Presentations: Is There More Than a Visual Path?

A presentation has two experiences to design: the live or recorded delivery and the slide file people may read before, during, or afterward. A strong deck uses built-in layouts, unique slide titles, logical reading order, accessible visuals, and spoken explanations of essential visual content.

Speaker notes can support the presenter, but they are not automatically an accessible alternative for slide content. The shared file and the delivered presentation each need review.

The question that matters

Can someone understand the sequence and purpose of each slide without relying on where objects happen to appear visually?

A Practical Workflow

Start with a built-in layout.
Place content in the title and content placeholders instead of drawing a page from disconnected text boxes.
Give every slide a unique title.
The title should identify the slide in an outline. For continued topics, distinguish the stages or points.
Keep each slide focused.
Reduce text density and split complicated visuals across slides when that improves comprehension.
Make visuals equivalent.
Add useful alt text or complex descriptions, use sufficient contrast, and avoid color-only meaning.
Verify reading order.
Check the order in which assistive technology encounters the title, text, images, charts, and other objects.
Plan the delivery.
Describe essential visuals aloud, caption recordings and live sessions as needed, and make accessible materials available.
Run the checker and test the shared version.

A title is navigation

Slide titles help everyone follow the argument and let screen-reader users move through the deck by topic. “Results: Enrollment” is more useful than another slide named “Results.”

What Reading Order Changes

Visual order only

A chart appears beside its conclusion, but assistive technology encounters the footer, chart labels, decorative shape, title, and conclusion in a confusing sequence.

Verified object order

The slide title comes first, followed by the conclusion, the chart with its alternative, and any supporting source note. Decorative objects are excluded where the tool allows.

PowerPoint Outline view displaying slide titles and text in presentation order — Outline view can expose missing titles and text that is not part of the slide’s usable structure.

Quick Check

A slide looks correct visually, but the title was made from an ordinary text box and several objects were rearranged. What should the author do?

Leave it alone because the audience can see the intended arrangement.: The shared file needs a real title and logical object order, not only a visual arrangement.
Apply an appropriate layout or title placeholder, then verify and correct the object reading order.: Correct: The placeholder identifies the title, and the reading-order review checks the sequence beyond appearance.
Export the slide as an image and add the title as alt text.: Flattening the slide removes its navigable structure and does not provide all of its content.

Work in Presentation Tools

Microsoft PowerPoint

Use Home > New Slide and choose a built-in layout.
Enter a unique title in the title placeholder.
Choose Review > Check Accessibility.
Open the Reading Order pane and read the objects from top to bottom. Reorder them when needed.
Add or verify text alternatives and mark decorative objects appropriately.
Check contrast, color cues, tables, links, media captions, and slide notes or handouts.

PowerPoint Accessibility Checker and Reading Order pane used to review slide objects — PowerPoint’s checker can direct you to the Reading Order pane, but you decide which sequence communicates the slide correctly.

Google Slides

Choose a built-in slide layout and enter a unique title in the title placeholder.
Avoid overlapping objects and complicated collections of independent text boxes.
Add and verify alt text for meaningful visuals.
Check contrast, color cues, links, and the sequence in which content is reached.
Use Google Slides’ HTML view as one additional way to inspect the presentation’s text sequence.
Check any downloaded PowerPoint or PDF separately.

Google guidance for accessible presentations (opens in a new tab)

Delivering or Recording

Share accessible materials before the session when appropriate.
Read or summarize essential text and describe meaningful visuals rather than saying only “as you can see.”
Use a microphone and minimize competing sound.
Provide live captions when required and review captions before sharing a recording.
Explain audience activities and verbalize questions or chat contributions needed for context.

Curating Someone Else’s Deck

Do not assume a professional-looking or institutionally produced deck is accessible. Review the file before assigning it. If you cannot repair or replace it, provide an equivalent accessible source and clearly explain which version students should use.

Before You Present or Share

Every slide has a unique, descriptive title in a title placeholder.
Built-in layouts organize the slide content.
Object reading order has been verified.
Text is concise, readable, and sufficiently contrasted.
Images, charts, links, tables, and color are accessible.
Essential visual information will be described during delivery.
Recordings are captioned, and any shared deck or PDF is checked independently.
The presentation’s accessibility checker has been run and its findings reviewed.