Canvas accessibility

Teaching @ UW

The Teaching @UW resource, Inclusive, equitable, and accessible teaching, offers guidance to make course content more accessible to all students and comply with the ADA Title II requirements.

Making course materials accessible

This section covers a high impact actions to prioritize such as deleting outdated materials, using HTML versions or readings, using UW-supported technologies such as Canvas, Panopto and Zoom for teaching, using accessibility checkers in Microsoft 365 apps and in Canvas, and reaching out to support for complex challenges.

Digital accessibility guidance is also offered on:

• Providing accessible syllabi
• Choosing accessible readings and textbooks
• Using captioned videos/recorded lectures and transcripts for audio files
• Creating accessible
  • Slide decks
  • Assignments and handouts
  • Images & diagrams
  • Websites

Content in Canvas pages or activities can be printed or downloaded as PDFs using a browser. One great advantage about Canvas pages is that when those pages are printed or saved as PDFs by students, all the linked content will have full URLs printed alongside them.

Consider before you upload

Before uploading any electronic document, consider:

• Does it really need to be a PDF? PDFs are inherently the least accessible type of document.
• Can the content be added onto a regular webpage? A Canvas page? When possible, make use of the Syllabus page and Canvas pages to provide content as web pages that are the most accessible for mat from the start.
• Can the content be uploaded as an Office document? Some content is best to be shared as a document, slides, or spreadsheets. In this case, offer those files as MS Office documents instead of PDFs.
• Is the PDF from a Library Database? Provide the article or ebook content permalink so students have more format options. Formats available depend on the how old the content is as well as the originating database and can be HTML, audio or ePub. If you decide to offer PDFs to your students, you are responsible for ensuring those files are accessible.

Not all students who need disability accommodations or assistance register with the DRS office. This may be related to fear, lack of resources, thinking they can do it on their own, or perhaps they are not aware they have a disability. Making content as accessible as possible from the start benefits all students, including busy students and English as a second language learners.

Ally alternate file formats in Canvas courses

Ally in Canvas scans all uploaded files to courses and produces alternate formats that can be downloaded by faculty and students. Look for an “A” icon next to a file or within the down arrow next to a file for the Alternate Formats option and available formats for download. Learn more about Ally alternate formats in Canvas.