Teach Online Five Simple Actions to Enhance Accessibility

Creating an accessible online classroom is easier than you might think—especially with the right tools at your fingertips.

Whether using a template, addressing the basics such as color and headings, or captioning your videos, each step helps to make your content more accessible.

USE Canvas Templates

A template can increase accessibility by providing a consistent, easy-to-navigate structure with properly adjusted page headings, color contrast, etc. Your students are able to access course material easily, while saving instructors time on design.

Get started using course templates as the first step toward creating more accessible course content.

STOP Uploading Files!

PDF files, Word documents, and PowerPoint slides are usually NOT accessible. To create the most inclusive and accessible environment for your students, these should be avoided altogether.

If you must use certain files and they aren't accessible, you can replace them with Canvas pages. Find out more here, at "Making Your Files More Accessible."

CHECK Color and Heading Structure

Systematically reviewing each page and using Canvas's Accessibility Checker ensures that all students — including those with disabilities — can access, understand, and interact with your course content.

Canvas's built-in Accessibility Checker can easily address these basic accessibility issues, page-by-page, including color contrasts, appropriate heading structure, and even alt text. Take a look at "How do I use the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor?" to learn more.

CAPTION Pictures and Videos

Closed captioning your online course videos ensures accessibility for learners who are deaf or hard of hearing and improves comprehension for non-native speakers. It also enhances engagement and retention by allowing students to read along and review content more easily.

Make your course more inclusive and engaging by adding closed captions—it's easy to do with Studio. Check out "How do I create captions for media in Canvas Studio?" to learn more.

MONITOR Continuously

Incorporate accessibility checks into your regular course maintenance to ensure that all learners can access and engage with your content equitably.

Set recurring task or event in your calendar to remind yourself to revisit and address accessibility issues in your courses.

Have Questions?

If you encounter any course design or technology challenges while using Canvas, don't hesitate to submit a ticket to the Center for Online Learning and Teaching (COLT). We are always here to support you!

Submit A Ticket