CECH DEI Research and Resources

PowerPoint is the easiest way to create a UC-branded poster with minimal formatting work. You can use PowerPoint on a PC or a Mac, but switching between those two versions midway can result in the loss of some formatting fidelity.

• Begin by choosing a UC-branded PowerPoint template.
• Change the slide size to 48 inches (width) by 36 inches (height). It is important to re-size your slide immediately before adding any content. PowerPoint slide default sizes are 13.333 x 7.5 inches (widescreen) or 10 x 7.5 inches (standard).
• Save your work in safe place that allows collaboration and back-up, such as OneDrive.
• When you are finished editing the poster in PowerPoint, save/print as a PDF IF YOU PLAN TO PRINT THE POSTER. If you poster will be digital only, it should remain as a PowerPoint file (.pptx)

Creating accessible documents is an important way to support diversity, equity, and inclusion. The following content on accessible PowerPoints was curated by the UC Accessibility Network. View the original resource page.

Guidelines for Creating Accessible Microsoft Power Point Presentations (from UC Accessibility Network)

Below are some additional guidelines for creating accessible Power Point presentations.

• Use the slide templates provided in Power Point Layout.  The templates create an appropriate heading and reading structure for a person using a screen reader to easily navigate your slides. 
• Do not add text boxes to slides.  A screen reader cannot navigate to read the text inside the box.
• Create a companion document if you put necessary information in the Notes section of a presentation.  A screen reader cannot navigate to the notes section of Power Point.

Alternative Text Best Practices (from UC Accessibility Network)

Alternative text, or “alt text” describes the content of images, graphs and charts. It should be added to every image that conveys meaning in a Power Point Presentation.  Below is a list of best practices for using alternative text in image heavy presentations. 

• Write a short and concise description of no longer than 150 characters.
• Do not use the filename, “photo,” or “image” to describe an image.
• Indicate the purpose of complex images like charts, graphs and infographics.  
• Write “decorative” in the alternative text if the image does not add additional meaning to the presentation. 
• Identify the required action for images that contain a link (i.e., click the image to go to another web page).