To ensure digital content is accessible to all learners, Alternative Formats are supported at UIW. You can change content in your Canvas courses or convert your own files to personalize your learning experience. Step 1: Find Content to Convert Either locate content in a Canvas course with the Alternative Formats option or upload your own file to the File Transformer website. To locate the feature in a Canvas course, look for a black letter A with a downward arrow logo, or listen for an option "Alternative Formats" if using a screen reader. Step 2: Choose a Format to Download When prompted, select one of the options from the list of formats available and click Download. Step 3: Locate the New File The conversion process takes some time to complete, and you'll see a progress indicator while you wait. Most people's computers are set up to save files to the Downloads folder and the new format can be found there after a few minutes. If you have changed settings on your computer or browser to save files elsewhere, go to your unique download location. Alternative Formats FAQ Will my instructor know I have converted content in a Canvas course? No, your instructor is not able to access that information. Where can I learn more about alternative format options? Visit the File Transformer guide for students for details on the options and when they are most beneficial.

Microsoft Immersive Reader is available in select areas of Canvas courses to enhance your reading experience. This guide explains how open and close Immersive Reader in Canvas as well as the features that improve accessibility of course content and boost reading comprehension. Immersive Reader is available in Canvas Pages, Assignments, and Syllabus, but not in Announcements, Discussions, Quizzes, External Tool content, External Tool assignments, and other features. Note, Immersive Reader only works with text and does not display images or multimedia. Open Immersive Reader in Canvas When viewing a Canvas Page, Assignment, or Syllabus on either your computer or mobile device, locate the Immersive Reader button. Locate Menu Items Once Immersive Reader is opened, you have Text Preferences, Grammar Options, Reading Preferences, and Full Screen menu options. Note, if using a mobile device, these menu options are collapsed within a hamburger menu to save space. Text Preferences Open Text Preferences to change text size, enable increase spacing, and switch font or themes. Grammar Options Open Grammar Options to enable syllables or parts of speech, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Reading Preferences Open Reading Preferences to enable line focus, the picture dictionary, and alternative language options. Play Text Aloud To hear the page text read aloud, click the Play button or locate the Voice Settings option to adjust the reading speed or sound of the voice. Close Immersive Reader To close Immersive Reader, click the Exit arrow in the top left of the screen. Immersive Reader in Canvas FAQ Is Immersive Reader available outside of Canvas? Yes, you can use Immersive Reader with Word or Microsoft Edge, as well as OneNote, Outlook, and Forms. Visit the Microsoft Learn Educator Center for videos and resources to learn more. What research supports the benefits of Immersive Reader? Immersive Reader research and case studies offers insight into the development of this tool to improve reading comprehension and support readers of other languages, with dyslexia. or needing to build confidence. How can I improve my writing in Word? Listening to your Word document can help you proofread, and Word makes listening possible with the text-to-speech (TTS) ability of your device.

Ally provides a Canvas course Accessibility Report with a summary of the accessibility indicators in your course. It gives you a score for your entire course and an overview of content accessibility per item, including identified issues and feedback to help you remediate any issues. Locate the Accessibility Report link in your Course Menu and click to open your course accessibility report in the Overview tab. Scroll down to check the list of issues in your course, by order of severity. You can choose most to least severe by clicking on the arrow next to Severity. Click on a line to see all the content with the listed issue. You can also switch to the Content tab to access a list of each piece of content in your course directly. Need more detail? Delve into the in-depth walkthrough below, complete with images and various notes for every step. Step 1 Locate the Accessibility Report link in your Course Menu. The link is available in your course shell by default. If you import course content from an older course, your link may no longer be visible. Re-enable the link by clicking on your course Settings link, then Navigation. Drag Accessibility Report from the lower box to the upper box. Don't forget to Save. Step 2 Once open, you will see your overall score. Scroll down your Accessibility Report to check the list of issues in your course. Step 3 Select a line to see all content with that issue. The colored indicator will show the severity of the issue. Click the colored indicator to see guidance for improving the item Step 4 Switch to the Content tab to access a list of each piece of content in your course directly. Course Accessibility Report FAQ Should my course score be 100%? The goal is to raise your score to 90% as soon as possible. A score of 100% is the end goal. What formats will Ally assess for accessibility? Ally will check these formats: Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint HTML files Image files WYSIWYG content OpenOffice/LibreOffice files YouTube videos embedded in WYSIWYG content What if there is no guidance when I click on the colored indicator? You may come across this situation as you are remediating your courses content. Request help at canvas@uiwtx.edu.

Canvas offers UIW leadership the ability to monitor course accessibility across each school. Those with Dean access: Open Canvas via Cardinal Apps. Click the Admin button in the Global Navigation Menu to select an account you have access to. Click Account Accessibility Report in the admin menu. You can adjust the viewing options, change the term, explore issues, or move through the Course, Directory, and Usage tabs for more information. Note that newly created course shells each term show 100% until faculty copy their previous courses or begin building new ones. We recommend checking your school's report a few weeks into the term for the most accurate picture of course digital accessibility.

Headings are crucial for structuring digital content, improving accessibility for users with disabilities, ensuring functionality with screen readers, and improving scanning, navigation, search engine optimization. Content hierarchy structure: Heading 1 is your title - In Canvas, any title box handles H1 for you. Heading 2 is used for main sections of paragraph text - manually change from paragraph style to Heading 2. Heading 3 is used for sub-sections within main sections. Heading 4 is used for sub-sub-sections within sub-sections. It is important to keep your content organized. Well-organized content helps users to orient themselves and to navigate effectively. Also, organized content ensures screen readers deliver the content accurately. Open the Page, Discussion board, Assignment, Quiz, Announcement, or anywhere in Canvas you are using the Rich Content Editor. Highlight the text you wish to have as the header text. From the toolbar in the rich content editor, click on the down arrow located next to “paragraph” on the second row of the toolbar, then select Heading 2. For pages that have sub-section titles, use Heading 3 and if you have further organization use Heading 4. Need more detail? Delve into the in-depth walkthrough below, complete with images and various notes for every step. In-Depth Walkthrough Step 1 Open the Page, Discussion board, Assignment, Quiz, Announcement, or anywhere in Canvas you are using the Rich Content Editor. Step 2 Highlight the text you wish to have as the header text. Step 3 From the toolbar in the rich content editor, click on the down arrow located next to “paragraph” on the second row of the toolbar, then select Heading 2. Step 4 For pages that have sub-section titles, use Heading 3. Use Headings in Canvas Video Canvas Headings FAQ How does using Headings help people with disabilities? Users who need assistive technology, such as a screen reader, will inform the user about the organization of the document. Neurodivergent users will also benefit from the visual organization. Is there a law about having accessible documents? Yes, section 508 of Title III in the Americans with Disabilities act requires any digital documents that are available to the public should comply with guidelines developed by the World Wide Web Consortium. Do Headings help readers who do not have any disabilities? Users often scan web pages to decide which sections to read. Lack of headings makes this process much harder, potentially causing visitors to skip sections of your document.

Creating accessible tables is crucial for ensuring that all users, including those using assistive technologies, can understand and navigate the data presented. Navigate to the course, page, discussion, or assignment where you want to add a table. Click on the Edit button to enter the Rich Content Editor mode. Place your cursor in the area where you'd like to insert the table. Click on the Table icon in the toolbar. The icon looks like a small grid. Click the arrow next to the Table icon to open the dropdown menu. Choose the dimensions of your table by selecting the desired number of rows and columns. Need more detail? Delve into the in-depth walkthrough below, complete with images and various notes for every step. In-Depth Walkthrough Step 1 Log in to your Canvas account and navigate to the course, page, discussion, or assignment where you want to add the table. Step 2 Click on the "Edit" button to enter the Rich Content Editor mode. Step 3 Place your cursor in the area where you'd like to insert the table. Step 4 Click on the "Table" icon in the toolbar. The icon looks like a small grid. Step 5 Click the arrow next to the Table icon to open the dropdown menu. Step 6 Choose the dimensions of your table by selecting the desired number of rows and columns. Click on the squares to set the size of your table, and the table will be inserted automatically. Accessible Table Best Practices Do not use merged cells: You will be tempted to merge the top row into one cell to use for a title. Merged cells can cause confusion for screen readers. Instead, try to keep the table structure as simple as possible with separate cells for each piece of data Keep a simple and clear layout: Complex tables with nested tables, multiple layers, or irregular structures can be difficult for screen readers to interpret. Stick to a simple, clear layout with a single layer of rows and columns. Use a descriptive caption: A caption briefly describes the purpose of the table. To add a caption, click the Table Properties icon on the pop-up menu that appears. Mouse over each icon to see its name. Check the “Show Caption” box: This will give you space above the table so that you can add a descriptive summary of the table. Use row headers: Headers help screen readers navigate the table by differentiating between header cells and data cells. To designate a row as a header, highlight the top row and access the Row Properties from the dropdown menu next to the Table Icon. Change the Row type to Header Accessible Tables in Canvas Video Accessible Tables FAQ Can I use an image of a table? No. Images of tables are not accessible, leaving no way for a user to get the information because assistive technology only reads image alternative text. If you only have a .jpg, or other image file type, of the table you must recreate it using the table tool in Canvas. Can I use tables to design my Canvas page? No. Tables should not be used as a layout, formatting, or design tool.

Descriptive links are keywords with context used instead of placing an entire webpage URL in your content or using generic wording such as click here. The Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE) allows you to create descriptive text links easily. Follow the steps in this guide to ensure your links make sense to students and are accurately read by assistive technology. Navigate to a Canvas course to add the descriptive text link. Use the RCE to type the descriptive text that you want to see. Highlight the text you just typed. Look for the Link icon in the toolbar. In the External Link field, paste the URL of the web page you want to link to. Click the Done button to insert the link into your text. Save your changes. Review your new descriptive text link to ensure it looks and functions as intended. Need more detail? Delve into the in-depth walkthrough below, complete with images and various notes for every step. In-Depth Walkthrough Step 1 Log in to your Canvas account and navigate to the course, page, or assignment where you want to add the descriptive text link. Step 2 Click on the "Edit" button of the space you want to work on to open the Rich Content Editor. Use the RCE to type the descriptive text that you want to see. Your descriptive text should be a concise and clearly indicate the content being linked. Avoid making your link more than 3-5 words or using vague references like "click here" or "visit this page to learn more". Step 3 Highlight the text you just typed by clicking and dragging your cursor over it. Step 4 Look for the Link icon in the toolbar that looks like a chain link. Alternatively, you can click the Insert option to select Link, then External Link. The External Link option is used to link to content outside your Canvas course. The Course Link option is used to link to an area within your Canvas course. Step 5 In the External Link field, paste the URL of the webpage you want to link to. Make sure it starts with "http://" or "https://". Step 6 Click the Done button to insert the link into your text. You will see the link is live because the text will be blue and underlined. Step 7 Click the Save or Save and Publish button at the bottom of the page to save your changes. The linked text displays in red once you save. Step 8 Review your new descriptive text link to ensure it looks and functions as intended. As web content frequently changes, there is also a validate links in content tool in your course Settings to help you ensure links are still functional each term. Descriptive Links in Canvas Video Descriptive Text for Links FAQ How do descriptive links help someone with disabilities? Descriptive links ensure that the purpose of each link is clear when read by assistive technology. For users with visual impairments who rely on screen readers, descriptive links provide useful context to inform their decision to click them. Screen readers often read out a list of links on a page, and non-descriptive links like "click here" or "read more" provide no context, making it difficult for these users to navigate effectively. Full URLs pasted in the text are read as is, which is overwhelming to listen to. Do descriptive links help people without disabilities? Yes. Descriptive links provide clear information about the destination or content behind the link, reducing ambiguity and helping users understand what to expect when they click on it. When users encounter non-descriptive links, they often have to read surrounding text to understand the link's context, which increases cognitive load. Descriptive links reduce this need, allowing users to make quicker decisions and navigate more efficiently.

Generating captions for videos you have created in Canvas Studio is simple and will provide many useful benefits for various audiences. Once you have a video in Canvas, click on the video to open it. Select the Captions tab, then click the Request button, and choose your language Canvas will create captions for you. It may take a few minutes or a few hours to generate the captions. Proof-Read your captions. Make any corrections necessary by selecting the line you wish to correct Always save every line that is edited Don't forget to Publish your captions by clicking the green Publish button at the top right of your window. Need more detail? Delve into the in-depth walkthrough below, complete with images and various notes for every step. In-Depth Walkthrough Step 1 Once you have a video in Canvas, click on the video to open it. Step 2 Select the Captions tab, then click the “Request” button, and choose your language. Step 3 Canvas will create captions for you. It may take a few minutes or a few hours to generate the captions. Step 4 Proof-Read your captions. Make any corrections necessary by selecting the line you wish to correct and editing. Step 5 Always save every line that is edited. Step 6 Don't forget to Publish your captions by clicking the green Publish button at the top right of your window. Captions in Canvas Studio Video Captions in Canvas Studio FAQ Will captions help viewers who are not deaf? Yes. Studies have shown that captions help viewers, including those without hearing impairments, to better understand and remember the content. This is beneficial in educational settings where captions can improve focus and engagement with video-based materials. For viewers who are not fluent in the language spoken in the video, captions provide a way to follow along and understand the content better. Captions also make videos usable in noisy environments where audio cannot be heard, such as public transportation or busy public places, as well as in quiet environments where sound cannot be played, like libraries or offices.