Checking accessibility for Microsoft PowerPoint presentations – Part 2 In part 1 we discussed the PowerPoint accessibility checks for “Colour and Contrast”, “Media and Illustrations” and “Tables”. You can find part 1 here. This part focuses on document structure. Document structure Unclear hyperlink text If we paste a link into our presentation, it will get flagged under “Unclear hyperlink text”. This is because links should be inserted as hyperlinks, which means they should have a text about what they are that people can click on. If we forget to do this, it will get flagged and PowerPoint will ask us
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Checking accessibility for Microsoft PowerPoint presentations – Part 1 Have you ever finished the slides for a PowerPoint presentation and thought to yourself: “Ah! Finally done!”? But, are you really done? PowerPoint presentations are a common part of work life nowadays. Sometimes we use them to share research findings, sometimes they are part of internal or external training courses. Sometimes they are used to explain restructuring, and sometimes they are used for teambuilding events and quizzes. A lot of us would probably say that we (of course!) know how to make a PowerPoint presentation. But do we know how to
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Join Us – Board Opportunity We are recruiting up to six volunteers to join the Disability Equality Scotland Board of Directors. Position: Director We are looking for up to six enthusiastic and committed volunteers to join the existing members of our Board. Our new Board members will have the skills and knowledge needed to help DES meet our strategic aims. Members of the DES Board of Directors work closely with each other to provide us with important governance and contribute to our overall strategy. They help ensure we meet our objectives and primary aims as a charitable organisation. Your other
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Please sign a joint letter calling for accessible news for people with a learning disability – deadline 28 May At Disability Equality Scotland (DES), we want to work with our members to highlight the need for accessible news coverage in the UK. Accessible news is designed for people with a learning disability and anyone else who needs or prefers easy to understand language. We are inviting our members to support this work by co-signing a joint open letter to the UK Government calling for accessible and inclusive news coverage. Our ask  Please join DES in co-signing an open letter to the UK Government. The letter explains what accessible news
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National Access Panel Conference to Spotlight Disabled People’s Voices and Accessibility Disability Equality Scotland is pleased to share that this year’s summer Access Panel Conference will take place online and in person at Glasgow Caledonian University on Wednesday 17 June. Access Panels are groups of disabled people and local volunteers who work to improve accessibility and inclusion in their communities. The network play an important role in ensuring disabled people’s voices help influence change at a local level across Scotland. The theme for this year’s Conference is “Community, Connection and Collaboration”. It will bring together Access Panel members, disabled people,
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Introducing Lucy Mulvagh, the New CEO of Disability Equality Scotland We are delighted to welcome Lucy Mulvagh as the new Chief Executive Officer of Disability Equality Scotland! Lucy joins us from the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE), bringing a strong background in policy, research and championing the voices of disabled people. Speaking about starting in the role, Lucy said: “I am incredibly proud to have joined Disability Equality Scotland at such an important time. What has already stood out to me is the passion, expertise and commitment across the organisation, our members and Access Panels. I am
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Scottish Parliament Election 2026: Share your experience of voting accessibility Today is the 2026 Scottish Parliament election. This is your opportunity to vote for Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), who make decisions on issues such as health, education, and transport. Everyone over 16 who lives in Scotland has a right to participate in Scottish elections with equal freedom and independence. However, we know that voting can present barriers for disabled people, with issues ranging from the accessibility of polling stations to the process of filling in a ballot paper. We want to get a fuller picture of how inclusive
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PowerPoint, groups and accessibility Making an accessible PowerPoint slide is not as easy as it sounds, despite guidance from Microsoft itself. Sometimes we come across issues that need a bit of research before we figure out the solution. During a recent webinar, a question about “nested” boxes and alt-text came up, and I have to admit, I was initially confused. I did not understand what was meant by “nested” boxes, but luckily, the participant was willing to send an example slide, and I got to work. To understand the issue, we first need to establish some of PowerPoint’s quirks. When
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Have Your Say: Scottish Parliament Election 2026 Postal Voting Survey Disability Equality Scotland is running a short survey to understand what it was like to vote by post. Your feedback will help improve how elections are run in the future, making sure everyone can take part as easily and independently as possible. What is the survey about? A postal vote means you receive your voting pack by post, fill it in at home, and send it back before election day. This means you do not have to go to a polling station. We want to know: How easy or difficult
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Scottish Parliament Election 2026 The next Scottish Parliament election will take place on 7 May 2026. This election allows people in Scotland aged 16 and over to vote for Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). MSPs represent people and make decisions on devolved issues such as health, education and transport. Key dates: Register to vote: midnight on Monday 20 April 2026 Apply for a postal vote: 5pm on Tuesday 21 April 2026 Apply for a proxy vote: 5pm on 28 April 2026 What is a manifesto? A manifesto is a document published by a political party before an election. It
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