University of Wisconsin–Madison

Presentation accessibility

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Whether you are presenting online or in person, use this guide to learn what to do before, during, and after your presentations to optimize inclusion and access for all participants.

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Why should I consider accessibility?

The time, effort, and commitment to create accessible, usable presentations and materials is even more vital today than ever before.

  • In 2010, 57 million people in the United States population had a disability and of that number 25% were between 15 and 21 years of age.
  • According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, 11% of undergraduate college students reported having a disability in 2011 and 19% reported having a disability in 2015. This upward trend is increasing.
  • Each year, the University of Wisconsin–‍Madison McBurney Disability Resource Center supports an average of 5,791 students (11% of the student population).

Before your presentation

Consider whether your presentation and digital materials:

  • Are well-structured to enable screen reader access.
  • Are high contrast, which helps users with low vision, color blindness, and/or are in low contrast settings.
  • Has a text equivalent for all visual content like images and diagrams. These can be provided in a document with presentation materials or as spoke image descriptions during a presentation.
  • Use plain language and spell out acronyms to support comprehension.

Anticipate and advocate for the needs of your audience

Some users may be non-native English speakers or English Language Learners (ELL), and some users may be Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Advocate for accessibility and usability as a right of all participants and ensure that the facilitators of the event are aware that, as a condition of participation, accessibility be considered to ensure a barrier-free experience for participants. Some services that may be helpful for campus events include:

Learn more about how to structure the following document types for accessibility:

During your presentation

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Even if the space seems small, amplification is helpful for many participants.

Speaking more slowly than you would in natural conversation during your presentation will allow all users to follow the flow of the presentation and content.

Include both text and visual content. You don’t have to read the slide exactly as it is; just make sure that you cover the visual information in what you say.

Describe any visual information in the room, such as the number of participants that raise their hands in answer to a speaker prompt.

If presenting online, avoid using virtual backgrounds during a web conferencing event as the effects are visually less accessible to users. This effect can also cause high CPU workload and Wi-Fi bandwidth delays.

  • Remind the audience to use a microphone when they speak
  • Remind participants to state their name when they speak so others track who is speaking
  • Repeat the questions participants ask again and make sure your audience understands the question before answering it

After your presentation

  • Increase the impact of and accessibility of your presentation materials and content by including contextual information via speaker notes, for example, so that users understand the context of the material, whether or not they attended the event.
  • Make your content available:
    • Have a shared resource space where participants can return to your updated content for more information and find your contact information to follow-up.
    • Give users a way to provide feedback or request assistance with accessibility.

Get help from the
Center for User Experience (CUE)

We partner with you to create accessible, usable and inclusive digital spaces through free evaluations and consultations.

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Center for User Experience