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Convert a PowerPoint to an Accessible WCAG-Compliant PDF

Introduction: Accessibility Matters

Welcome to our detailed guide on enhancing document accessibility. Today, our focus will be on converting a PowerPoint presentation into a PDF while ensuring it meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards.

WCAG compliance is vital in today’s digital environment, creating equal access to information and providing everyone with a seamless digital experience. Let’s delve into the process.

Steps to Convert PowerPoint to Accessible WCAG-Compliant PDF

Before converting to PDF – apply all of your accessibility elements to your PPT file.

An essential tool you need for this process is the Adobe Acrobat toolbar. This tool is part of Adobe Acrobat Pro, and if you don’t have it installed on your computer, you’ll need to use the File Save As option to retain the formatting when converting your PowerPoint document into a PDF.

Once the Acrobat toolbar is installed, simply select the tool bar and choose ‘Create PDF’, save your document, and voila! Your file is now open in Adobe Acrobat, ready to be made accessible.

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Tagging for Accessibility

The first step in making your PDF accessible is to open up the tags panel. By doing this, you’ll notice various ‘section’ tags throughout your file. While these are not inherently problematic, it is much cleaner to place everything under a single ‘document’ tag. To do this, right-click in the tags panel, select ‘New Tag’, type ‘document’, and click ‘OK’. Following this, move all your tags from the tags tree underneath your new ‘document’ tag using the select-all and drag feature.

Now, with all tags under the ‘document’ tag, you can begin to walk the tags panel. Be aware that the ‘section’, ‘art’, and ‘part’ tags are visual-only and, as of the recording of this guide, do not affect Assistive Technology. Thus, you can choose to either remove or keep them, as desired.

Next, keep walking through your tags panel and adjust the reading order if necessary. Check the alternate text on images to ensure they are accurate and descriptive. It is crucial to note that accessibility also entails that images are correctly labeled with alternate texts. This information can be added by right-clicking the ‘figure’ tags, selecting ‘properties’, and typing in the alternate text panel.

You can also rename tags for better understanding and organization. For example, renaming a ‘section’ tag to ‘slide one’ will help keep track of your progress, especially when dealing with complicated slides.

Ensuring Proper Formatting for Accessibility

While walking through the tags panel, keep checking that the tags are correct and properly arranged. Note that this process is less laborious if you start with an accessible PowerPoint template. All that’s left then is to verify that the tags are appropriate.

During this process, make sure that the links have transferred correctly. This is important as it makes sure the reader can navigate through the document as intended. Remember, an accessible document is not just about the content being available, but also that the structure and navigation are user-friendly.

Verifying Metadata and Accessibility Check

After validating the tags, the next step is to check the metadata of your document. This can be done by selecting ‘File’ and then ‘Properties’. This window allows you to adjust the title, author, subject, and keywords of the document, further enhancing its accessibility.

Following the metadata adjustment, run an accessibility check by selecting the ‘Accessibility’ button and then ‘Start Checking’. This check will scan the document for potential issues and provide you with a report indicating whether your PDF meets accessibility standards.

Further Steps Towards WCAG Compliance

Sometimes, the accessibility checker might flag potential issues under specific categories. Fear not, as most of these can be easily addressed. For example, a common issue may be the document title. To fix this, right-click the ‘title’ in the accessibility checker report and select ‘fix’. Now your document is accessible within Adobe Acrobat, but we can still take it further.

To make your PDF WCAG compliant, you can use the PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC) tool. This tool provides a more comprehensive check of your document against WCAG standards. Drag your file into the PAC tool and check for potential errors.

Troubleshooting WCAG Compliance Issues

Sometimes, errors can occur with the document’s visual elements, like contrast ratios. WCAG standards require a certain level of contrast for text and images to ensure readability for people with visual impairments. A common error might be that the contrast for bullet points is not appropriate, which would require adjusting the color in your PowerPoint file.

Such errors can be detected using a Color Contrast Analyzer tool, which lets you check the contrast ratio of your text and background colors. If an error is detected, simply go back to your PowerPoint file, select the ‘Edit’ button, and change the color of the bullet points to meet the contrast requirements.

The Importance of Continuous Learning in Accessibility

Even experienced accessibility experts may occasionally overlook some aspects, reminding us that there is always room for improvement. For instance, there might be a need to adjust the color of certain elements within PowerPoint for improved contrast, which can be a lesson for future presentations.

Remember, the journey to creating fully accessible documents is ongoing. Regular practice and continuous learning will enhance your skills over time.

As always, I’m here to assist in making your PDF documents accessible. I hope this guide has been helpful and I look forward to sharing more accessibility tips and techniques with you in my upcoming posts.

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Fixing PowerPoint Footer Display Issues

Welcome to our tutorial on displaying and fixing slide footers, dates, and slide numbers in PowerPoint presentations. Whether you’re using templates or customized presentations, it’s essential to ensure your content appears where it should. In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the process of navigating the View tab, Slide Master, and Insert options to bring back missing footer information and create polished, professional PowerPoint presentations.

Video Overview

Getting Started: Accessing the Slide Master

First and foremost, we need to access the Slide Master in PowerPoint. The Slide Master allows you to make universal changes to your presentation, affecting all slides at once. This is especially helpful when working with footers, dates, and slide numbers, as these elements typically appear consistently throughout your presentation.

To access the Slide Master, follow these steps:

  1. Open your PowerPoint presentation.
  2. Click on the “View” tab in the top menu.
  3. In the “Master Views” group, click on “Slide Master.”

Now you should see the Slide Master view, where you can edit and customize the master slide and its corresponding layouts.

Fixing Missing Footer Information

Sometimes, when working with PowerPoint templates or customized presentations, the footer information, such as the date, footer text, and slide number, may not appear as expected. To fix this issue, we’ll need to make adjustments within the Slide Master view.

First, let’s locate the footer elements on the master slide:

  1. In the Slide Master view, look for the slide with a larger thumbnail in the left pane. This is the master slide.
  2. On the master slide, you should see placeholders for the date, footer text, and slide number at the bottom of the slide.

If these elements are missing, follow these steps to add them back:

  1. With the master slide selected, click on the “Insert” tab in the top menu.
  2. In the “Text” group, click on “Header & Footer.”
  3. In the “Header and Footer” dialog box, check the boxes for “Slide number” and “Footer” (you may also check “Date and time” if you’d like that to appear).
  4. Click “Apply to All” to apply the changes to your entire presentation.

Now your footer information should be visible on all slides in your presentation. If you still don’t see the footer elements, make sure they are not hidden behind other content on the slides or covered by the slide background.

Customizing Footer Information

You may want to customize the footer information to suit your presentation’s needs. For example, you might want to include your company name, presentation title, or a specific date in the footer.

To customize the footer information, follow these steps:

  1. In the Slide Master view, select the master slide.
  2. Click on the footer text placeholder and type your desired text.
  3. If you want to include a custom date, click on the date placeholder, and type the desired date.
  4. To format the text, use the tools available in the “Home” tab, such as font, size, and color.

Keep in mind that any changes you make to the footer information on the master slide will apply to all slides in your presentation.

Returning to Normal View and Saving Your Presentation

Once you’ve made the necessary adjustments to your footer information, it’s time to return to the normal view and save your presentation.

To return to the normal view, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the “Slide Master” tab in the top menu (if you’re not already there).
  2. In the “Close” group, click on “Close Master View.”

Your presentation should now display the updated footer information on

all slides. Don’t forget to save your presentation by clicking on “File” in the top menu and then selecting “Save” or “Save As” to choose a location and file name for your PowerPoint file.

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

In some cases, you might still encounter issues with footer information not appearing correctly or consistently throughout your presentation. Here are some common issues and their solutions:

  1. Footer information not appearing on specific slide layouts: If you notice that the footer information appears on some slides but not others, it’s likely that those slides are using a different layout. To fix this, access the Slide Master view and ensure that the footer information is correctly set up on all the relevant slide layouts.
  2. Footer information hidden behind other content or slide background: Make sure that the footer placeholders are positioned correctly and are not obstructed by other elements on the slide. You can adjust the position and size of the placeholders in the Slide Master view.
  3. Different formatting for footer information on specific slides: If you’ve applied custom formatting to the footer information on individual slides, these changes will override the formatting set in the Slide Master. To ensure consistent formatting throughout your presentation, apply your desired formatting to the footer information in the Slide Master view.
  4. Inconsistent date formats across slides: To ensure a consistent date format throughout your presentation, set the date format in the Slide Master view. Click on the date placeholder, then click on the “Insert” tab, and select “Date & Time.” Choose your desired format and click “Apply to All.”

Conclusion

Displaying and fixing footer information in PowerPoint presentations is a crucial step in ensuring a polished, professional appearance. By following this step-by-step tutorial, you can effortlessly access the Slide Master, adjust and customize footer information, and troubleshoot common issues. With these skills in hand, you’ll be well on your way to creating impressive PowerPoint presentations that effectively communicate your message and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

How to hide a slide title

Since every slide must have a title it may interfere with the layout of your slide so instead of deleting the title, there is an option to hide the title. This will provide easy navigation while providing you with design freedom for your slide by visually hiding the title.

Video overview of how to hide a slide title in PowerPoint

This video will walk users through how to hide a slide title

Text Overview of how to hide a slide title

Open up the arrange panel

open the arrange panel

Under the selection area, choose which content you want to hide

Marking content invisible on a slide

Validating the order in the Arrange Panel

After you set the order in the Reading Order pane, ensure everything is also correct in the arrange panel. The arrange panel is in reverse, so the first item that will read is the one on the bottom. To get to the arrange panel – follow these steps:

  1. On the Home ribbon select the arrange button
  2. Select the Selection pane
On the Home ribbon select the arrange button Select the Selection pane

Select the view icon next to the title to hide it

This will hide the title from the slide but maintain the accessibility

Hide a slide title
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PowerPoint Accessibility Practice

Do you need some hands-on PowerPoint accessibility practice? Below you will find a practice file and an answer key file. There is an introduction video and an answer key video to follow along with.

Practice Files and Introduction

Download the practice file and watch the introduction video.

Practice01 Download

Answer Key

Download the Answer Key file and watch the video.

Answer 01 Download

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How to make Pie Charts Accessible in PowerPoint

This post will guide users through how to create an accessible pie chart in PowerPoint. Pie charts and bar graphs are inherently inaccessible when built within PowerPoint. There are additional steps that must be completed in order to make a pie chart accessible.

Need more PowerPoint accessibility guides?

Creating an accessible pie chart video overview

This video will provide a detailed walkthrough of how to make an accessible Pie Chart in PowerPoint.

An accessible pie chart includes the following elements:

  • Labels
  • Patterns
  • Do not rely on color alone
  • Alternate text
  • Data table is available

Example of accessible pie chart (image)

This image represents an accessible pie chart that includes labels and patterns.

This is an accessible pie chart which includes labels, patterns, and alternate text.

Add labels to a pie chart

There is no reason to hide or confuse data in a pie chart. Be specific and direct and add data labels to all data points in any chart!

  1. Right-click the pie chart
  2. Select Format Data levels
  3. Select the best options for the data labels
Right click the pie chart Select Format Data levels Select the best options for the data labels

Add patterns to a pie chart

Patterns are more accessible to a wider array of people with disabilities. Instead of relying on color alone (which is an accessibility failure) – use a pattern and a color.

  1. Right-click the Pie Chart
  2. Select Format Data Series
  3. Choose the appropriate pattern and color
Right click the Pie Chart Select format Data Series Choose the appropriate pattern and color

Add alternate text

  1. Right-click the entire chart object
  2. Select alternate text
  3. Enter a detailed alternate text

Right click the entire chart object Select alternate text Enter a detailed alternate text

Do you plan on converting the PowerPoint to another file type like PDF?

You might consider inserting the Pie Chart as a flattened image and providing alternate text instead. Screen readers can have difficulty reading the contents of a pie chart within the PPT itself.

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Table Accessibility in PowerPoint

Table accessibility is an important aspect of creating accessible PowerPoint files. Be sure to follow all basic table accessibility features. Unsure of what those are? Keep reading.

Accessible tables should include the following elements:

  • Ensure the table has a header row or header column selected
  • Apply a table style
  • Avoid complex tables or merged cells
  • Avoid layout tables
  • Add alternate text

Did you know?

In MS Word you can make your tables even more accessible by applying alternate text, and repeating header rows within the properties menu! Each Microsoft product has different abilities when it comes to accessibility in general. Its all about the authoring program features. What you can do in word, is not the same as what you can do in PowerPoint, excel, or even PDF for that matter.

Table Accessibility Video Overview for PowerPoint

This video will walk users through how to create accessible tables in PowerPoint.

Text overview

The next section will provide a text-based method for making tables accessible in PowerPoint.

Add a heading row or column to the table

  1. Select the table
  2. Select Table Design
  3. Select the appropriate header row or first column selection based on the data

This will change the visual look of the table but not any of the data.

Select the table Select Table Design Select the appropriate header row or first column selection based on the data. Table accessibility

Apply a Style to the table

  1. Select the table
  2. Select Table Design
  3. Choose a Table Style
Select the table Select Table Design Choose a Table Style table accessibility

Add alternate text

  1. Select the Accessibility Tab
  2. Select Alt Text
  3. Enter the Alt Text
Select the Accessibility Tab Select Alt Text Enter the Alt Text

Avoid merged cells and complex tables

Merged cells and nested tables cause nothing but problems for screen readers and other forms of assistive technology. Keep your tables simple and direct. If you have nested tables, consider creating multiple tables instead.

Layout Options

Do not use tables to move content around on a page. There are accessible methods to format and lay out content on a slide. Keep tables for their designated purpose – which is to display data. You can edit the slide design theme as one example.

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Link accessibility in PowerPoint

This post will cover link accessibility in PowerPoint. Accessible links can be applied to both text and images. This post will cover how to do both.

More PowerPoint accessibility videos available on my YouTube channel (Opens in new tab)

Shawn

Avoid using “click here” or “more info” in your link description. Links should be clear and easy to understand. The link should tell the user exactly where they are going.

While screen readers can read a full page to a user, screen reader users may prefer to instead listen to a list of links. In that case, a screen reader may only read the link text and not the surrounding text.

Speech recognition software allows a user to avoid using a mouse. Users can speak the text of the link that they would like to follow.

Keyboard-only users may not be able to use a mouse to click links. They use a keyboard’s tab button to navigate through a page’s links, buttons, and form inputs. For such users, it is very important for them to see which item has a focus on at all times.

Colorblind users may not be able to perceive color cues. Typically, pages present links in a different color than their surrounding text. Adding underlines or other non-color indicators helps users who may not see color. Users who are not comfortable with technology may also appreciate having links underlined.

Make text a link in PowerPoint

  1. Select some text
  2. Right click the text you want to make a link
  3. Fill in the address
  4. Select ok

The following directions will help you apply a link to an image within PowerPoint

Step 1

Select the image that you want to make a link.

Step 2

Right-click the image and select link

Step 3

Fill in the link location with the destination URL

Link destination in Powerpoint

Step 4

Select Ok

Now the image will be a link!

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Lists in PowerPoint Accessibility

Lists and PowerPoint accessibility are essential for Section 508 compliance. This post will cover the difference between unordered and ordered lists, and how to apply them in PowerPoint.

Lists and PowerPoint accessibility are essential for Section 508 compliance. This post will cover the difference between unordered and ordered lists, and how to apply them in PowerPoint.

Lists in PowerPoint Accessibility Video Overview

This video is going to show users how to apply lists in PowerPoint for accessibility purposes.

Lists are great from an accessibility standpoint because they provide structured order to content in a linear fashion. Lists are recommended as potential replacements for simple tables, as tables can be more difficult to navigate, and sometimes, we provide info in tables that really would be better suited to lists.

You can use lists inside of lists, or nested lists, just check to make sure they are coded properly. Lists should always be checked to make sure that the list items are really contained within one list, check to make sure that spacing does not break a list into multiple individual points, and use the proper techniques described below to create lists. You should never rely on indentation to provide a visual list, use the proper structure instead.

Does your list contain a link? Make sure your link is accessible too!

Unordered lists or Bulleted lists are for when the order is unimportant

Items that can be used for a bulleted list are for when the order does not matter. The example I like to use is that of grocery items, here is an example:

  • Milk
  • Bread
  • Eggs

Lettered lists are primarily for unordered lists were referring to a specific item may be important. 

Numbered lists are for lists where the order is important

Use numbered lists for when order is important. Here is an example:

Directions to Store

  1. Turn left at Walnut Ave
  2. Travel for 1 mile
  3. Turn right at College Street
  4. Travel for .3 miles
  5. Turn right into parking lot

Things to consider with Lists

  • Avoid using nonrich content editor symbols like dashes or x’s to indicate a list
  • Use the proper numbered or bulleted list for the items

Need to review other PowerPoint content? Check out this guide.

How to apply lists in PowerPoint

The first step in applying a list in PowerPoint is to select some text.

Then, select the list option from the paragraph ribbon.

Select some text and apply a list element. Lists in powerpoint

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How do I change the reading order in PowerPoint for Accessibility?

The reading order in PowerPoint is an important criterion for Section 508 and accessibility in general. The reading order will read from the top down, while the arrange panel will read from the bottom up or in reverse order.

This step is much easier if you have already used an accessible slide design theme!

Change the reading order in PowerPoint Video Overview

The video below will show how to set the reading order and arrange order in PowerPoint 365 Desktop version.

Read order vs. Arrange order

PowerPoint has two options for setting the reading order. On PC, the reading order should be set starting with the top and working down through each element.

Reading order panel in powerpoint with an arrow pointing to the top down read order.

The Arrange panel is similar to the Reading order panel and should also be set. On PC this content will read from the bottom element first moving up to the top. (Reverse order)

In the arrange panel the read order starts from the bottom and moves up. This is reverse order from the reading order panel.

How to set the Reading Order in PowerPoint

The quickest method to open the correct menu item is to simply use the search feature at the top of PowerPoint. Type in Reading Order into the search box and select Display the Reading Order Pane.

Use the search feature in powerpoint to search for reading order. Then select display the reading order pane

Setting the order with the Reading order pane

Use the Reading Order panel to ensure the content matches as intended. If content does not match, use the arrows in the Reading Order panel to move objects to the appropriate location. In this example, the order is as follows.

Example of the reading order panel with sample objects.
  1. The Heading
  2. The content panel
  3. another content panel

Validating the order in the Arrange Panel

After you set the order in the Reading Order pane, ensure everything is also correct in the arrange panel. The arrange panel is in reverse, so the first item that will read is the one on the bottom. To get to the arrange panel – follow these steps:

  1. On the Home ribbon select the arrange button
  2. Select the Selection pane
On the Home ribbon select the arrange button Select the Selection pane

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Slide titles should be unique in PowerPoint for Accessibility

Slide titles should be unique. Every slide in the slide deck should have a purposeful name. It’s easy to use duplicate titles but do your best to avoid duplicates.

Slide titles are easy to manage if using an accessible slide theme.

How to apply slide titles in PowerPoint Video Overview

Why should I have unique slide titles?

People who rely on assistive technology to review presentations will often navigate by the heading or title structure. If you end up converting the document to another format like PDF, the slide titles will come through as headings.

Failing Example

In the example below there are 5 different slides that share the exact same title.

There are 5 different slides that share the exact same title. Slide titles should be unique

Passing Example

In order to apply unique slide titles simply add a number to the end of each slide. The quickest method to change the title of a slide is to edit in outline view.

  1. Select View
  2. Select Outline View
Slide titles should be unique

Then simply add a number or change the title altogether. The image below shows an outline view of a presentation with numbers added to make slide titles independent.

Add a number to the end of the slide titles. Slide titles should be unique

Note

The built-in accessibility checker within PowerPoint is exceptional at notifying of this error. Would you rather hide the slide titles?

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