For Virtual Delivery
- Wear headphones and a microphone
- Turn on Live Transcripts in Zoom
- Mute microphone when not speaking
- Reduce background noise
- Choose a well-lit area so everyone can see you clearly
- Clearly state the agenda for the class and outline which technologies will be used during the virtual delivery
- Pause often for students to catch up on notes or so that the live captions catch up
- If using the chat feature in Zoom, read comments aloud for all students to hear
- Verbalize images, charts, or graphics that you share on screen
- Alert students when you are about to launch a poll
Resources: Zoom Accessibility Features [article]
For PowerPoint Presentations
General Considerations
- Use pre-programmed or themed layouts
- Apply appropriate colour contrast for easy visibility
- Opt for sans-serif fonts (Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, etc.)
- Select font sizes that are large enough to be seen in the classroom and on screens
- Avoid using Word Art
- Avoid using text shadows or glow effects
- Use PowerPoint’s built-in Accessibility Checker to ensure your slide deck meets accessibility requirements
Alternative Text
- Apply alt-tex to provide text for all images, charts, graphics and visuals
- Consider the content and function of your image when creating alt-text
- If the image provides content, ensure the content is included in the alt-text
Links and Call-to-Actions
- Hyperlinks should have context and describe where it leads
- Avoid using ‘Click here’ and opt for a more descriptive verb or short phrase
- A screen reader will read slides in a particular order; verify the order in which each slide is arranged to ensure the information is read in a logical order
Resources:
- How to Use PowerPoint Accessibility Checker [article]
- Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities [article]
- Create More Accessible Slides [mini course with text/video]
For Microsoft Word
- Use Styles in the Home tab which help when using screen readers
- Use alt-text with all images
- Wrap text around images as ‘in line with text’
- Use the Columns function on the Layout tab
- Insert page numbers using the Page Number function on the Insert tab
- Identify table headings in the Design tab when inserting a table
- Ensure Hyperlinks describes where it leads; avoid ‘Click here’
- Avoid using text boxes, Quick Parts, Word Art and drop caps as they don’t work with screen readers
- Use Word’s built-in Accessibility Checker
Resources: Make Your Word Documents Accessible [article]
Other Accessibility Considerations
Emails accessibility tips:
- Use HTML format, where possible
- Use appropriate fonts (style and size)
- Provide structure by using Styles in the Format Text tab
- If inserting an image, provide alt-text for each image
- Wrap text ‘in line’ with images
- Ensure hyperlinks communicate to the reader where the link will take them
- Ensure Signatures are accessible
- Use the Check Accessibility feature under the Review tab
Video
- Use closed-captions/life transcription
PDF Documents
- Ensure PDFs are fully accessible by conducting an accessibility check – See more tools.