Creating Accessible PDFs with PowerPoint

For basic (i.e. read-only, content focused) PDFs, the steps are relatively simple:

1. Write accessible content
2. Save As a PDF, preserving accessible properties

1. Write accessible content

We direct you to read WebAIM's article "PowerPoint Accessibility".

In summary:

• Use templates optimized for accessibility
  For contrast, font size, and well structured layouts
• Use slide layouts
  Either use built ins or make your own with Slide Master; use titles to break your presentation into sections
• Fix reading order
  If you use built in layouts and don't add elements, the default should be correct; if you add elements, you will need to correct it using the "Arrange > Selection Pane" tool
• Add alt text or mark decorative to all images
  Most images will need some alt text, unless the information is already repeated in nearby text.
• Add a heading row and/or column to all tables
  Usually, use a built in layout for clarity, and always check "Header row" and/or "First column" depending on where your header cells are included.
• Write descriptive links
  Make links say where they go or what they do, i.e: "Florida Department of Health"; if you want to include the link text or a QR code for people viewing your presentation in person, include it unlinked (i.e. plain text/image) adjacent to the text. i.e. "Florida Department of Health (FloridaHealth.gov)".

2. Save As a PDF, preserving accessible properties

When exporting to PDF, you must follow these steps to ensure correctly markup and metadata is preserved in the final PDF. Otherwise, the efforts to structure the content accessibly will be lost.

1. Open the "File" tab
   
2. Navigate to " Save As"
3. Select "More Options..."
   
4. Open the "Save as Type:" Dropdown
5. Select "PDF (*.pdf)"
   
6. Under the "Optimize for:" label, select "Standard (publishing online and printing)" if not already selected
7. Under the "Title:" label, add a title.
   • PDFs must have a title to be accessible (WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.2). Always ensure you set an appropraite title. This is particularly easy to forget for documents where you are updating from a previous version with an existing title where it should be changed (for example, an agenda, or meeting minutes).
8. Click "Options..." to open the options menu
   
9. Verify the following options are selected. The other options are up to you, but these are critical for accessibility.
   • Check "Document properties"
   • Check "Document structure tags for accessibility
   • Do not check "PDF/A compliant when not encrypted via Microsoft Information Protection"
   
10. Click "OK" to dismiss the options dialog, and "Save" to save the PDF