Although there are many facets to digital accessibility, this guide has been designed as an entry point for making a Canvas course more accessible. As you prepare to teach your next class, please keep these recommendations in mind. In addition to reviewing the information below, instructors and designers are also encouraged to visit Instructure’s Accessibility within Canvas Community page.
The Rich Content Editor
The Rich Content Editor in Canvas is where much of an instructor’s design work is completed, so it is important to understand the basic functions of this editor before delving into accessibility best practices. The embedded videos below will be helpful in getting started. The first explains the basic functions of the editor and the second demonstrates how to use its built-in accessibility checker.
Learn More
Review the following videos to increase your familiarity with the Rich Content Editor in Canvas.
- What is the Rich Content Editor (RCE)?
- How do I use the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor?
Rich Content Editor Tips
Using Headers and Lists
Chunking information rather than writing long paragraphs can make your content more digestible for all members of your class. For students who rely upon screen readers, however, the use of headings and lists is particularly important.
As you organize your information in the Rich Content Editor, add structure by using the Headings menu and the Ordered and Unordered Lists buttons.
Inserting Images
Adding images to a Canvas course can make it more visually appealing and provide cues as to what will be covered on a given page/section. In terms of accessibility, however, it is important to consider the role the images play in student learning. When uploading an image to a class, you will need to choose between one of the following options:
- Write Alt Text, which is a short description of what the image is depicting.
- Check a box that flags the picture as a Decorative Image.
These options are critical because they include image specific information that is picked up by screen readers. If an image is relevant to the curriculum of the course, Alt Text should be included so the student understands its relevance. On the other hand, images that have no significant academic value, but are present within the course, should be flagged as decorative. If neither option is applied, an accessibility issue has occurred!
When an image is being inserted, an Attributes section will be available before the process has been completed. This is the point at which either the Alt Text should be entered, or Decorative Image should be chosen.
Inserting Links
Adding links and hyperlinks to a course adds a great deal of value in terms of navigation and easy access to relevant resources. There is, however, an often-used practice that should be avoided, which is to use ‘click here’ as the text for the link. On the surface, it seems like a good idea, but it is an antiquated technique, which implies that only a mouse can be used to access the information.
The use of long URLs is also problematic because screen readers and text-to-speech applications will read every single character in the URL, which can be disorienting to a student. The Canvas Community website includes a guide for creating hyperlinks using the Rich Content Editor. When inserting a link, as shown in the guide, the link text should always be short and descriptive.
Checking for Accessibility Issues
The Canvas Rich Content Editor includes a built-in accessibility checker. It is located in the bottom right corner of the editor and has an icon of a circle containing a person with outstretched arms. If an accessibility issue is present, an icon of a blue circle containing the number of issues will appear. By selecting this icon, Canvas will identify the specific issues and provide guidance on correcting them.
Sharing Files
Uploading and sharing PowerPoint, Word, and perhaps Excel files in Canvas is a common practice, but there are a few steps that should be taken to ensure these documents are accessible. Below are a few resources for learning more and several specific tips, some of which are similar to the Canvas Rich Content Editor recommendations, to keep in mind as you develop your files.
Learn More
Review the following website to increase your knowledge of digital accessibility as it pertains to frequently used Microsoft 365 apps.
- Make your Word documents accessible to people with disabilities
- Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities
- Accessibility best practices with Excel spreadsheets
Document Tips
- Choose widely available fonts, such as Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman, Helvetica, Courier New, and Verdana.
- Ensure that dark type is used on light backgrounds and vice versa. The accessibility of specific colors can be evaluated using an online contrast checker.
- Attempt to avoid using tables if possible. If it is necessary, use a simple table structure and include column headers.
- Use Microsoft’s built-in headings and styles.
- Include alt text with all graphics in the file.
- Use symbols or bold or italicized text to emphasize important information rather than color alone.
- Use descriptive hyperlinks rather than including the full URL or ‘click here’ when linking to a website from within the document. This video demonstrates how to create accessible links in Microsoft Word documents.
- Use Microsoft’s built-in accessibility checker to verify that the completed document is issue free.
- If sharing the file as a PDF, be sure to save it as an accessible PDF.
Additional Information
Develop a Consistent Course Design
Familiarity is important and it is confusing to students when each weekly introductory page or module appears to be from a completely different course. As a result, it is vital that units be written in a similar manner and presented in a similar order to preceding weeks. In addition, navigational instructions should be consistent from the first week through the last one!
Develop Course Assignments with Clear Instructions
Assignments are going to vary from week-to-week, but it is important that the instructions are written clearly and with a high level of specificity. Students might not see an instructor face-to-face and confusion can ensue and anxiety can increase when requirements aren’t spelled out as best as possible. Always include length requirements, research requirements, and clearly stated objectives. When possible, indicate which of the course-level outcomes on the syllabus are to be addressed. Finally, always include a rubric as it will increase a student’s understanding of expectations and provide the instructor with a clear basis for grading and providing feedback.
The use of scanned PDF documents should be avoided in most instances, as described in this screen shot of a scanned PDF! In addition to the obvious degradation in quality, scanned PDF documents are inaccessible because they are not compatible with assistive technologies, such as screen readers.
If access to Adobe Acrobat is available, this app can be used to create an accessible PDF file or verify the accessibility level of an existing PDF file. Another option is to create an accessible Word document and save it as a PDF afterward.
Canvas provides an instructor with the ability to schedule the dates of availability for assignments as well as the dates in which they are due. It can be very disorienting to students if they don’t have a clear picture of when work will need to be completed and the length of time in which the assessments will remain available. This information, of course, can be conveyed through email, course announcements, and assignment descriptions, but using the date setting feature provides students with the ability to view all date requirements in a single location.
When creating assignments, quizzes, and exams in Canvas, options for setting dates will be available. Simply enter the due date reflected in your syllabus as well as the window of time in which you would like the assignment to remain available.
What is a Screen Reader?
Screen readers are software programs that allow blind or visually impaired users to read the text that is displayed on the computer screen with a speech synthesizer or braille display. A screen reader is the interface between the computer’s operating system, its applications, and the user.
According to the American Foundation for the Blind, here are some questions to ask when purchasing screen readers:
- Is the screen reader compatible with your computer’s operating system?
- Does it work with the applications you plan to use?
- Does it work with your braille display?
- What keystrokes or gestures are used for the program’s basic and advanced functions? Are the keystrokes easy to remember? Is it possible to change the key combinations if they conflict with those used by application programs?
Recommendation
When teaching a Canvas supported course, it might be advantageous to share the AFB webpage in an announcement at the beginning of the term. Even if a visually impaired student is already using a screen reader, it is a positive gesture that provides them with a list of other available options and demonstrates a commitment to maintaining an inclusive classroom environment.
The objective of this informational module is to gain a better understanding of accessibility as it relates to the law and the guiding principles of our accrediting body as well as those of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
Office of Civil Rights
“Accessible” means a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally effective and equally integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use.
The person with a disability must be able to obtain the information as fully, equally and independently as a person without a disability.
From recent OCR resolution agreements, including University of Cincinnati Resolution Agreement OCR Compliance Review #15-13-6001, December 2014: 2.
Department of Labor
The Americans with Disabilities Act defines how we design courses and provide content for users. This law requires that instructional materials are accessible to all learners, including those with a variety of disabilities.
Accommodations for students may include providing transcripts of video lectures, relying on documents that are screen readable, and the use of web accessibility standards in any written text.
New England Commission of Higher Education
The New England Commission of Higher Education is the accrediting body for the Vermont State Colleges (VSC).
According to NECHE standards:
An institution is to ensure a systematic approach to providing accessible and effective programs and services designed to provide opportunities for enrolled students to be successful in achieving their educational goals.
Source: Standards for Accreditation – NECHE
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
Produced by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a series of guidelines for improving web accessibility.
These guidelines are the best means of making websites useful to all users!
Learn three examples of WCAG accessibility issues.