Making Your Online Courses Accessible to All Students
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA is the internationally recognized standard for web accessibility. It ensures that digital content is accessible to people with disabilities, including those who are blind, deaf, have limited mobility, or have cognitive disabilities.
Why it matters: Creating accessible course content isn't just about compliance—it's about ensuring all students can access, engage with, and succeed in your courses. Accessible design benefits everyone, not just students with disabilities.
WCAG 2.1 is built on four core principles, often abbreviated as POUR
Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive. This includes providing text alternatives, captions, and sufficient color contrast.
User interface components and navigation must be operable. This includes keyboard accessibility, sufficient time to complete tasks, and avoiding content that causes seizures.
Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable. This includes readable text, predictable navigation, and clear instructions and error messages.
Content must be robust enough to be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies like screen readers.
Structure your content with proper heading hierarchy (H1, H2, H3). This helps screen readers navigate and helps all students scan content easily.
All images must have alternative text that describes the content or function of the image. Decorative images should have empty alt text (alt="").
PDFs must be tagged and include proper structure. Consider providing HTML alternatives when possible. Use accessibility checkers in Word/PowerPoint before converting to PDF.
Avoid "click here" links. Use descriptive text that makes sense out of context (e.g., "Download the assignment rubric" instead of "click here").
All videos must have accurate captions. Edit auto-generated captions for accuracy.
In addition to captions, provide downloadable transcripts for videos and audio files. This benefits students in low-bandwidth situations too.
For videos with important visual information, consider providing audio descriptions or detailed text descriptions of visual elements.
Text must have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background. Large text can be 3:1. Use online contrast checkers to verify.
Never use color as the only way to convey information. Add text labels, patterns, or icons alongside color coding.
Use clear, sans-serif fonts (Arial, Calibri, Verdana) in at least 12pt. Avoid fancy or decorative fonts. Ensure adequate line spacing.
Use Canvas modules to organize content in a clear, predictable structure. Students should easily understand the course flow.
All assignments and activities should have clear, detailed instructions. Don't assume students will figure things out on their own.
All interactive elements must be accessible via keyboard alone (Tab, Enter, Arrow keys). Test your course navigation without a mouse.
Every input field must have a clear, descriptive label. Use Canvas quiz question titles and provide clear instructions.
If students make errors in forms or quizzes, the tool must provide clear, specific feedback about what went wrong and what to do next.
For timed quizzes, consider providing extended time options. If using third-party tools, ensure they meet accessibility standards.
Use Canvas's built-in accessibility checker when creating content in the Rich Content Editor. It flags common issues automatically.
Tools: WebAIM Contrast Checker, Colorable, Stark. Test your color combinations before using them in course materials.
Microsoft Office and Google Docs have built-in accessibility checkers. Use them before uploading documents to Canvas.
Many video providers generate auto-captioning using machine learninig algorithms. These transcripts can often be manually edited to ensure 100% accuracy.
Yuja Panorama can be activated to assess web accessibility in your Canvas course. For assistance with remediation, submit a course assistance request to enable Yuja for your course.
WebAIM.org, W3C WCAG Guidelines, and Section508.gov provide comprehensive accessibility documentation and tutorials.
Use this checklist to audit your Canvas course for WCAG 2.1 AA compliance
Our instructional designers can help you audit your course and implement accessibility improvements