Editing PowerPoint Accessibility Best Practices (section)

== Alternate text ==

All images and charts must have alternate text.

''Select the image'' > ''right click'' > '''Format Picture''' > '''Format Picture Pane''' > '''Size & Properties''' tab > '''Alt Text''' > ''enter alternate text in the Description field'' <ref>[https://support.office.com/en-nz/article/Add-alternative-text-to-a-shape-picture-chart-table-SmartArt-graphic-or-other-object-44989b2a-903c-4d9a-b742-6a75b451c669#bm13 Add alternative text to a shape, picture, chart, table, SmartArt graphic, or other object] (Office Support)</ref>

=== Artifacts ===

If an image should be ignored by a screen reader (e.g. decorative photos, logos, etc.) it should be marked as an &ldquo;Artifact&rdquo;. PowerPoint doesn’t provide a means to do this however.  

Any image without alternate text will show as an Error up in PowerPoint’s accessibility checker. 

In order to avoid this, enter a punctuation mark such as a dash character as the alternate text. This will not be read out by a screen reader, but it will not show up as an error in PowerPoint's accessibility report like empty alternate text or a space character would.

==== Best practice on the design level ====

Place objects that are purely decorative in PowerPoint templates. They will then be correctly identified as artifacts. <ref>[http://commonlook.com/user-guide-commonlook-office-ppt/accessibility-guidelines-for-ms-powerpoint/user-guide-commonlook-office-accessibility-guidelines-ms-ppt-alt-text/ Adding Alternative Text in MS PowerPoint] (CommonLook by NetCentric Technologies)</ref>

=== Assigning alternate text to complex objects ===

All the elements in a chart or figure should be grouped together, with alternate text applied to the group.

* Select the objects that make up the chart in either the Selection Pane or directly in the Slide. 
* '''Drawing Tools''' > '''Format''' > '''Group''' > '''Group'''
* ''Select the group object'' > ''right click'' > '''Format Shape''' > '''Size & Properties''' tab > '''Alt Text''' > '''Description'''

''N.B. There is no built-in way to confirm how TTS will handle a group with alternate text assigned to it. The desired behavior is that the alternate text would be read out, and any text within the group is ignored.'' 

''There is a &ldquo;Speak&rdquo; command in PowerPoint, but this will only speak selected text. It is disabled when a Group object is selected.'' 

=== Group alternate text does not export when saving a PowerPoint presentation as a PDF ===

The alternate text is assigned to the group in Adobe Acrobat after the PowerPoint presentation has been converted to PDF format.

'''Tags Panel''' > ''expand the tree to find the '''Group Node''' in the slide'' > ''right click'' > '''Properties''' > '''Tag''' tab > '''Alternate Text'''