community within your classroom. Preparing your presentations with accessibility in mind will also lower the chances of needing to make last minute adjustments due to accommodation requests.

Apply It

Making your presentations more accessible means intentionally developing each presentation with inclusive design elements. Tips for common accessibility elements are below.

• Readability and Loss of Sight
  • – Text should be 24 pt or larger
  • – Sans serif fonts
  • – Be clear and concise with text on screen
  • – Using a URL shortener such at Bitly for posted links
  • – If hyperlinking, use descriptive text
  • – Limit slide animations and gifs
  • – Include alt text for images
  • – Caption all images

  Hearing Loss 

  • – Enable auto-captions on Zoom and PowerPoint, include transcripts if recorded
  • – Positioning slide information above where captions will show

  Color Blindness

  • – Use distinct lines and textures for charts and graphs
  • – Use color contrast checkers for text colors
  • – Run images through a color blindness simulator
  • – Review your presentation through a filter instructions on Mac or Windows

Once changes have been made, check the presentation on the computer, screen, and speakers you will be using for the class to verify fonts, coloration, image clarity, and sound quality during the presentation will remain the same.

We recommend you create or update a template for your presentations with accessibility as the goal, keeping in mind the various barriers your students can face. New presentations will be easily curated and existing presentations can have the format applied to them.

Resources

• Engage: Creating Accessible PowerPoint Presentations
• Engage: Creating Accessible Google Slides
• Engage: Blackboard Accessibility
• Engage: Captions and Video Accessibility
• Read: Blackboard Ally
• Read: Accessibility in Teaching
• Learn: STLI Academy – Improving Presentations

References

Abou-Zahra, Shadi, and EWOG Participants. (2010, 2022). How to Make Your Presentations and Meetings Accessible to All. Edited by Shawn Lawton Henry. Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). https://www.w3.org/WAI/teach-advocate/accessible-presentations/

Recite Me. (N.D.). Choosing an Accessible Font. Recite me. https://reciteme.com/uploads/articles/accessible_fonts_guide.pdf

Office of Integrity, Safety and Compliance. (N.D.). Understanding PowerPoint Accessibility. University of Colorado Boulder. https://www.colorado.edu/digital-accessibility/resources/understanding-powerpoint-accessibility

Cite This Resource

Studio for Teaching & Learning Innovation. (2025, September). Accessibility in Presentations [Teaching resource]. https://stli.wm.edu/accessibility-in-presentations/

Updated 9/2025