Accessible Presentations Lab: Plain Language, Descriptions, and Slide Practices You Can Use Immediately
taught by: Angela Young
Session Summary
Most presentations accidentally exclude people, even when the content is strong. In this hands-on lab, you will rewrite slides in plain language, practice describing visuals (including charts), and leave with a repeatable checklist you can use in every meeting or conference talk.
Description
AccessU is built for skill-building, so this session is designed as a working lab, not a lecture. Participants will bring a slide or two from a real deck (or use a provided sample) and apply a step-by-step process to improve both the slide content and the spoken delivery. We will focus on three high-impact skills that immediately change outcomes for disabled and neurodivergent audiences: writing in plain language without oversimplifying, describing visual information in a way that makes meaning available to everyone, and using inclusive meeting and Q&A practices that work in hybrid rooms.
You will learn a practical checklist for accessible presentations and use it in guided exercises with peer review and facilitator coaching. By the end, you will have at least one upgraded “before/after” slide sequence, a short description script for a visual or chart, and templates you can reuse to coach others on your team.
Practical Skills
- Apply a practical checklist to improve slide accessibility and spoken delivery for disabled and neurodivergent audiences.
- Rewrite slide content into clear plain language that preserves meaning, reduces cognitive load, and supports a broader audience.
- Create and practice effective verbal descriptions for visuals (including charts, diagrams, and screenshots) and run inclusive hybrid Q&A patterns.