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In this section:

1. Use the Canvas Accessibility Checker
2. Use Heading Styles (Not Just Bold Text)
3. Add Meaningful Alt Text to Images
4. Use Descriptive Link Text
5. Caption All Video and Audio
6. Create Accessible Tables
7. Math and Science Equations

1. Use the Canvas Accessibility Checker

Canvas has a powerful, built-in “Check Accessibility” tool that professors should use on every page. Use this as a “check-as-you-go” tool to fix issues as they arise.

1. Open any Page, Assignment, or Discussion in Edit mode.
2. Click the Accessibility Checker person icon (it looks like a person in a circle) located at the bottom of the Rich Content Editor.
3. The sidebar will highlight specific errors (like low color contrast or missing alt text) and provide an “Apply” button to fix them instantly.

Learn more about .

2. Add a Heading Structure

Screen readers use headings to build a “Table of Contents” for a page.

• Do: Use the Paragraph dropdown menu in the Rich Content Editor (RCE) to select Heading 2, Heading 3, or Heading 4.
• Avoid: Manually increasing font size or using Bold to create a visual heading. Assistive technology will just see this as a regular paragraph.
• Note: Canvas automatically uses Heading 1 for the Page Title, so your first heading on the page should always start at Heading 2.

3. Add Meaningful Alt Text to Images

When you embed an image in a Page or Assignment:

• The Fix: Select the image, click Image Options, and enter a description in the Alt Text box.
• Decorative Images: If the image is just a decorative banner or “spacer,” check the box “Decorative Image”. This tells the screen reader to skip it entirely so the student can focus on the lesson.

Learn more about .

4. Use Descriptive Link Text

• The Problem: “Click here to see the syllabus” or pasting the raw URL.
• The Fix: Highlight the specific words and link them. Example: “Download the [Spring 2026 Biology Syllabus].”
• Why: Screen reader users often pull up a list of all links on a page. A list of “Click here, Click here, Click here” provides zero context.

Learn more about .

5. Caption All Video and Audio

• Studio Video: If you use Canvas Studio to record lectures, use the “Captions” tab to generate automatic captions. You must review and edit them (AI captions are usually only 80-90% accurate, which is not considered accessible).
  • Learn more about .
• YouTube/Vimeo: Only embed videos that already have high-quality, non-automated captions.
• Transcripts: For audio-only content (like a podcast or a recorded interview), provide a typed transcript as a linked document or in the “Comments” section.

Learn more about .

6. Create Accessible Tables

• Header: In the Table properties, ensure you have designated a Header Row.
• Caption: Add a “Table Caption” in the table properties to give a 1-sentence summary of what the data represents.

Canvas has a built-in LaTeX editor, which is vital for STEM courses.

In this section:

1. Simplify Course Navigation
2. Module Organization
3. Accessible Quiz Design
4. Video Management (Canvas Studio)

1. Simplify Course Navigation

A screen reader user has to listen to every link in the sidebar menu. If you have 20 links visible (Announcements, Pages, Files, Outcomes, etc.), it becomes a major hurdle.

• The Fix: Go to Settings > Navigation.
• Action: Review your course navigation and keep only the tools you are actively using. At HCU, courses are set up with a streamlined menu by default (Modules, Simple Syllabus, BookPass My Materials, Announcements, and Grades). Only add or keep additional links if they directly support your course.

2. Module Organization

Students with cognitive disabilities or executive function challenges rely on a predictable structure.

• The Fix: Use Modules as the “Home” of your course.
• Structure: Organize modules by week or unit. Use Text Headers within a module to separate “Instructional Content” from “Assignments.”

3. Accessible Quiz Design

• Question Types: Avoid “Hot Spot” questions (where a student must click a specific part of an image) as these are impossible for screen reader users or those with motor impairments.
• Time Limits: If instructed by HCU Accommodation Services, be prepared to provide “Extra Time” for specific students. In New Quizzes, you can use the Moderate tab to set a permanent “Time Multiplier” (e.g., 1.5x or 2.0x) for a student that applies to every quiz in the course automatically.

4. Video Management (Canvas Studio)

If you record or upload video into your course:

• Action: Go to the video in Canvas Studio, click Captions, and select Request.
• Verification: Once the AI generates the captions, you must click Edit to fix names, technical terms, and punctuation. AI-generated captions are not legally sufficient until they are reviewed for accuracy.

In this section:

1. 1. Choose the Most Accessible Formats
   2. Create Accessible Documents First

1. Choose the Most Accessible Formats

If at all possible, choose the most accessible format for publishing your content. Here is a hierarchy of the most accessible formats:

1. Best: Canvas Page (HTML) — The Rich Content Editor is natively responsive, works perfectly on the Canvas Mobile app, and has the built-in Accessibility Checker.
2. Great: Microsoft Word / Google Docs — Very accessible if headings are used; Canvas has a built-in “Inline Preview” that lets students read these without downloading them.
3. Good: PowerPoint / Slides — Good for visual learning, but harder for screen readers to navigate if the “Reading Order” isn’t manually set.
4. Use with Caution: PDFs — PDFs are “static.” If they are scanned images (not OCR’d), they are completely invisible to screen readers. They also don’t “reflow” on mobile screens, forcing students to pinch-and-zoom.

Why Microsoft documents are better: If you upload a Word or PowerPoint file, Canvas’s “Inline Viewer” (the little magnifying glass icon) actually handles those quite well for screen readers, whereas a PDF often requires the student to download it and open it in a separate program like Adobe Acrobat to be fully accessible.

2. Create Accessible Documents First

If you must provide external resources, ensure they meet Document Accessibility Standards before they are uploaded to the Files section or linked in a Module.

Tutorials for Creating Accessible Documents:

• Microsoft Word / Google Docs: Use for syllabi and essay prompts.
• Microsoft PowerPoint / Google Slides: Used for lecture slides.
• Microsoft Excel / Google Sheets: Used in business, math, and science courses for data sets.
• PDFs: The most common format for scanned readings or journal articles.

Learn more about content accessibility basics or creating accessible documents.