Presenter’s Toolkit: Virtual Presentations

Early Planning Considerations

When you prepare a virtual presentation, you will not always be the one organizing the virtual event, advertising it or setting up the registration, but when you are, there are accessibility considerations to consider with those aspects of your planning.

Selecting an Accessible Platform

When hosting a virtual event, it’s important to choose a platform that is accessible. Not all video conferencing platforms offer the same level of accessibility features, so it’s wise to research each platform’s commitment to accessibility. You can visit their websites for more information or consult with organizations that specialize in digital accessibility to get recommendations. Additionally, observing what platforms these organizations use can help you make an informed decision. At a minimum, you should choose a platform that offers the following options:

  • Automatically generated transcripts
  • The ability to integrate third-party human captioners
  • Keyboard shortcuts for navigation and features like muting/unmuting microphones, turning video on/off, and raising hands
  • The ability to spotlight specific videos for ASL-English interpreters
  • The option to include spoken language interpreters

Offering Accommodations

Providing a way for attendees to request accommodations during registration is a key step in making your virtual events more inclusive. Attendees may need captioning, accessible materials, sign language interpreters, or other accommodations, so include an accommodation request form in the registration process. Ensure your budget covers these accommodations so they are available when requested.

Proactive Captioning

It’s beneficial to provide at least automatic captions for your event, even if no specific request has been made. Captions are useful for many people, including those who are Deaf or hard of hearing, non-native speakers, or anyone accessing the event in a noisy environment. If you plan to archive the event, captions will also make it accessible to a wider audience.

Accessible Materials

Ensure that any materials shared during the event, such as slides or documents, are provided in an accessible digital format. These materials should be sent to attendees in advance to ensure that those using screen readers or text-to-speech technologies can fully participate. This is especially important for blind attendees or anyone who may need extra time to access the content.

Prep Materials for Access Providers

It is very helpful for interpreters and captioners to have access to materials that will be used during the session. Providing the names of presenters or speakers ahead of time is also helpful for these service providers.

Preparing Handouts and Materials

Before beginning the preparation of your materials, think through what you will provide attendees and how your materials will be used. 

  • Will you be sharing a slide deck?
  • Will there be materials that participants need to engage with during the presentation?
  • Will you be showing any videos?

The following sections will help you consider accessibility for each of these types of materials.

Slides

There are many applications you can use to create slide decks. Any of these can be used to produce slides that meet the standards for visual accessibility. However, you will also need to create a version that can be shared digitally with participants that cannot access the slides visually. When you share slides through a video conferencing platform like Zoom® or Microsoft Teams®, a person who uses assistive technology cannot access those slides using that technology. They will need the materials on their own computer in order to access them.

When creating accessible digital versions of slides, not all presentation software is created equal. As of this writing, Microsoft PowerPoint® offers the most advanced options for creating fully accessible slides. Before using other options for creating your slides, you may want to explore what barriers this may create for you and the extra work required to produce an accessible version. The following tips are divided into those that apply to any presentation software and those that apply specifically to working in Microsoft PowerPoint®.

General guidance:

  • Use a template with good contrast—dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background.
  • Avoid overlaying text on images.
  • Use a unique heading for each slide.
  • Do not put too much text on your slide.
  • Keep font sizes at 28-point or larger.
  • Select a simple, easy to read font. Sans serif fonts are usually more readable.
  • Add alternative text to images, graphs and charts.
  • For complex items, such as charts or graphs, the alt text should provide all of the information that a sighted person has access to visually.
  • If images are purely decorative, mark them as decorative. 

Guidance Specific to Microsoft PowerPoint®:

  • Use pre-set slide layouts rather than manually adding text boxes.
  • Confirm that all text is visible in “Outline View.”
  • Be aware that when you crowd your slide with text, Microsoft PowerPoint® will begin shrinking the text to fit. The font size will shrink and the space between text will also be reduced, making slides more difficult to read. To resolve this issue, select the Autofit Options symbol that appears. Then select “Stop fitting text into this placeholder.”
  • Run the accessibility checker that is available on the Review Ribbon. This will help you identify any accessibility issues you may have missed.
  • To share an accessible digital version of your slides, you can share the PowerPoint file or create an accessible PDF version of your slide deck.
  • To create accessible digital versions of your slides, select Save As PDF, rather than Print to PDF. Have a plan for sharing the accessible digital versions of your handouts prior to your session. Options include emailing them to participants or uploading them to a website and providing a link.

Handouts

If you are providing other handouts to participants, those will need to be designed to be accessible as well. Several options exist for creating accessible handouts. Microsoft Word® has the most options for creating accessible handouts. The following guidelines will assist you in creating accessible materials.

  • Use a sans serif font of 12 point or larger. 
  • Use heading structure properly. 
  • Provide alternative text for graphic elements such as images, charts, or graphs. 
  • If you are providing print versions, it is ideal to have some large print versions available. 
  • Providing the handout in MS Word or RTF format is ideal.
  • If you prefer to provide handouts in PDF, make sure you select Save As PDF, rather than Print to PDF in the conversion process. 
  • Have a plan for sharing the accessible digital versions of your handouts prior to your session. Options include emailing them to participants or uploading them to a webpage or cloud-based folder and providing a link.

Interactive Materials

Engagement is important for learning. Don’t shy away from creating engaging activities for fear of creating barriers. Simply be sure to think through your activities and have plans to adjust the activities as needed.

If your activities require participants to engage with handouts by answering or filling out forms, it is important that all participants have equal access to these materials. Whereas a PDF version may work fine for a static handout, it would not be adequate for engaging with the handout on a computer or other device. Be sure to provide those handouts in Microsoft Word® or Rich Text Format. If you have a participant who has asked for accessible handouts, it might be helpful to contact them and explain the activity so they can provide information about what format would be most helpful.

Videos

If you are showing videos during your presentation, it is important to think through the accessibility before your presentation. 

  • Is the video captioned?
    • If yes, check the captions for accuracy. 
      • A note about autogenerated captions: These captions may present issues with accuracy and sometimes lack punctuation. Make sure they will really provide equivalent access for those who need captions.
    • If not, determine options for providing access.
      • If the video was created by you, see the resources at the end of this handout for captioning your video.
      • If the video was not created by you, you can reach out to the creator to see if they will caption it or ask if you can create a captioned version for your presentation. 
  • Is the video audio-described?
    • If so, check descriptions for accuracy.
    • If not, determine if there are visual elements that need descriptions.
      • You can create an accessible version.
      • Or if those elements are not too complex, you can describe them during the presentation as you show the video.

Before Your Session Begins

  • Access Options: Provide multiple options for attending the event, such as through a computer, phone dial-in, or recorded versions.
  • Provide Advance Materials: Send any materials you plan to discuss or share ahead of time so attendees can review them before the event.
  • Accommodations Requests: Ensure there’s a process in place for attendees to request accommodations, and make sure those requests are fulfilled. Check the resources below for sources for interpreters and captioners.
  • Enabling Accessibility Features: If you are providing automatic captioning instead of human-generated, make sure to turn the captions on.
  • Preparation for Captioning Providers or Interpreters: If you’re providing human-generated captioning or American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters, ensure they are ready to go before the event begins.
  • Use the Waiting Room Feature: If using a platform with a waiting room or lobby feature, let interpreters or captioners before the other attendees.
  • Assign a Co-host: Assign a co-host to manage technical issues, ensuring the event runs smoothly even if you encounter any difficulties.

During Your Presentation

While the event is taking place, there are additional best practices to follow:

  • Orient Attendees: At the beginning of your webinar, provide information about how to access the captions, accessible materials, and how you will handle questions and comments.
  • Consider Accessibility When Screen Sharing: Don’t assume everyone can see or access what is being shared on the screen. Describe content being displayed for those who may not be able to see it.
  • Read Chat Messages Aloud: If questions or comments are posted in the chat, read them aloud before responding to ensure everyone is included.
  • Minimize Background Noise: Reducing background noise improves the quality of communication for all participants. Using a headset can help with this.
  • Camera Off Option: Allow attendees to turn off their cameras if they prefer, as this can make the event more comfortable for some participants.
  • Introductions: Encourage attendees to introduce themselves during discussions to ensure everyone is aware of who is speaking.
  • Equal Participation: Make sure everyone has a way to ask questions or make comments that is accessible to them.

Resources

Presentation and Event Accessibility

MS PowerPoint Accessibility

Document Accessibility

Accessible Videos

Access Services