Structure
Navigate by heading
Screen readers can use headings to move through your slides. Lists, tables, and links also keep their structure in the exported file.
Accessibility
Make your slides easier to read and hear
Share presentations with structure that screen readers can follow. Keep headings, reading order, and media descriptions when you export from Deckset.
Export accessible PDFs with Deckset for Mac or Deckset for iPhone and iPad. HTML export is in beta in the Mac app.
How it works
Add structure in Markdown
Write headings and lists in Markdown. Add descriptions beside your media. Deckset uses that information to create accessible PDF and HTML exports.
Media
Skip decorative images
Describe images that convey information. Mark backgrounds and other images as decorative when they add no information, so screen readers skip them.
Export checks
Find missing descriptions
PDF and HTML export checks flag missing media descriptions so you can fix them in the source file.
A small addition in Markdown
Add an image description
Use alt(...) to explain the trend in a chart, the steps in a process, or a detail in a photograph.
This example describes the chart’s result and marks the background texture as decorative.
Learn about media descriptionslanguage: en-US
# Quarterly results
Feature reference
Accessibility on each device
Open a section for details and guides. Device labels show which app you use to create or export the presentation.
01 Write and describe Prepare your Markdown
Choose your editor, describe media, and set the language in your source file.
Write in your preferred editor
Write in a Markdown editor that works with your keyboard and assistive tools. Save the source file to update the slides in Deckset.
Describe informative media
Add alt(...) descriptions to images, audio, video, and YouTube embeds. Use informative for a background image that conveys information. Use decorative for media that screen readers should skip.
Set the presentation language
Add a language command, such as language: en-US, to help assistive technology choose the right voice and pronunciation. If you leave it out, Deckset detects the main language from your text.
Explain diagrams and formulas
Add a .description command to a Mermaid code block’s opening line. Deckset can also generate spoken descriptions for MathJax formulas in accessible exports.
02 Export and share Export PDFs and browser presentations
Choose a PDF handout or a browser presentation, with optional presenter notes.
Export tagged PDF/UA-2 files
Deckset adds tags for headings, lists, tables, links, reading order, and media descriptions. Deckset checks the file before saving.
Include notes in PDF handouts
Choose one, two, or four slides per PDF page. Add presenter notes when they help the reader. Their text and links stay available to assistive technology in accessible PDFs.
Share slides in a browser
BetaExport a scrollable document or a player that shows one slide at a time. Deckset includes headings, lists, tables, links, and your media descriptions without a separate accessibility setting.
Navigate HTML with the keyboard
HTML · BetaUse arrow keys or Page Up and Page Down to move between slides. Press Home or End to jump to the first or last slide. Navigation follows the operating system’s Reduce Motion setting.
03 Check and present Get ready to present
Check media descriptions and export reports before sharing. Use keyboard shortcuts to rehearse and present.
See warnings while you edit
Turn on “Show Accessibility Warnings” in Presentation Options to find missing or unrecognized media descriptions. Deckset marks affected slides in the slide grid, Preview, and Floating Preview. This setting is off by default.
Review PDF export issues
Choose “Review Issues” after a failed accessible PDF export to see what needs fixing. Jump to affected slides when Deckset can identify them, update the source file, and export again. Your existing PDF stays unchanged if an export fails.
Check browser exports
BetaReview the HTML export report for missing media descriptions, unsupported links, missing files, and other issues. Export checks run even when editing warnings are off.
Present from the keyboard
Use keyboard shortcuts to edit, preview, rehearse, present, and export. While presenting, use the arrow keys to move between slides, K to play or pause video, and Escape to exit.
Before you share
Review your content for clarity
Give readers the context you would normally add while presenting.
Read the accessible PDF guide-
Listen to the exported slides
Listen with a screen reader to check how the slides flow. Make sure each description explains what matters to the audience.
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Include spoken information
Use visible text or an accompanying transcript for important spoken content. A media description summarizes a recording. Deckset does not currently have a Markdown command for attaching caption tracks.
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Explain complex visuals
Describe the conclusions of a chart or the steps in a diagram. For Mermaid, add a
.descriptioncommand. For Pikchr, include visible text or use an image with analt(...)description.
Talk to us
Tell us what gets in your way
If you run into an accessibility issue, we’re here to help. Send us your presentation’s source file and describe the problem. Let us know which device, Deckset version, and assistive tools you’re using, too.