For Speakers and their Hosts: Accessibility Guidelines

When planning an event with a speaker, try to ensure that the speaker has — and helps create — the most accessible experience possible.

1. Ask the speaker if there any accessibility needs you can meet for the speaker.
2. Find out if the speaker would like you to communicate to the people who will be meeting you, including pre-and post-event meetings: private 1:1 meetings, group settings, over Zoom, or in your talk.
3. Share with the speaker your group’s access norms. Examples:
   • A How-to Guide for Accessible Documents and Presentations
   • How can you make your presentation accessible?

Guidelines for speakers

Presentation materials

• Make sure there is sufficient color contrast between font and background color.
• Include meaningful alt-text for every image.
• Link text should provide context. Link on the words that convey meaning, not “click here.”
• Include descriptions of tables, graphs and charts that provide some interpretation of the visual information.
• Use highly readable font sizes and styles.
• Make sure videos have captions.
• Is color used to convey meaning? (If so, please add at least one other modality. That’s why web links should be a different color and underlined.)

When presenting

• Verbally describe anything you would like the audience to take away from visuals on slides
• Use non-distracting slide transitions (e.g., appear and disappear, not “fly in”)
• Make sure there is sufficient color contrast between font and background color
• Follow best practices for accessible speaking 

PowerPoint/Google Slides specific guidelines

• Is each slide title unique?
• If a slide is going to be presented– is it generally text light?
• Are animations non-distracting? (E.g., fade in and fade out, NOT fly in or out). Do they minimize scrolling/panning? 
• If in Microsoft– use the accessibility checker!
• Use large clear fonts in slides
• Read about adding captions for Google Slides
• Show captions for any videos

PDFs, Word docs, and Google Docs

• UW Accessible Technology group has detailed information on making documents accessible.
• Accessible PDF Author Guide | SIGACCESS
• More thorough walk through of making a PDF accessible in Acrobat Pro DC: Link to youtube video
• Instructions for using a screen reader so you can check your pdf yourself.