Workplace presentations can take place in a wide variety of locations and contexts. With a little thought beforehand you can help to ensure that blind and partially sighted people are able to take a full and active part and not feel excluded from your presentation.
Relatively minor changes to the way in which you manage your presentation can make a big difference towards improving accessibility for all.
Visual aids
The use of visual aids such as overhead projectors and slide projectors has largely been replaced these days by computer based applications. However, where such equipment is being used it is worth remembering that a brief description of the visual elements being displayed can go a long way towards not excluding members of your audience who have sight problems.
Use of video
Making video accessible can in some circumstances need some modification beforehand. Much depends on the content of the video you wish to use and to what extent it depends on purely visual action to convey essential information.
If important information is mainly presented in a visual way then you could consider verbally describing the action as you go along. More extensive use of visual elements may require a professional audio description to be produced.
Flip charts
Flip charts are often used to jot down notes and key points during discussion and breakout sessions. It is worth remembering that blind and partially sighted people may not be able to access the notes on the flipchart to act as a reminder. Therefore, good practice is to repeat the contents of the flip chart to serve as a prompt and to ensure that blind and partially sighted audience members are not excluded or forced to rely on memory alone.
Presentation software
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One key to ensuring that your presentation is as accessible as possible is to face your audience and talk through the slides as the presentation progresses.
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If you want to point out specific details on a slide be sure to describe what it is you are referring to first. Another technique to help people keep a track of the presentation is to play a short, appropriate sound when the slides change.
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It is wrong to assume that blind and partially sighted people are not interested in the information conveyed by images but it is important to provide a clear description. In this case you will need to decide on the purpose of the image and the information it conveys. For example, 'Recycling Pie Chart' does not convey any meaning but 'Chart showing 20% increase in glass recycling since April 2008' does.
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Where more extensive multimedia is used in your presentations you may need to consider audio description in order to ensure accessibility for blind and partially sighted audience members.
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The presentation itself and any handouts you are using can be prepared beforehand and made available in alternative formats where required.
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It is worth remembering that text offers the most flexibility for conversion to alternative and accessible formats.
A little planning goes a long way
With just a little thought and planning beforehand your presentations can effectively reach the widest possible audience.
For further related information see Presentation software and Meetings.