PowerPoint Accessibility Fundamentals
Discover what happens to a presentation when someone cannot rely on its visual layout alone. Learn how slide titles, reading order, layouts, links, color, and image descriptions help preserve the meaning and sequence of your presentation.
Location: Online via Zoom
Duration: 60 min
Your Instructor
Shawn Jordison – ‘The Accessibility Guy’
Shawn Jordison, known as The Accessibility Guy, has more than 17 years of experience helping organizations create accessible documents, training, and content that meet Section 508, WCAG, and PDF/UA standards.
About the session
Presentations communicate through more than the words placed on each slide. Layout, sequence, visual relationships, and reading order all affect whether someone can follow the intended message.
This introductory session explains how Section 508 and WCAG apply to PowerPoint presentations and how assistive technologies interact with slide-based content. Participants explore the role of slide layouts, unique titles, reading order, lists, links, color, and alternative text in creating presentations that can be understood in more than one way.
The course also examines common presentation failures and introduces the PowerPoint features that help authors and reviewers identify potential barriers. Participants leave with a clearer understanding of what a well-structured presentation looks like and what should be checked before it is shared or published.
This is a conceptual session and does not include hands-on remediation.
What You’ll Learn
- How Section 508 and WCAG relate to presentation content
- How assistive technologies interact with slide-based content
- Why slide layouts provide more than visual consistency
- How unique slide titles support navigation
- Why reading order matters
- How lists and links should be structured
- When color or visual position carries too much meaning
- What image descriptions should communicate
- Which presentation problems frequently go unnoticed
- Which PowerPoint features support document review
After This Session, You’ll Be Able To
- Explain how assistive technologies interact with presentations
- Recognize problems involving titles, layouts, and reading order
- Identify when color, imagery, or visual placement may hide meaning
- Describe the qualities of a well-structured PowerPoint presentation
- Determine when a slide deck may need further review or remediation
Who This Course Is For
This course is designed for:
- People who create, edit, review, or publish presentations
- Employees responsible for reviewing presentations before they are shared
- Developing accessibility professionals who need a PowerPoint foundation
- Anyone preparing to take the Microsoft PowerPoint
- Accessibility Applied workshop
Logistics
Location: Online via Zoom
Duration: 60 min
Start Time: 12:00 PM PT
Certification: Certificate of Completion issued to attendees who complete the full session
FAQs
Is this a hands-on session?
No. This is a conceptual fundamentals course. Hands-on review and remediation are covered in the Microsoft PowerPoint Accessibility Applied workshop.
Do I need prior experience?
No. The session is designed for people who are new to this work.
Do I need special software to attend?
No. You can simply watch and learn.
Does the course cover reading order?
Yes. You will learn why reading order matters and how problems with reading order affect the way slide content is experienced.
Is this useful if I review presentations created by other people?
Yes. The course helps reviewers recognize common problems and communicate more clearly about needed corrections.
What materials are included?
Attendees receive a topic-specific PowerPoint accessibility cheat sheet.
Is a recording included?
A recording is not included with registration but may be purchased separately for a fee.
What do I need to attend?
Join from any computer with a reliable internet connection. We use Zoom to provide an engaging, interactive learning experience. A microphone is recommended for participating in discussions, and a webcam is optional but encouraged.
How accessible is the training?
As accessibility specialists, we design our training to be inclusive from the start. Sessions include live captions, and if you have accessibility requirements, we’ll work with you before the course to help ensure a successful learning experience. If you need additional support, contact us.
Related products
PDF Accessibility Applied
$200.00
