Using AI Imagery In PowerPoint
Have you heard of Mid Journey? Mid Journey is just one of the many AI Image generators you can access online. You are able…
Most inaccessible slides aren’t careless, they’re just built without the tools switched on. PowerPoint already has an Accessibility Checker, a Reading Order pane, and an Alt Text panel built in. Nobody needs a plug-in or a redesign from scratch, just a slightly different process.
And it’s worth doing properly, not as a box-ticking exercise. Somewhere between one in ten and one in five people in any audience has dyslexia. Add in low vision, colour blindness, and screen reader users, and you’re not designing for an edge case. You’re designing for a sizeable chunk of the room, whether you can see them or not.
Before anything else, go to Review > Check Accessibility. PowerPoint scans your whole deck and flags missing alt text, poor reading order, and other issues, with a plain-English explanation of why each one matters.
One caveat worth knowing: the checker doesn’t catch every colour contrast problem, so don’t treat a clean report as the final word. Think of it as your starting checklist, not your finish line.
Write real alt text on every informative image, chart, or graph.
Right-click the image, select Edit Alt Text, and describe what it shows in a sentence or two. A screen reader will read this aloud, so “chart” tells someone nothing, “bar chart showing revenue up 20% year on year” actually does the job.
A screen reader doesn’t read your slide the way your eyes do, it reads objects in the order they were added, which can be completely different from how they’re laid out visually. Go to Review > Check Accessibility > Reading Order Pane to see the actual order and drag items into the right sequence.
Give every slide a genuine, unique title, even if it’s small or barely noticeable visually. Someone navigating by screen reader relies entirely on slide titles to know where they are in the deck.
Don’t rely on colour alone to carry meaning. “Red means over budget” means nothing to someone who can’t distinguish red from green. Pair colour with a label, an icon, or a pattern too.
Avoid WordArt entirely. It’s genuinely difficult for screen readers to interpret correctly, and it usually fails contrast requirements as well. Use normal text with bold or colour formatting instead.
Choose a clean sans-serif font, and keep it consistent. Arial and Verdana are safe, reliable choices. Lexend is worth trying too, it was specifically designed to reduce visual stress by widening letter spacing.
Skip pure black text on a pure white background. It sounds like the safest option, but extreme contrast can actually cause letters to blur or shimmer for some dyslexic readers. A dark grey (#595959) on an off-white or soft background usually reads more comfortably, while still being clear enough for everyone else.
Left-align your text. Centred or justified text creates uneven gaps between words, which makes it harder to track a line while reading. Left alignment keeps a consistent starting point for the eye.
Go easy on italics and full capitals. Both distort familiar letter shapes, which are exactly what a dyslexic reader relies on to recognise words quickly. Use bold for emphasis instead.
Give text room to breathe. Increase line spacing slightly (1.5 lines rather than single) and don’t cram a slide edge to edge. Dense text blocks are hard going for a lot of people, not just dyslexic readers.
Run the Accessibility Checker first, but don’t treat it as the whole job, it won’t catch every contrast issue.
For visually impaired and screen reader users: write proper alt text, fix the reading order, give every slide a real title.
For dyslexic readers: clean sans-serif fonts, softer contrast than pure black on white, left-aligned text, and room to breathe.
None of this requires a redesign. It’s the same deck, built with a few better habits.
How do I check if my PowerPoint is accessible? Go to Review > Check Accessibility. PowerPoint will scan the presentation and list any issues, along with an explanation of how to fix each one.
What font is best for dyslexia in PowerPoint? A clean sans-serif font such as Arial or Verdana works well. Lexend is also worth trying, as it’s designed specifically to reduce visual stress for dyslexic readers.
How do I add alt text to an image in PowerPoint? Right-click the image, select Edit Alt Text, and write a short, descriptive sentence explaining what the image shows.
Why does reading order matter in PowerPoint? Screen readers announce slide content in the order objects were added, not how they appear visually. Checking the Reading Order Pane ensures a screen reader user hears the content in a logical sequence.
Is pure black text on white the best choice for accessibility? Not always. While it gives maximum contrast, extremely high contrast can cause visual distortion for some dyslexic readers. Dark grey text on an off-white background is often more comfortable while remaining clear.
