Flashing/Blinking Content 

Eliminate or limit blinking/flashing content to 3 seconds 

Forms & Buttons 

Label form fields and buttons 

Check the reading order of forms 

Math and Science 

Write math and science equations accessibly. 

Run the built-in checker

(Mac users, you must have MS Word 2016 and the August 2016 update. Previous versions don’t have the built in checker.) 

A great way to begin checking the accessibility of your Microsoft Word document is to use the built-in accessibility checker. 

Please Note: The accessibility checker only checks .docx files

 

1. Go to the Review tab when within your document. 
   
   

2. Click the Check Accessibility button 

The Accessibility Checker panel will open to the right of the document. The accessibility checker provides you with a list of errors, warnings and tips. When you click on an error or warning, instructions on how to fix it appear below in “Additional Information”. 

Additional Resources 

• The free Document Accessibility Toolbar (DAT) for MS Word 

• The Microsoft Disability Answer Desk 

• Karlen Communications: Track Changes and Comments in Word [pdf] 

• WebAIM: Microsoft Word 

• The National Center on Disability and Access to Education Cheatsheets 

Click the View tab within PowerPoint 2016 to see the available Presentation Views listed below: 

The Outline View 

• Make sure all of the slide text content appears in the outline view. Students with visual disabilities may prefer not to bother with the more visual slide view. 

• Recommended best practice: Compose your outline in the outline view, and then move to the slide view to add images and design. 

The Slide/Normal View 

• Use the slide layouts (not the blank one though) provided on the Home tab. This will help to ensure your slide’s reading order remains intact. 

• The order that text and objects are inserted into the slide, will be the default reading order unless you manually change it. 

• Don’t use animations or slide transitions on the PowerPoint presentation that you post online. 

Check the following elements and ensure they are accessible 

For each item that you have in your presentation, click on the accessibility guideline(s) that corresponds to it in order to learn how to make that element accessible. 

Images and Graphics (including Graphs, Maps & Shapes) 

Provide alternative text for images and graphics 

Lists 

Format lists as lists 

Links 

Write meaningful links that indicate link’s destination 

Tables 

Create data tables with column headers 

Ensure a proper reading order in tables 

1. Go to the Review tab when within your document. 
   
   

2. Click the Check Accessibility button 

The Accessibility Checker panel will open to the right of the document. The accessibility checker provides you with a list of errors, warnings and tips. When you click on an error or warning, instructions on how to fix it appear below in “Additional Information”. 

Additional Resources 

• The Microsoft Disability Answer Desk 

• Cheatsheet: Creating Accessible PowerPoint 2011 (for Mac) 

• Cheatsheet: Creating Accessible PowerPoint 2010 (for Windows) 

• WebAIM: PowerPoint Accessibility 

• Guidelines for the Development of PowerPoint Presentations for Audiences that may Include Persons with Low Vision [ppt] (APH)