Vocations · Job Skills

A talk the whole room
can see, hear and follow.

Measure three things on your slides, the faintest text, the smallest type and the videos without captions, then work through fifteen habits before, during and after the talk. Each one is about the audience being able to follow, wherever they are sitting.

Check a talkWhat you get

Talks

The worked example is made up: a hybrid team update with faint text, small type and an uncaptioned clip, and a training session that passes every measure. Checklists save on this device only.

Loading the talk form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Vocations · Job SkillsFree

What you finish with
A checklist per talk with title, date, format and audience size; the lowest contrast ratio, the smallest font size and captioned videos; six before, six during and three after checks; requests to plan for; flags for contrast under 4.5:1, type under 24 points and uncaptioned videos; talks passing all three measures.
Who it is for
Students giving class presentations, job seekers presenting in interviews, and employees, trainers and teachers who present at work.
Format
Browser checklist with a saved record per talk. Prints a checklist, all talks or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Job Skills space in Caveat Vocations.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Check the palest text on your slides with a contrast checker.
  2. Find the smallest type in the deck, including chart labels.
  3. Caption every video, and check the captions are accurate.
  4. Work through the before list a day ahead, the during list as you rehearse.
  5. After the talk, share the slides, captioned recording and notes.

Check a talk

Contrast you can see

The same words at four contrast ratiosRevenue up 12%2.4 : 1 · Too faintRevenue up 12%5.9 : 1 · PassesRevenue up 12%17.8 : 1 · StrongRevenue up 12%6.2 : 1 · PassesThe same words at four contrast ratiosRevenue up 12%2.4 : 1 · Too faintRevenue up 12%5.9 : 1 · PassesRevenue up 12%17.8 : 1 · StrongRevenue up 12%6.2 : 1 · Passes
Regular text needs at least 4.5 to 1 against its background; large text at least 3 to 1. Ratios here are approximate for these colors.

Where the numbers come from

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2) set a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 for regular text and 3 to 1 for large text, and ask that nothing flash more than three times a second. Slide type of 24 points or larger is common advice from accessibility and presentation guides, not a rule.

Ask, then plan

Ask attendees ahead of time what would help: an interpreter, captions, large print, slides in advance. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers provide reasonable accommodations for employees; planning for them early makes a talk work for everyone.

Sources

  1. World Wide Web Consortium. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, success criteria 1.4.3 (contrast), 1.2.2 and 1.2.4 (captions), 2.3.1 (three flashes).
  2. World Wide Web Consortium, Web Accessibility Initiative. Making Events Accessible: Checklist for Meetings, Conferences, Training, and Presentations (w3.org/WAI).
  3. Section508.gov. Create Accessible Presentations (U.S. General Services Administration).
  4. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Reasonable accommodation under the ADA (eeoc.gov).

The worked example is made up. Ratios in the illustration are approximate. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.