Accessibility Essentials
check out the video series What to do & How to's DLT: WHAT IS ALLY?
Need hands-on help? Contact Digital Learning Technologies (DLT) at classhelp@utah.edu!
What is Digital Accessibility?
Designing your Canvas content for accessibility isn't exclusively about supporting learners with disabilities and official accommodations. When we make teaching choices with access in mind, our goal is to create a learning
environment conducive to learning for as many students as possible.
Accessible learning enables all learners to:
- Acquire the same information
- Engage in the same activities
- Receive the same services
in an equally effective, integrated manner, easily.
– Center on Accessible Educational Materials (CAST)
The main accessibility challenge we must address for our content available in Canvas is making content compatible with assistive technologies. This is a federally required mandate under Section 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the ADA.
These aren't only specialty tools used for specific impairments, like screen readers... Assistive technologies are all around us! Many of these tools help everyone, including those who are not disabled, by providing content in different formats that may be easier for some to understand
and use. The more ways students can engage with our courses, the better!
- See a demonstration of one of the most popular screenreaders, JAWS.
- Watch someone navigate a webpage with another popular screenreader, NVDA.
- Learn how text is translated to refreshable braille displays.
- Try out Microsoft Immersive Reader, which is now available directly inside Canvas.
- Find out how to navigate a website with just your keyboard.
- Learn more about digital notetaking applications and smart notebooks.
- See how students use a variety of other tools in the classroom and beyond.
What are the requirements?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a set of international standards used to gauge how accessible web content is to disabled users and those using assistive technologies.
Alleducational content made available to students digitally that is actively used in the course must meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
Federal law also requires state universities to comply with these standards.
Meeting these standards is simpler than you'd think! To get started, review your Canvas course material with these 5 focus areas* in mind:
- 1. All images, graphs, & figures included in the course have alternative text available or are marked as decorative.
- 2. All videos have closed captions and/or transcripts available.
- 3. All colorful content is high contrast, and color alone is not used to emphasize information (e.g., important text is not indicated by being highlighted in a color).
- 4. Modules, files, and links used throughout the course have descriptive names (e.g., "Assignment 1" or "Marriott Library", not "Thing.pdf" or "Click Here").
- 5. Official textbooks, high quality PDFs (i.e., text is selectable and can be copied/pasted), and/or text-only documents that are compatible with reading assistance software are provided for all readings.
* The focus areas listed above are not a comprehensive list of all WCAG 2.1 AA requirements. Learn more about the detailed compliance requirements from W3.
Not sure how to do this? Learn how to update your materials with us!
What is Alt Text?
Alternative text (also known as alt text) is a written description of a non-text element on a web page, like a picture or a chart. Alt text is displayed when that element cannot be loaded, or when a user is navigating with a screen reader software. It explains what the element is, and why it is there.
A few important things to keep in mind when writing alt text:
- Learn more about how to write quality alternative text.
- Add alt text to all images, except images that are just there to make your page look nicer– mark those as decorative.
- Descriptions should be short (i.e. less than 240 characters) and straightforward.
- If your image is a graph, infographic, or other complex content, it needs both a short and long description. Discover information on writing alt text for complex images like data visualizations and more.
- Do not start your description with “image of” or “photo of”.
How to Complete Alt Text Edits
- Try out this alt text generator from Arizona State University.
- Add alt text to images with Canvas.
- Add alt text to any images on Canvas using Ally.
- Add alt text to any images in PDF documents using Adobe Acrobat.
- Add alt text to any graphics in Microsoft 365 programs (i.e., Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.).
What do videos need to be accessible?
Videos need to have closed captions in order to be considered accessible. It is preferred if a transcript with visual descriptions is also made available for each video, but captions are the best place to start!
Did you know that Kaltura has an automatic captioning feature available and viewers can download transcripts for themselves?
Also known as MediaSpace and connected to My Media within Canvas, Kaltura is the media streaming platform integrated with Canvas here at the University of Utah. In other words: think YouTube, but just for the U! It is recommended that you use Kaltura to upload any videos to Canvas.
Kaltura is simple to use, has an unlimited file size limit, and keeps your video resources private and safe from piracy. It also gives you more in-depth insight into whether your students are even watching them.
You can upload your own files and also set Zoom recordings to automatically upload. You can even edit your videos online!
While YouTube is a great platform to find great instructional videos for your courses, Kaltura is your best bet to ensure your videos are accessible– and the best part? You can import YouTube videos directly into Kaltura in just a few clicks!
Make sure to review your video captions. Captions are autogenerated, so some words may be jumbled up or misspelled– you can edit captions for your video easily.
If you want to go above and beyond, these captions can then be used to generate a transcript. You can view the video transcript alongside the video in your browser, or download the transcript as a file.
If you would like to add visual descriptions to your transcript file, check out these tips for writing descriptions from W3. You can then share this transcript with your students via Canvas!
How to Complete Video Edits
How can color be used accessibly?
Color is a great way to make your content look exciting, and can be helpful to organization tool. However, colors don't look exactly the same to everyone– so while color-coding content might work wonderfully for you, it might not always be the best method to communicate with your students.
That doesn't mean you can't use color! It should be used intentionally and appropriately. If you are hoping to add some color to your course, there are two rules to keep in mind:
1. Color cannot be used alone to convey information.
it’s important that learners with vision impairments or differences (e.g., color blindness) can still see and understand everything and those using assistive technologies don't miss important details.
2. Colors need to have an appropriate contrast ratio.
On average, it's best to aim for a 4.5:1 ratio between the text and background color. The contrast ratio is a comparison between the brightness of the lighter color and the brightness of the darker color:
1:1 ratio = No contrast, everything appears as the same color.
4.5:1 ratio = The lighter color is 4.5 times brighter than the darker color.
21:1 ratio = Maximum contrast, e.g., white text on a black background.
A few tips for when you add color to your Canvas course:
- Use consistent formatting throughout your content so the information students need is always in the same place.
- Use alternative text formatting options to emphasize text, like bold or italic font styles.
- If there is important text in any graphics you choose to include in your course, ensure you add quality alt text.
- Test your color palette for accessible combinations with:
- Test what it’s like to view your content through a color blindness simulator.
How to Complete Color Edits
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Creating an Update Plan
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Beyond the Basics
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Additional Information
Find other resources available from groups across the university!
Want to learn more about ways to better incorporate accessibility into your personal pedagogical approach? Reach out to us in CTE!
Contacts
- Jane Price
Coordinator, Pedagogies of Belonging
she/her, cte@utah.edu - Audra Carlisle
Instructional Systems and Operations Coordinator
she/they, cte@utah.edu
Resources
Need hands-on help to navigate the tech tools available to update your content? Reach out to UIT's Digital Learning Technologies (DLT) team!
Contacts
- Jon Thomas
Director
he/him, jon.thomas@utah.edu
To submit a help request, email classhelp@utah.edu!
Resources
Interested in finding more accessible formats of your course readings? Contact the Marriott Library about Course Materials!
Contacts
- Rachel Haisley
Course Materials Program Manager
she/her, r.haisley@utah.edu
Resources
Interested to learn more about the Center for Disability and Access (CDA) and the resources they provide for students and faculty? Contact CDA!
Contacts
- Christine Anderson
Director
she/her, canderson@sa.utah.edu - Megan Fairchild
Associate Director for Faculty Outreach
she/her Megan.Fairchild@utah.edu