Canvas Accessibility Training Series
The Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology supports faculty in using Canvas. Our instructional designers, software specialist, and Canvas administrator are aware of digital accessibility requirements to help you learn to create courses that meet the required Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This guide outlines each session of our Fall 2025 Canvas Accessibility training series and connects you with valuable resources when working towards the deadline of April 26, 2027.
Session Guides
Is Your Course Score 100%?Learning Outcomes
- Identify the reason for digital accessibility in Canvas.
- Locate your Ally Accessibility Report and course score.
- Explain how a Canvas 100% score gets UIW closer to compliance.
- Complete three quick-win actions in a course.
- Access help resources.
Why is digital accessibility a requirement?
- US Department of Justice (DOJ) Ruling - April 2024
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title II
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Levels A and AA: Digital Accessibility Standards Rubric
- Applies to institutions receiving federal funding
- UIW Deadline: April 26, 2027
- OTLT Focus on Canvas: Train faculty to make accessible courses before Spring 2027
Is your course Ally score 100%? Score vs Compliance
- Guide to check your Canvas course score.
- Improving your score is the starting point
- A perfect Ally score does not equal compliance
- Ally can’t measure every legal requirement
- Start small with quick wins - we cover 3!
- Spot complex issues early, like inaccessible curriculum tools, so you can work with third parties
How reliable are accessibility checkers?
- Reliability varies per product: Ally and the Canvas Rich Content Editor are more reliable than Microsoft Office
- They are training tools to help you learn WCAG practices
- They don't replace the need for learning digital accessibility skills
- These tools can't judge if:
- alt text is meaningful
- captions are accurate
- your writing is clear
- navigation is easy
- your course is overall easy to use
Action Items: Three Quick Wins
Quick Win 1: Delete Unused Content
- Old content students can't access is not a compliance concern
- Clutter blocks the path to a 100% Ally score
- Delete anything students don't use
- Keep old material only in courses that end before Spring 2027
- Copy anything you want to save into your Sandbox course
- Clean up:
- Files
- Pages
- Announcements
- Assignments/Quizzes/Discussions
- Save Modules for last - they update automatically as other items are removed
Quick Win 2: Identify and Mark Decorative Images
An image is decorative if you answer NO to the following questions:
- Does this picture teach a concept not fully explained in text?
- Do students need this picture to answer a test question, join a discussion, or complete an assignment?
- Does this picture provide important context for understanding the course material?
- Would removing this picture cause students to lose information they need?
- Is this picture used to label, identify, or demonstrate something specific like a chart, diagram, or example?
If you answer YES to any of these questions, the image needs meaningful alternative text.
Quick Win 3: Write Descriptive Hyperlink Text
- Link text should tell people where the link goes
- Avoid generic words like “click here,” “read more,” “reading,” or “quiz”
- Don’t paste the full URL - use short, meaningful keywords instead (e.g., Library Database or Unit 2 Quiz)
Color Decisions and Alternative TextContent coming soon.Choose Accessible Web Content for Your CoursesContent coming soon.Audio and Video TranscriptsContent coming soon.Correct Documents Before PDF ConversionContent coming soon.
Help Resources