Accessibility Cleanup Before a 60-Slide PDF Release
A 60-slide compliance training deck must be delivered live to 150 employees and then posted as a PDF on the intranet. The accessibility checker reports 47 missing alt-text items, 12 slides with reading-order problems, a gray-on-light-gray caption at 2.9:1 contrast, three tables without header rows, and a 30-second animated sequence that auto-advances. The deck also has a video with burned-in captions and no transcript. Legal review is in three days; the brand team requires the corporate template; the LMS only accepts PDF under 20 MB, and the current PDF export is 34 MB. A colleague suggests "just run the accessibility checker and accept all fixes" the night before.
1. Prioritize the accessibility fixes by risk and effort. What do you do first, and why?
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Start with high-risk, low-effort items that affect comprehension and legal exposure. The 2.9:1 caption is a single text style fix: raise it to at least 4.5:1 and apply it consistently. The three tables need header rows and simple structure; that is quick and makes the tables readable by screen readers. The 12 reading-order problems are more work but high impact, because a screen-reader user may hear the footer before the title or miss content entirely.
Next, the 47 alt-text items. Triage them: decorative shapes and dividers should be marked decorative rather than given meaningless descriptions; informative images need one sentence explaining their purpose. The video transcript is also high risk and may take longer than expected, so start it early rather than on the last night.
Fix the auto-advancing animation by removing the automatic timing and making it manual, or replace it with a static sequence. Auto-advance violates user control and can strand a reader mid-sequence.
Do not accept all fixes. Automated tools generate generic alt text, may mark meaningful images as decorative, and cannot judge whether a reading order makes sense. Use the checker as an inventory, then verify each fix.
2. Explain how you would handle alt text and reading order efficiently across 60 slides without writing 47 separate essays.
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Build a pattern library first. Group the 47 items into categories: logos, icons, decorative dividers, charts, screenshots, and photos of people. Decide the rule for each category. Logos usually get a short label or are marked decorative if the company name is already in text. Decorative dividers are marked decorative. Charts get a one-sentence summary of the trend plus a nearby data table. Screenshots get alt text that states the task the screenshot supports, not a pixel description. Photos get a brief description only if they carry meaning.
Then work slide by slide in the selection pane. For each slide, check the reading order: title first, main content second, footer and slide number last. Fix order by dragging items in the selection pane, not by deleting and recreating. Test with the keyboard: tab through and confirm focus order matches reading order. Spot-check with a screen reader on five representative slides rather than all 60.
Write alt text in the speaker notes first if that is faster, then paste it in. This keeps the wording reviewed and reusable. Have a second person review the 10 most complex slides.
3. Address the video, the animation, the 34 MB PDF, and the "accept all fixes" suggestion in one plan.
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Video: burned-in captions help hearing users but do not help screen-reader users or people who need to search the text. Add a transcript document and a captioned version, and link the transcript from the slide and the PDF. If the video is embedded in the deck, check whether the PDF export preserves it; if not, provide a separate link.
Animation: the 30-second auto-advance removes user control. Convert it to click-triggered steps, or replace it with three static slides that convey the same sequence. Keep the live delivery version and the PDF version consistent.
PDF size: 34 MB to under 20 MB is usually an image-resolution problem. Export at 150 ppi for on-screen reading, compress pictures, remove hidden slides and speaker notes if they are not required, and subset fonts. Check that the corporate template's background images are not being exported at full print resolution. Re-export and verify the file is still legible when zoomed.
"Accept all fixes" is not a plan. It can produce wrong alt text and destroy reading order. Instead, run the checker, fix by category, then run the accessibility check on the exported PDF itself. Confirm the PDF has a title, language, tags, bookmarks, and a logical reading order. Do a final pass on a phone and with a screen reader before posting.