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Accessible Canvas Pages

Close-up of individual typing on laptop with one hand, writing on accessible canvas pages with the other, setting unclear.

accessibility

Accessible Canvas Pages

Checking Canvas Pages To ensure your course content is accessible to all students, it is best to use the accessibility
Person presents charts and graphs on large screen to audience in modern meeting room (person teaching).

accessibility

Accessible Slide Decks

Design for Accessibility Guide Checking Slide Decks Use Microsoft Office PowerPoint’s Accessibility Checker as you create or edit a slide
Staff at desk using laptop to create accessible content in bright office setting.

accessibility

Accessible Text and Documents

Checking Word Documents  Use Microsoft Office Word’s Accessibility Checker during or after you create or edit a document. This tool
Individual using tablet with video player icons; accessible digital video, multimedia streaming suggested.

accessibility

Accessible Video and Multimedia

Design for Accessibility Guide Check Video  Whether it’s a video you made yourself or one someone else made, it is
Three individuals seated together, smiling and looking at cards, engaged in content creation. Setting unclear.

accessibility

Creating Accessible Content

Keep in Mind During Design The easiest way to make sure your course content is accessible is by keeping multiple
Students discussing course accessibility in classroom; others using laptops in background.

accessibility

Design for Course Accessibility

Accessibility Best Practices For each resource type, this guide provides information about the benchmarks for accessibility. Keep these general best
Close-up of individual typing on laptop with one hand, writing on accessible canvas pages with the other, setting unclear.

accessibility

Accessible Canvas Pages

Checking Canvas Pages To ensure your course content is accessible to all students, it is best to use the accessibility
Person presents charts and graphs on large screen to audience in modern meeting room (person teaching).

accessibility

Accessible Slide Decks

Design for Accessibility Guide Checking Slide Decks Use Microsoft Office PowerPoint’s Accessibility Checker as you create or edit a slide
Staff at desk using laptop to create accessible content in bright office setting.

accessibility

Accessible Text and Documents

Checking Word Documents  Use Microsoft Office Word’s Accessibility Checker during or after you create or edit a document. This tool
Individual using tablet with video player icons; accessible digital video, multimedia streaming suggested.

accessibility

Accessible Video and Multimedia

Design for Accessibility Guide Check Video  Whether it’s a video you made yourself or one someone else made, it is
Three individuals seated together, smiling and looking at cards, engaged in content creation. Setting unclear.

accessibility

Creating Accessible Content

Keep in Mind During Design The easiest way to make sure your course content is accessible is by keeping multiple
Students discussing course accessibility in classroom; others using laptops in background.

accessibility

Design for Course Accessibility

Accessibility Best Practices For each resource type, this guide provides information about the benchmarks for accessibility. Keep these general best

Checking Canvas Pages

To ensure your course content is accessible to all students, it is best to use the accessibility checker in the Rich Content Editor (RCE) as you add content to your course. This tool detects accessibility errors for a single element and provides guidance on how to fix issues. Here are some common issues:

  • Use accessible fonts (sans-serif like Arial or Verdana). 
  • Ensure a high color contrast between foreground elements (like text and images) and their background. 
  • Include headers for sections of text, including tables. 
  • Include alt-text for all images. 

How to Use Canvas Accessibility Checker

You can manually launch the Accessibility Checker on any page you are creating or editing. With your Canvas course open, select Pages and choose which page you want to check for accessibility, then select Edit.

Accessible Canvas page: Get to Know the IRB. Shows research ethics review types, outcomes, navigation buttons.

With the page opened in Edit, navigate to the bottom of the RCE and select the Check Accessibility icon, which looks like a person standing within a circle.

Course editing page, IRB research ethics text, accessible Canvas pages shown, table insert option highlighted right.

From here, a window will open to the right displaying the current Accessibility score and a breakdown of any and all issues on the page that need attention. Once all issues are addressed, your page is accessible and ready to publish! 

Webpage editing form screenshot; table lists accessible canvas pages, IRB review types.

Finding and Fixing a Course with UDOIT 

New for Spring 2026, LSSC will have access to the Universal Design Online content Inspection Tool (UDOIT), which is a more comprehensive accessibility checker for Canvas courses. This tool will be able to scan an entire course, generate a report, and provide resources on how to address common accessibility issues found within your course. View the Canvas Community’s UDOIT Information page for complete information on this tool. To learn how to use UDOIT, view the UDOIT User Training Series created by Cidi Labs: