Creating Accessible Content in Canvas
Creating Accessible Content in Canvas
🎯 Canvas Accessibility Quick Guide
Canvas (as a learning management system) is built to support accessibility—but it only works if content inside it is created correctly.
How to Make Your Content Usable for All Students:
🔍 Step 1: Run the Accessibility Checker
Before you publish anything:
- Open your page, assignment, or discussion
- Click Edit
- Click the Accessibility Checker icon (person in a circle)
- Fix any issues it finds
👉 Use this guide
Tip: This catches common issues, but it’s not everything—keep going with the steps below.
🧱 Step 2: Structure Your Content Clearly
- Use Headings (H2, H3) — not just bold text
- Keep sections short
- Use bulleted or numbered lists
👉 Makes content easier to read and navigate with screen readers
🔗 Step 3: Write Clear Links
- ❌ Click here
- ✅ View the field trip form
👉 Links should make sense on their own
🖼️ Step 4: Add Alt Text to Images
- Add a short description to every image
- Skip only if decorative
👉 Example: “Students working in small groups on laptops”
🎥 Step 5: Caption Videos
- All videos must have captions
- Add a transcript if possible
👉 Helps all learners, not just those with hearing loss
📄 Step 6: Use Accessible Documents
- Use real text (not scanned images)
- Use headings and simple formatting
- Avoid uploading flyers as images
👉 If you can’t highlight the text, it’s not accessible
🎨 Step 7: Keep It Simple and Readable
- Use high contrast (dark text on light background)
- Avoid too many colors or fonts
- Keep layout consistent
✔️ Quick Checklist (Before You Publish)
- Ran Accessibility Checker
- Used headings correctly
- Links are descriptive
- Images have alt text
- Videos are captioned
- Documents are readable
- Page is simple and consistent
Learn More
Learn more through the following resources:
Big Picture: What “Accessible” Actually Means
Accessible Canvas content ensures that:
- A screen reader can read and navigate everything
- A student can understand content without seeing it
- Materials are usable in multiple formats (text, audio, visual)
Summary
- Organize clearly → consistent modules, simple layout
- Use real structure → headings, lists, labeled tables
- Caption all videos
- Add alt text to images
- Use accessible documents (not scanned PDFs)
- Write descriptive links and titles
