Office Application Accessibility Review: MS PowerPoint 2010 | Accessible Digital Office Document (ADOD) Project

Version
Date of Current Version: 16 February 2011
Latest Version (HTML): http://inclusivedesign.ca/accessible-office-documents/powerpoint2010-review

Contents
Usage Notes
Review Results
Screen Reader Test 1. Accessing an Existing Test Document
Screen Reader Test 2. Creating a New Document
Acknowledgments

Usage Notes

Overview

At the time of testing (February, 2011), PowerPoint 2010 was found to be relatively accessible using keyboard navigation. In addition, screen reader testing appeared to show that effective use is possible with JAWS 11.

Testing Details

Screen reader testing was performed using JAWS 11.
Keyboard navigation testing was performed on Windows 7.

Disclaimer

This document is provided for information purposes only and is neither a recommendation nor a guarantee of results.
If errors are found, please report them to: adod-comments@idrc.ocad.ca.

Review Results

This table summarizes the result of our reviews using the “ADOD Assessment Framework: Success criteria for assessing the accessibility of office application user interfaces”

ADOD Assessment Framework: Success criteria for assessing the accessibility of office application user interfaces	Result
[ADOD-Office-Applications-UI 7.1] Use all applicable operating system and accessibility standards and conventions that are important or essential to accessibility. The techniques for this checkpoint include references to checklists and guidelines for a number of platforms and to general guidelines for accessible applications. ADOD Note: The Checkpoint is very general, and includes: Supporting relevant accessibility API(s); Web-based tools conforming to WCAG; Keyboard access; Providing keyboard shortcuts where recommended for a platform; Respecting platform settings (such as “high contrast” modes); and Providing documentation.	Yes. Screen reader support is confirmed by testing (see below). Most features are keyboard accessible. Provides keyboard shortcuts and when “alt” is pressed, the keyboard shortcuts appear displayed adjacent to the controls they will activate. Respects platform settings including Windows “high contrast” mode.
[ADOD-Office-Applications-UI 7.2] Allow the author to change the presentation within editing views without affecting the [office document]. This allows the author to edit the document according to personal requirements, without changing the way the document is rendered when published.	Yes. “Zoom” feature and support for Windows platform high contrast settings.
[ADOD-Office-Applications-UI 7.3] Allow the author to edit all properties of each element and object in an accessible fashion.	Mostly. Some inserted graphical objects (e.g., shapes) appear to require the mouse be used for editing.
[ADOD-Office-Applications-UI 7.4] Ensure that the editing view allows navigation via the structure of the document in an accessible fashion.	Mostly. Via the “Outline Pane” in the “Normal” view, only text contents are navigable (e.g. images are not navigable in this view)
[ADOD-Office-Applications-UI 7.5] Enable editing of the structure of the document in an accessible fashion.	Mostly. Via the “Outline Pane” in the “Normal” view, only text contents are editable (e.g. images are not editable in this view)
[ADOD-Office-Applications-UI 7.6] Allow the author to search within editing views.	Yes. Via the “Find and Replace” feature.

Screen Reader Test 1. Accessing an Existing Test Document

In this test, the evaluator used a screen reader to explore a pre-existing test document that had been created by a sighted colleague, following the “Authoring Techniques for Accessible Office Documents: Microsoft Word 2007”. The test document included the elements in the left-hand column (i.e., heading, table of contents, etc.).

Able to Access?	JAWS 11
Title slide	Yes.
Bulleted list with formatted text and misspelled word	It was necessary to enter edit mode on the object (see section 3) and then to use the JAWS text attributes command (JAWS key + f).
Image with “alt” text	Yes.
Table	Yes. JAWS reads all of the contents of the table in object mode, but content cannot be read consistently and JAWS table navigation commands do not work consistently in edit mode.
Flowchart created from grouping shapes	When selecting the object JAWS reads “A flowchart of our process. Take order Make pizza Deliver pizza.” It does not seem possible to edit this object.
Search function	Yes.

Screen Reader Test 2. Creating a New Document

In this test, the evaluator used a screen reader to create a new test document which was to include the elements in the left-hand column (i.e., two levels of heading, an image, etc.).

Able to accomplish?	JAWS 11
Add and then edit paragraph text (e.g. do a select-cut-paste)	Yes.
Insert an image	Yes. Using Insert > Picture. Alternative text can be set on the Format Picture dialog for the picture. The alt text should be set in the “Description” field so that it is recognized by assistive technology and is properly exported to other formats.
Insert a 3-by-3 table and fill it with content	Yes. Using Insert > Table. Although JAWS does not consistently read content when using the table navigation commands it does change cell position. It was possible to guess at cell location and to enter new content in the cell.
Create a bullet list	Yes.
Use text formatting (bold, text colour)	Yes.
Save document	Yes.
Other Comments by the Screen Reader Tester:	JAWS provides good support for the ribbon. However, using the ribbon is very non-intuitive, as it is a unique user interface component. JAWS does provide help training for Office 2007 in the JAWS menu > Help > Training. Although the training is targeted at Office 2007, it is also useful for Office 2010 users. Some documents open in Office 2010 in “Protected view”. From within the document press F6 to get to the Protected view toolbar and tab to get to the “Enable editing” button. When editing slides JAWS has two modes. Object level, which allows users to tab through the objects on a slide and to move between slides. Edit level (no known official name), which allows users to interact with particular objects to edit their contents. When tabbing to an object in “object level” JAWS will indicate if the object’s contents overflow its bounds, or if the object itself overlaps another object.

Acknowledgments

This document was produced as part of the Accessible Digital Office Document (ADOD) Project (http://inclusivedesign.ca/accessible-office-documents).
This project has been developed by the Inclusive Design Research Centre, OCAD University as part of an EnAbling Change Partnership project with the Government of Ontario and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

Partner logos: UNESCO-United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Government of Ontario and the Inclusive Design Research Centre (OCAD University)

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