[Athen] Slide format (16:9 vs. 4:3) and accessibility

[Shelley Haven]

A question for all you ATHENites: For slide presentations, does choice of slide aspect ratio (16:9 widescreen vs. 4:3 standard) impact accessibility?  Here are some illustrations comparing the two:
 <https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiBjbLTsfnaAhWSTN8KHUaRBHoQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Flecturesupport.med.utoronto.ca%2Fcontent%2Fcreating-169-presentations&psig=AOvVaw1qHsi9qjk5ciylI9pDHp8D&ust=1525981334383908> <https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiBjbLTsfnaAhWSTN8KHUaRBHoQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Flecturesupport.med.utoronto.ca%2Fcontent%2Fcreating-169-presentations&psig=AOvVaw1qHsi9qjk5ciylI9pDHp8D&ust=1525981334383908>side_by_side_4by3_and_16by9.png <http://lecturesupport.med.utoronto.ca/sites/default/files/side_by_side_4by3_and_16by9.png>
massav_blog_widescreen_graphic1.jpg <https://www.massav.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/massav_blog_widescreen_graphic1.jpg>

I’m quite familiar with all the standard factors that make slide presentations accessible: font, size, colors, and spacing of accessible text; alt-text for images and tables; reading order; accessible table structure; meaningful hyperlinks; etc., etc.  However, I’ve never seen anything that discusses the relative accessibility of widescreen slides (16:9 aspect ratio) and standard slides (4:3 aspect ratio).  Perhaps the answer is: “it doesn’t matter”.

The only compelling differences I've found for one format vs. the other was how and on what devices they’re used:
16:9 slides are optimized for widescreen video projection
4:3 slides are optimized for print
iPads and most dedicated e-book readers have 4:3 displays (or close to that)
Most smartphones and non-iOS tablet displays are closer to 16:9. 

Thanks in advance for your insights,
  Shelley

_____________________________
Shelley Haven  ATP, RET
Assistive Technology Consultant
www.TechPotential.net <http://www.techpotential.net/>

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