There are four tools available in UW Canvas to assist instructors, designers, and administrators in detecting and correcting accessibility issues in Canvas courses:
See below for summaries of what these tools do and how they compare to each other.
Ally integrates seamlessly with the UW's Canvas learning management system to automatically check course content and files uploaded by instructors for accessibility issues. Using advanced machine learning algorithms, Ally generates alternative formats, such as text, that is readable by a screen reader, electronic braille, or audio-that students can download and use to support their learning.
Files and images in the course will show dials indicating their accessibility level. Clicking on the dials will open a sidebar that contains information on how to address the flagged issues.
You can also see updates to a Canvas page's accessibility score while editing it in Canvas. The score will update as you type or make changes. Click on the accessibility score in order to open the feedback panel.
Video: Ally for Instructure Canvas
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UDOIT looks for items in Canvas content that do not meet accessibility standards, and file issues that may cause trouble for students using assistive technologies.
While UDOIT has some overlapping functionality with Ally, it also has some advantages in the files it can handle and the modifications it can facilitate directly in your Canvas course. Most notably, UDOIT can convert PDFs into Canvas pages for ease of editing.
Video: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/UvJWP13mX9iYhMCBecsXQn?
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Canvas has a built-in accessibility checker for the Rich Content Editor (RCE) that appears when editing a Canvas element such as a page, assignment, quiz, or discussion. The tool detects common accessibility errors within the editor. This tool only verifies content created within the Canvas Rich Content Editor. You may need to use other accessibility tools (such as Ally or UDOIT) to verify additional content in Canvas.
Video: How do I use the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor?
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TidyUP is a simple utility that helps identify and delete unused files and helps you get a comprehensive look at all of the content in your course - including files, folders and Canvas content.
Video: Getting Started with TidyUP
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What if the tools show different accessibility scores?
Since each tool has slightly different systems for calculating an accessibility score, it’s highly likely that they will not present the exact same issues. However, since all the tools are drawing from the same overall list of accessibility criteria, following the steps recommended by any of the tools should contribute positively to your overall scores across the board.
When should I use each of these tools?
We recommend starting by running a scan in TidyUP first to identify and remove unused content from your course.
Once that is completed, your next steps will depend on your personal preference and the types of content that appear in your course.
I don’t use Canvas for my course materials. Can I still use these tools?
Ally, UDOIT, and TidyUP are only available within Canvas. If you’d like to use Ally or UDOIT to quickly check and improve accessibility across your course materials, you may wish to upload your course materials to the relevant Canvas course. If you do not wish to share these materials with students, you can set them to be unpublished in Canvas. The accessibility checkers will still be able to scan and assist with updating the uploaded materials, regardless of whether they are published.Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel also have built-in accessibility checkers. However, these tools require you to scan each file individually. If you wish to identify many issues at once to help prioritize your work, uploading your files to Canvas may be quicker and easier.