Introduction
The Ally tool in Canvas lets instructors make sure teaching materials are accessible and can be viewed and digested by students with disabilities. Accessibility is required by Virginia Tech (VT Policy 7215) and the U.S. government (Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act). Visit the ADA Title II Digital Accessibility webpage to learn more about accessibility requirements.
While Ally is not a file editor, there are certain accessibility issues that can be addressed directly inside of Canvas using the Ally tool.
- Add alternative text to image files (JPEG, PNG, etc.) that have been added in the Canvas Rich Content Editor or added to the files section of Canvas.
- Simple PDF fixes
- Missing language
- Missing title
- OCR scanned content
- More to come...
For all other issues, edit files in their native platform or using a file remediator tool, export the file appropriately, and upload a new version to Canvas.
Ally can:
- Check individual Canvas files and What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) content for accessibility. WYSIWYG content is any content created in the Rich Content Editor inside of your Canvas site (announcements, assignments, discussions, quiz descriptions, and pages).
- Give instructions on how to improve accessibility.
- Provide an Ally Course Accessibility Report for your entire course as well as strategies for addressing accessibility improvement by either file type, issue type, or severity of score.
- Allow in-browser previews of files.
- Provide accessible, alternative formats for students and instructors.
Contents
Instructions
Background
Currently, Ally checks files in these formats:
- PDF files
- Microsoft Word files
- Microsoft PowerPoint files
- Uploaded HTML files
- Images files (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF)
- YouTube videos embedded in WYSIWYG/VTBE content
Alternative Formats
Many learners benefit from materials in an alternative format that better support their learning preferences or abilities. Some formats are easier to access for assistive technologies such as screen readers, refreshable Braille displays, or text-to-speech applications. Ally lets instructors create and students download the following alternative file formats:
- OCR’d version (for scanned documents)
- Tagged PDF (structured PDF for improved use with assistive technology)
- Immersive Reader
- HTML (for viewing in the browser and on mobile devices)
- ePub (for reading as an e-book on mobile devices)
- Electronic Braille (BRF version for consumption on electronic braille displays)
- Audio (MP3 version for listening)
- BeeLine Reader (enhanced version for easier and faster on-screen reading)
Alternative formats available depend on the original file format. To learn more about alternative formats, visit the Alternative Formats webpage
Resources
Videos:
- Blackboard Ally for LMS
- Alternative formats - Ally
- Ally First Steps Guide – Alternative accessible formats from pages in Canvas
- Ally First Steps Guide – Alternative accessible formats for students in Canvas
Ally website:
- Ally for Learning Management Systems (LMS) Help
- Alternative Formats
- Accessibility checklist
- Course Accessibility Report
Instructors
Checking the Course Accessibility Report
The Ally Course Accessibility Report in Canvas can help you obtain a high-level view of accessibility across your Canvas course site and help you prioritize remediation strategies to improve accessibility in your Canvas content. This tool is readily available for you to access and utilize in your Canvas course sites.
Click on the Ally Course Accessibility Report tab in your course navigation menu to access an overview of your course accessibility.
If you do not see Ally Course Accessibility Report in your navigation menu, you'll need to enable it in your course settings. See How do I manage Course Navigation links?
We recommend starting with All Course Content and Choose What to Fix First to begin remediation in your course. More information about these tools can be found on Ally's support page on the Course Accessibility Report.
Checking Accessibility for Individual Files with the Score Icon
Ally automatically scans Canvas files after it is integrated. Currently, Ally checks files in these formats:
- PDF files
- Microsoft® Word files
- Microsoft® PowerPoint® files
- OpenOffice/LibreOffice files
- Uploaded HTML files
- Image files (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF)
- WYSIWYG/VTBE content
- YouTubeTM videos embedded in WYSIWYG/VTBE content
The Score icon appears either before or after a file in Canvas, depending on the file's location.
- Red meter = Low (0-33%)
- Orange meter = Medium (34-66%)
- Green meter = High (67-99%)
- Darker green meter = Perfect (100%)
To learn more about the scores, go to Accessibility Scores.
Click the meter to go to the file preview and see detailed accessibility information.
In Files
- Click Files in the Course Navigation Menu.
- There will be a column labeled Accessibility.
In Assignments (and anywhere else that uses the Rich Content Editor)
Go to Assignments, Announcements, or any other tool that uses the Rich Content Editor. Ally will scan and report on the accessibility of files attached in the Rich Content Editor.
- The accessibility meter appears before each file.
- It appears on the preview screen, not the edit screen.
Instructor Feedback Panel
Ally is not a file editor. While there are some quick fixes you can do within the tool to improve course accessibility, most files will need to be opened in their native platform, remediated using an accessibility checker or accessibility best practices, and then reuploaded in Canvas to replace the original version of the file.
Quick Fixes you can perform inside of Canvas to improve file accessibility:
- You can use Ally to add Alt Text to an image file directly inside of Canvas. To learn more visit the Add Image Descriptions support webpage.
- There are select PDF remediation options that can be remediated directly inside of Canvas using Ally. To view all PDF remediation options, visit the PDF Remediation Options support webpage.
- For all other issues, fix the file on your computer and re-upload to Canvas (see Improve Content Accessibility for detailed instructions).
Selecting the score icon for a specific file will open the Instructor Feedback Panel. Ally’s feedback panel shows you a preview of the document’s content as well as detailed feedback and support to help you fix your accessibility issues. To learn more about the Instructor Feedback Panel, as well as how to improve file accessibility using the panel, visit the Instructor Feedback Panel support webpage.
Managing Alternative Formats
Enable Alternative Formats
- Go to course Files and click a file.
- Click Alternative formats.
- On the Alternative formats popup, click Turn on for this file.
Disable Alternative Formats
- Go to course Files and click a file.
- Click Alternative formats.
- In the Download alternative formats popup, click the drop-down arrow next to Download alternative formats, then click Turn off alternative formats for this file.
Download Alternative Formats
- Go to course Files and click a file.
- Click Alternative formats.
- In the Download alternative formats popup, click the format you want to download. The available formats will vary based on the file type. Then click Download.
Students
Ally creates alternative files that are easier to use by all students. Ally works within your online course so it's available right where you need it.
Alternative files include readable text for screen readers, pictures with captions, and easy-to-navigate content. Ally creates multiple alternatives from the original documents in your course. You can download these alternative formats anywhere that files are used.
To decide on which alternative format works best for your needs and learn how to download them, see Alternative Formats.
Visit the Ally for LMS Help for Students page for additional resources.
Troubleshooting
I can't fix my file in Ally
Ally is not a file editor.
- Ally scans files in Canvas and reports on accessibility.
- It only lets you add Alt Text to image files and do select PDF remediation on PDF files.
- For all other issues, edit files on your computer and upload a new version to Canvas.
We recommend instructors check the accessibility of their files before uploading to Canvas using an accessibility checker within the file's native platform. Virginia Tech community members have access to select accessibility editors based on the platform they are working from.
- Microsoft365 Accessibility Checker
- Available for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Excel.
- To learn more visit the Microsoft365 Accessibility Checker TLOS Tool Finder webpage.
- Grackle
- Available for Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets.
- To learn more visit the Grackle TLOS Tool Finder webpage.
- PREP
- A PDF accessibility checker and remediator. This tool requires a license with limited licenses available through TLOS.
- To learn more, visit the PREP TLOS Tool Finder webpage.
- Adobe Acrobat Pro: PDF Remediation
- A PDF accessibility checker and remediator. This tool requires a license and is available for purchase from the Software Service Center.
- To learn more, visit the Adobe Acrobat Pro: PDF Remediation TLOS Tool Finder webpage
I don't see alternative formats
If an instructor chooses to disable alternative formats for a specific file, the alternative format option will not be available. Please contact your instructor with questions or concerns.
Canvas froze when I clicked alternative formats
Leave the Canvas page, reload, and try again.
Canvas froze when I tried to download an alternative format
The first person to download an alternative format must wait up to a minute for the format to be generated. After that, subsequent people can download the generated file immediately.
Getting Help
For technical support and information on accessibility, go to the 4Help Portal, log in, and click Get Help. Your request will be forwarded to the Accessible Technologies group.