LAMC Website Accessibility Tips for Faculty and Staff

Structure

The structure of the content can provide an organizational and navigational framework for individuals to understand the informational hierarchy and relationship between different sections of content. These structural elements can help determine the organization and logical reading order of the presentation for an individual using assistive technologies.

Slide Title

The Slide Title is used to provide a heading for the slide's content. Slide titles should be unique and descriptive to help users navigate to specific content on the slides. To view and edit slide titles quickly:

1. Select View.
2. Select Outline View.
3. Edit the titles accordingly.

Slide Layout

Using preset slide layouts will automatically control the reading order and structure of content placed on the slide. To choose a slide layout:

1. To locate Slide Layout, select Home > select New Slide.
2. Choose the slide layout that meets your needs.

Managing Reading Order

If text boxes are separately created from the preset slide layouts, this information may not be in the correct reading order. If content is manually placed onto a blank slide, you will need to assess and manage the reading order using the Arrange button. To review and fix the reading order:

1. Select Home > Arrange > Selection Pane
2. The reading order begins at the bottom of the list of regions. The first item to be read is at the bottom and the last item to be read is at the top.
3. To modify the reading order in the Selection Pane, drag the appropriate item to the proper location in the sequence.

List

Use the built-in list styles to provide users with additional guidance. Do the grouped items convey a process or have a logical sequence? If so, then use the number list style. Is this grouped list of items in no particular order? If so, then use the bullet list style.

1. Select Home.
2. Select either the bullet or number list style.

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Images

Images that support the content require a text description (also called "alternate text") to communicate the purpose and/or content of the image. Image descriptions should be short and communicate the main purpose of the image. If a longer description of the image is necessary to fully explain its content, consider alternate strategies outlined on the Images concept page.

To add the alternate text:

1. Right-click the image.
2. Select Edit Alt Text…
3. In the Alt Text window, write a descriptive text.

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Hyperlinks

Documents containing hyperlinks to websites or other online resources can be improved by including hyperlink text that is understood by the reader. For instance, using the full hyperlink URL may not make sense to the reader without some context.

1. Highlight the short descriptive phase or words that will become the descriptive hyperlink.
2. Select the Link button in the menu.
3. In the Address field, add the desired URL.
4. Select OK.

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Tables

When possible, use a simple table structure for tabular data. Using tables with split cells, merged cells, or nested tables can lead to issues with assistive technologies recognizing the appropriate column and row header information in a data table.

Avoid using a table to manage the layout. Instead, use a Slide Layout that orients content into the appropriate visual layout you desire.

Tables should include the following:

• At least one header (the row and/or column).
• Alt Text description summarizing the table.

Specify the header

To mark a header row for a data table:

1. Select the table to reveal Table Design. (Note: this tab will only appear if the table is selected.)
2. In the far left-hand section, determine the required header type:
   • Header row: check the box Header Row.
   • Column header: check the box First Column.

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Color

Color can be an effective way to communicate ideas and draw attention to information. Insufficient color and contrast can limit the ability of others to perceive and understand the presentation.

PowerPoint offers a variety of slide themes, but not all of these will provide sufficient contrast. To edit Slide Theme colors:

1. Select Design > Expand the Color Palette Menu to reveal available color combinations.
2. Select Colors to review the pre-built color palettes or select Customize Colors to create slides that have appropriate color contrast.

Select one with accessible contrast, or select Customize Colors to manually select the colors. Alternatively, you can use other methods in Microsoft PowerPoint to remove or change the current theme in your presentation.

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Creating a PDF

Using “Save As” on a Mac

Users of PowerPoint for Mac should be cautioned that exporting to PDF will not yield an accessible, tagged PDF document, it must be remediated using Acrobat Pro.

Using “Save As” on a Windows PC

1. Select File > Save As.
2. Select PDF > More options.
3. In the Save As dialog, select Options.
4. Verify in the Options dialog that Document structure tags for accessibility is selected. Select OK.

Creating a PDF with Acrobat

1. Use the Acrobat plug-in in the ribbon. Select the Acrobat tab.
2. Select Create PDF.

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Instructions copied and amended from the Standford Office of Accessibility