How to Make Digital Assets Accessible: Canvas

• Follow Universal Design for Learning principles.
• Use Ally to improve content accessibility.
• Use 14-point font or larger.
• Source video content that is captioned.
• Add captions to any videos that you create.
• Add extended time on quizzes for students with accommodations.
• Use alt text on images to describe the image content.
  • See the "Mange Image Attributes" section of the Uploading an Image article for the how-to steps.
  • See the Images page of this LibGuide for guidance on how to write alt text.
• Use Canvas' built-in Accessibility Checker.

For a deeper dive into accessibility and Canvas, complete the Keeping Accessibility Front of Mind training module.

The Butler University accommodation statement must be included on all your course syllabi. You can find the statement on the SDS website at: www.butler.edu/disability/syllabus-statement.

Building a Stylish and Accessible Syllabus in Canvas

Canvas publishes accessibility information about the Canvas learning management system, Canvas apps, and other tools. View the resources below to learn about browser and screen reader support as well as other accessibility tips and information.

• Canvas Accessibility Standards
• Accessibility within Canvas Studio
• Canvas Student App and Canvas Teacher App Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)

What is Ally?

Ally is an accessibility tool that promotes inclusivity for all students. Ally integrates into Canvas and automatically converts course materials into a variety of different formats. Students are then given the ability to download their preferred format. These more accessible formats range from electronic braille for students with visual impairments, e-book and HTML files for ease of use on mobile devices, and audio for listening and learning on the go.

Ally makes it easy for instructors to update their course content to make it more accessible. The tool integrates into each Canvas course and will scan course materials and give each file, document, and image an accessibility score. Instructors can then see which content in their course needs improvement from an accessibility standpoint. Ally provides step-by-step instructions for how to fix the accessibility issues it detects. 

For more information, see the What is Ally? (Instructors) article in Ask.Butler.

Resources from Ally for Instructors

• What's new in Ally
• Ally Quick Start Guide for Instructors
• Alternative Formats
• Course Accessibility Report
• Accessibility Scores
• Common Issues Troubleshooting
• View File Accessibility
• Improve Content Accessibility
• Instructor FAQs
• Accessibility in Ally for Canvas
• Instructor Feedback Panel (Video)