Accessibility tips when working with a SmartArt graphic

2007 Microsoft Office system programs are designed to be used by people with different abilities. If you use an assistive aid, such as a screen reader or screen magnifier, the following tips may help you to work with your SmartArt graphic:

• Use keyboard shortcuts instead of a mouse when you work with your SmartArt graphic. A table listing the most common keyboard shortcuts appears at the end of this article.
• The Text pane is an outline representation of the information in your SmartArt graphic. You can open the Text pane and work directly in it to create and manipulate the shapes in your SmartArt graphic. The first time you insert a SmartArt graphic, the Text pane opens automatically and you can immediately start typing your text. Most screen readers give you the level and hierarchy of the information in your shapes. If you prefer to work directly in your SmartArt graphic rather than in the Text pane, press CTRL+SHIFT+F2 to switch between the Text pane and your SmartArt graphic.

  When you enter text in the Text pane, corresponding shapes are added to your SmartArt graphic and sized based on the amount of text that you enter. If necessary, the font size is automatically reduced so that all of your text fits into the shape. You can also resize the shape manually. The table at the end of this article lists the keyboard shortcuts for resizing shapes.

• If you use a screen reader and do not use a mouse, do the following to create a SmartArt graphic:
  1. Do one of the following to insert a SmartArt graphic
     • On the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, click SmartArt.

     • Keyboard shortcut Press ALT+N+M.

     • In Microsoft Office PowerPoint only, select text on a slide, and then on the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click Convert to SmartArt Graphic .
  2. Use the arrow keys to move around the layout gallery, listen to the SmartArt graphic descriptions to find the layout that you want, and then double-click the layout or press ENTER.
  3. Enter your text in the Text pane in outline form. You can modify the Text pane just like you can modify any outline or bulleted list.
  4. Press CTRL+SHIFT+F2 to move from shape to shape and to hear more information.
• If you use a screen reader and do not use a mouse, press CTRL+SHIFT+F1 to view a list of descriptions for all SmartArt graphics in the online Help.

• To select multiple shapes by using the keyboard, select a line of text in the Text pane, and then press SHIFT+DOWN ARROW to select the additional shapes. You cannot select nonadjacent shapes (lines of text) in the Text pane, nor can you select only connecting lines from the Text pane.

  To select multiple shapes by using a mouse, click the first shape, and then press and hold CTRL while you click the other shapes.

  Note The Select Multiple Objects box and toolbar button are no longer available in the Office release.

• To add alternative text to a SmartArt graphic, do the following:
  1. Right-click the border of the SmartArt graphic, and then do one of the following:
     • In Microsoft Office Excel, click Size and Properties.
     • In Microsoft Office Outlook and Microsoft Office Word, click Size.
     • In Microsoft Office PowerPoint, click Size and Position.
  2. Click the Alt Text tab, and then in the Alternative text box, enter your text.
• Accessibility options are available in Control Panel in Microsoft Windows. If you are running Microsoft Windows Vista, open Ease of Access. If you are running Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or Microsoft Windows XP, open Accessibility.

Keyboard shortcuts

See also:

• Descriptions of SmartArt graphics
• Keyboard shortcuts for SmartArt graphics