TSBVI logo | Home | Site TOC | Site Search | Technology |

How to Make an Accessible Web-based PowerPoint Presentation

There are two ways of making a Web-based PowerPoint presentation accessible to people with disabilities. You can use the tools included in PowerPoint which results in moderate accessibility. Or, you can use Power Point WWW Publishing Accessibility Wizard (http://cita.disability.uiuc.edu/software/office/).

For reference, examples of various accessible versions (text outline, PowerPoint generated, Accessibility Wizard generated) of the same PowerPoint Presentation go to http://www.tsbvi.edu/agenda/national-ppt.htm.

Creating a Text Outline Version

The text outline on the (http://www.tsbvi.edu/agenda/national-ppt.htm) was produced by following the following steps:

The resulting HTML outline is accessible; but, it is very plain and only contains text from the presentation. This is a good beginning. Create other versions to meet your users needs.

Creating a Power Point WWW Publishing Accessibility Wizard Generated Accessible Presentation

For a truly accessible PowerPoint Presentation, and if you have charts, graphs, other meaningful graphics, etc. download the Power Point WWW Publishing Accessibility Wizard. It installs as an Add-In in PowerPoint. After installation, the option "Save as Accessible HTML..." will appear in the FILE menu. Then, follow the prompts, enter the alternative content, and you are on your way...

The wizard has the following features

  1. Step-by-step conversion of images, tables, diagrams, and charts in Microsoft PowerPoint slides to accessible HTML formats (by adding "alt" and "long-desc" atttributes)
  2. Automatic conversion of Excel charts
  3. Automatic conversion of PowerPoint tables
  4. Text-based and graphics-based HTML presentation generated
  5. Assists in creating valid HTML and WCAG compliant web presentations
  6. Allow user to choose directory to save HTML version of document (filenames are unique, different from MS PowerPoint HTML export, so all web-based formats can co-exist in same directory)

See an HTML presentation created by the Accessibility Wizard. (http://www.tsbvi.edu/agenda/NationalWISC_files/Index.html)

Creating a PowerPoint 2000 Generated Accessible HTML Presentation

Another, though less accessible option is to have PowerPoint generate the HTML presentation. Unless you pay attention to what you are doing, you may create an HTML presentation that can only be viewed with IE and a fast connection. Microsoft calls this "high fidelity." The presentation has many functions that are not available from the keyboard.  Following the steps below creates a somewhat more accessible version. That is, it should work in most browsers and a 640x480 screen. The resulting HTML has 5 frames.  It is clumsy to use with Jaws (a screen reader). It works significantly better with IBM HomePage Reader (a talking browser).

Note: Microsoft PowerPoint 2000 generated web presentations always use frames. There is no way to disable the frame pages layout. This functionality is different from Microsoft PowerPoint 7.0 for Windows 95, or Microsoft PowerPoint 97, in which you can choose to create Web presentations that do not use frames.

Following the steps below will create a PowerPoint presentation that is fairly accessible...

  1. Choose "Choose Save as Web page" from the PowerPoint File menu
  2. in the dialog box - click the "publish button"
  3. in the "publish as web page" dialog
  4. uncheck "display speaker notes"
  5. in the "browser support" section choose "all browsers"
  6. click the "web options" button (leave all as default set)
  7. in the "web options" dialog choose the "pictures" tab
  8. choose "640x480" in the screen size box.
  9. click "publish button"

This will create an HTML start page and a folder containing associated files, images, etc. See http://www.tsbvi.edu/agenda/NationalWISC_files/frame.htm for an example of output using the steps above.

Creating a PowerPoint 97 Generated Accessible HTML presentation

PowerPoint 97 had a feature to save as html that also saved a text only version simultaneously (still problems with charts and things, though). see http://128.100.250.10/atrc-slides/inclusive/AccHTML/  for an example of output.

Other PowerPoint Accessibility Websites

[Top] [ Home ] [ Table of Contents ] [ Search ]
Agency Contact Information | Texas State Homepage | Texas State Wide Search

Please complete the comment form or send comments and suggestions to: Jim Allan (Webmaster-Jim Allan)

Last Revision: July 19, 2005