Using the Accessibility Report
The Accessibility Report tool in Canvas, powered by Ally, provides a comprehensive overview of the accessibility of course content. This tool helps instructors identify and prioritize accessibility issues within their courses by offering detailed insights and actionable steps for remediation. The report categorizes content based on accessibility scores, highlighting areas that need improvement and suggesting the easiest fixes first. By using this tool, educators can ensure their course materials are more inclusive and accessible to all students, enhancing the overall learning experience.
Common accessibility issues in Canvas courses include:
- Missing Alt Text: Images without alternative text descriptions.
- Poor Color Contrast: Text that doesn't stand out against the background.
- Inconsistent Heading Structure: Improper use of headings that affects navigation.
- Non-Descriptive Hyperlinks: Links that don't provide context about their destination.
- Tables Without Headers: Tables that lack header rows to define the data.
Below are steps on how to open and use the Accessibility Report. If the Accessibility Report tab is already visible on the left-hand navigation within your course, skip to step 5.
1. Open The Course you want to improve. Navigate to the settings section.
2. Within settings, click ‘Navigation’
3. Find the tab labeled ‘Accessibility Report’
- Ensure that it is placed above the section titled ‘Drag items here to hide them from students’
- If the accessibility report is not within the top half of the page, use the 6 dots to the left of the tab’s title to drag it onto the top half of the page.
- This controls the navigation on the left side of the course.
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click save
- Once you refresh the page, the accessibility report should be available on the left hand navigation.
5. Click on ‘Accessibility Report’ in the left hand navigation
- It will show up in the position that you placed it within the navigation list in settings
6. Within the Accessibility Report, you will see the course name, a percentage score identifying how accessible the course is overall, and additional information on the issues within the course
7. Click on an issue type to identify what the individual issues are
8. Once you have opened up the issue list, click on an individual document to view recommendations on how to improve that document
9. For documents with multiple issues, click on the ‘All Issues’ button to view a comprehensive list of improvements for that specific document. If there is only one issue, this button will not be present. For documents with a single issue, click on either ‘What this means’ or the ‘How to…” button
10. Follow the instructions provided by Ally on how to resolve the issue you’ve selected.
11. You can upload an updated version of the file you’re changing via Ally using the file upload option within the page.
Resources and Further Reading
Ensuring your documents are accessible is crucial for promoting inclusivity and equal access to information. The Accessibility Report in Canvas simplifies this process by identifying and suggesting fixes for common accessibility issues. By regularly using this tool, you can create documents that are easily readable and navigable for all users, including those relying on assistive technologies.
Resources
For further information and detailed guidance on using the Accessibility Checker, you can refer to the following resources:
- What are the Canvas Accessibility Standards?
- How do I use the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor?
By leveraging these resources, you can deepen your understanding of accessibility best practices and ensure your courses meet the highest standards of inclusivity.