Designing Accessible Online Courses in Canvas

On April 24, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice published a final rule in the Federal Register that updates Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The final rule sets Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard for digital content and digital services used, shared, created, and procured by state and local entities. 

Common icon for accessibility

UMass Lowell is required to adhere to the WCAG 2.1 AA technical standards. This means proactively creating accessible course materials as a part of course design rather than only upon request. The resources below will help you create instructional materials in Canvas that meet accessibility standards and also support an inclusive learning environment for your students. 

GPS accessibility standards are below, but faculty new to this can optionally complete our 15-minute "Designing Accessible Online Courses" online training.

General Recommendations for Accessibility in Canvas

  • Use Canvas Pages for text-based documents in Canvas instead of uploading PDF and DOCX files - Canvas Pages open immediately right in the browser, so make for a better all around experience for students, especially on mobile devices. Canvas Pages also make editing of materials much easier for faculty since it can be done right in Canvas. 
  • Upload or link to source documents instead of creating PDF files - if you need to use Word, PPT, or XLS, then make the source document accessible by incorporating the 6 Essential Areas for Accessible Course Materials below, and then upload this to Canvas (or link to it if on the cloud) instead of converting a document to PDF.

6 icons representing the 6 essential areas for accessible course materials, including headings, links, color, images, tables, and media

The guidelines below are not all encompassing, but they are the most common places where accessibility barriers occur. When designing new course materials or updating existing materials - whether in Canvas, Word, Google docs, etc.. - be sure to learn about and apply these standards.

Document headings provide a clear, logical structure that helps all readers navigate content efficiently. Headings allow assistive technologies to present an outline of the page, enabling users to jump quickly to the section they need rather than reading line by line. They also improve readability and support cognitive accessibility by breaking information into manageable chunks.

Properly formatted lists help organize information into clear, easy‑to‑follow chunks that assistive technologies can interpret correctly. Screen readers announce list structures and the number of items, giving users helpful context and allowing them to move through content more efficiently. Lists also reduce cognitive load by breaking complex ideas into simpler components.

    Do's and Dont's:
  • Use properly formatted Headings to structure your documents and/or web pages (H1, H2, Normal, etc..).
  • Use either bulleted lists or numbered lists to group related items.
  • Always use the list button when making a list. Don't create lists with the number and letter keys.
Descriptive links tell users exactly what to expect when they activate a link. For people using screen readers, vague phrases like “click here” or “read more” provide no meaningful context when read out of surrounding text. Descriptive link text allows assistive technologies to present links in a clear, searchable list and helps all users understand the purpose of each link.
    Do's and Dont's
  • Use descriptive links instead of pasting in a URL.
  • Links should briefly describe the link's destination.
  • External links should open in a new tab/window (this is a default in Canvas).
  • Don't make words like "click here" and "learn more" a part of your link. Tabbing through links is a way that people with screen readers navigate a site and this these terms are not descriptive.
Using appropriate color and contrast is vital for accessibility because it ensures that text and visual elements remain readable for people with low vision, color‑vision deficiencies, or those viewing content in challenging lighting conditions. Sufficient contrast between text and background helps users distinguish information without strain, while avoiding color‑only cues ensures that important meaning isn’t lost for those who cannot perceive certain colors.
    Do's and Dont's
  • Ensure that the contrast between text and background is high enough to be easily readable.
  • Don’t rely on color alone to convey information. Combine with visual cues other than color (eg: if something is important and you'd like it to stand out, use color in combination with a symbol, like * or a simple emoji graphic ⚠).
Including meaningful alternative text (alt text) is important for accessibility because it ensures that people who cannot see the images still receive the essential information those images convey. Alt text provides a text-based description that assistive technologies can read aloud, allowing users to understand the purpose and context of the visual content.
    Do's and Dont's
  • All images should have alternative text descriptions (or mark as decorative).
  • Alt text should be functional and provide an equivalent user experience.
  • Don't include text like "image of.." or "graphic representing...". This is redundant information since screen readers already identify the object as a graphic.
  • Complex images, like data charts and graphs, may be too difficult to describe succinctly in an alt tag. In these cases, please describe the graphic on the page as a caption, perhaps beneath the graphic.
Designing accessible tables is important because it helps all users understand and navigate structured data. Properly formatted tables use defined headers and logical layouts, allowing assistive technologies to announce column and row titles so users can understand how each cell relates to the rest of the data.
    Do's and Dont's
  • Use tables only to clearly organize tabular date (not for layout purposes or to format an entire page or doc).
  • Include column and/or row headers.
  • Include a table caption that briefly summarizes the table.
  • Don't use merged and split cells
Closed captions and transcripts ensure that audio and video content is perceivable by people who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as those who prefer or need to engage with content silently. Transcripts offer a full written version of audio, allowing users to read, search, or reference the material at their own pace.

Audio descriptions should also be employed during your videos. Embedded audio descriptions provide a spoken narration of key visual elements. In a lecture video for example, if you have a slide with an image that is conveying information, you should verbally explain what is being displayed (eg: “on this slide, there is a map of Alaska that shows 19th century shipping routes”).

    Do's and Dont's
  • All videos need captions, and faculty should review auto-generated captions for accuracy.
  • Videos with meaningful visuals need audio descriptions.
  • Audio only files (i.e., MP3) need an accompanying transcript. You could also upload MP3 files to Canvas Studio where captions will be auto-generated.
  • Live captions should be enabled for Zoom meetings.