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Formatting and Styles to Avoid

Tips for Better Accessibility

The following formatting and object types are not communicated to assistive technology or present significant barriers to some users:

  • Strikethrough
  • Highlighting
  • Dropcap
  • Word Art and text effects
    • SmartArt use: In general, avoid using SmartArt to create lists, comparative tables, diagrams, and steps because it can pose accessibility issues. If using SmartArt to design a slide element, then ensure that the SmartArt is converted to an image, reinsert in the slide, and properly ALT texted to describe its meaning. Contact our graphic designer/team members if you need help converting SmartArt to images.
  • Ungrouped related shapes
  • Watermarks
  • Symbols, except for the following safe characters:
    • @ (the at symbol)
    • & (ampersand)
    • / (slash)
    • © (copyright)
    • ® (registered)
    • ™ (trademark)
    • ¶ (paragraph)
    • • (bullet)
    • $ (dollar)
    • € (Euro)
    • £ (British pound)
    • ¥ (Yen)
    • % (percent)
    • ½ (one half)
    • ¼ (one fourth)
    • ¾ (three fourths)
    • ° (degrees)

Tip for Accessibility Checking: Outline View

Check the PowerPoint outline view to see if your textboxes are visible (accessible) to screen readers.

See this video: Outline View and Textboxes for Accessibility in PowerPoint:

Video: “Outline View and Textboxes for Accessibility in PowerPoint” by The Accessibility Guy [3:05] is licensed under the Standard YouTube License.Transcript and closed captions available on YouTube.

 

License

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Universal Design for Learning Copyright © 2023 by Andrew Stracuzzi is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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