Accessibility in Canvas

Take Advantage of Canvas’ Accessibility Checker

Screenshot of the Rich Content Editor toolbar in Canvas with the Accessibility button highlightedThe Rich Content Editor includes an accessibility tool that checks common accessibility errors *within the editor*. This tool can help you design course content while considering accessibility attributes and is located in the Rich Content Editor (RCE).

  1. Select the Accessibility Icon (it looks like Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man).
  2. You will receive a message letting you know if your content has any accessibility issues.
  3. Make adjustments if necessary.

Accessibility Tips:

  • Use Heading HTML Tags ( h1, h2, etc.) in the RCE.  Screen readers use them to navigate more quickly between multiple subjects on a page as well as the title of the page.  For example; if you use the <h1> tag for your title, and you have a long entry, you can use the smaller heading tags to signal;  a subject change, a later date in the timeline, a second set of questions, a discussion section, a help section, a set of links, etc.
  • Alternative (ALT) text:  you should add a description of a photo if the information it contains has meaning for the course/page/content.  Screen readers will read aloud the alt text so users can get the meaning of the image or info-graphic!  If it is merely a decorative image, you can select the decorative image toggle in options and the screen reader will pass it by (which makes navigating easier).
  • Grid/Tables:  Try to stay away from the grid unless necessary. Screen readers have a hard time translating the content in them.  If you need tables to display important information, include a caption describing the content, or write out the information below the table (use your words!).

For more information regarding the accessibility checker, visit: The Canvas Community

For more information on Accessibility, visit:  WebAIM.org

Simple internet search:  “Accessibility in Canvas”