Center for Innovation In Teaching and Learning

Use Slide Layouts from the Design Tab 

• Built-in layouts ensure proper reading order for screen readers.
• How to use Design Tab in PowerPoint 

Title Slides  

• Title each slide so that reading order goes by topic instead of slide number.  

Add Alt Text to All Visuals 

• Describe images, charts, icons, and smart art meaningfully. 
• Adding Alt Text in PowerPoint 
• AI for Alt Text (Coming Soon!)

Set Reading Order 

• Use the Accessibility Checker to confirm that content reads in a logical top-to-bottom order. 

Avoid Text-Heavy Slides 

• Break content into bullet points and speak more details rather than crowding the slide. 

Ensure Sufficient Font Size and Contrast 

• Use at least 18pt font and high-contrast color schemes for readability. 

Yuja Media

Tennessee Tech provides YuJa Media as an all-in-one video experience for faculty, staff, and students within D2L iLearn. We recommend using YuJa Media for all video content within your course as it automatically increases the accessibility of your video content.  

Provide Accurate Captions 

• Use closed captions that match spoken content, including relevant sounds (e.g., [music], [laughter]). 
• Adding captions in videos 

Include a Transcript 

• Offer a text version of the audio and visual information for users who prefer reading. 
• Downloading Video Transcript 

Use Clear Audio Quality 

• Ensure voices are clear and background noise is minimal. 

Avoid Flashing or Strobing Content 

• This can trigger seizures or discomfort. Follow the WCAG rule: no more than 3 flashes per second. 

Ensure Visuals Are Described (When Needed) 

• Add audio descriptions or integrate important visuals into the narration when relevant. 

Ensure the PDF is Tagged 

• Tags provide the structure (headings, paragraphs, lists) needed for screen readers. 
• How to add Tags within Panorama  
• How to add Tags within Adobe Acrobat 

Use Text, Not Images of Text 

• Avoid scanning printed documents as flat images. Use OCR (Optical Character Recognition) if needed. 

Check Reading Order and Structure 

• Use Acrobat’s “Reading Order” and “Tags” panels to ensure a logical flow of content. 
• Using Reading Orders in Adobe  
• Using Reading Order in Panorama  

Add Alt Text to All Visuals 

• Describe images, charts, icons, and smart art meaningfully. 
• Use the Accessibility Checker in Adobe Acrobat 
• The accessibility checker in Adobe highlights common problems with suggestions to fix them. To access, open a PDF file. Under Tools, select Prepare for Accessibility. Choose Check for Accessibility.