Canvas Accessibility

This checklist walks you through key accessibility topics and helps you identify and fix common accessibility issues in your Canvas course.

To get started:

1. Open your Canvas course.
2. Review each topic in this checklist.
3. Use the guidance in each topic to identify and fix accessibility issues in your course.

Canvas’s default text and background colors are the most reliable way to ensure your content remains readable across different student display settings.

 If you decide to use custom colors, be sure they have enough contrast so that all students can read your content clearly.

Use Canvas Default Colors (Recommended) 

If Changing Colors, Choose High-Contrast Colors

Do not color-code course elements as the only way of conveying meaning. Not everyone can see the color, so they’ll miss your meaning.

Consider the following example that uses color coding as the only way to convey passing or not passing scores: 

🚫 Not Accessible:

Score > 70%

Score < 69%

In the above example, students with color blindness may not be able to distinguish red from green, and students using screen readers won’t get any information from color at all.

To make the content accessible, simply include additional information so that if someone can't see the color, they still understand the meaning.

✅ Accessible:

Score > 70% - Passing

Score < 69% - Not Passing

 Tip: Use color to enhance meaning, but never let color be the only way you communicate it.

For the best readability and accessibility, it is recommended that you leave the default font in Canvas. If you choose to change fonts, use a simple sans serif font that displays clearly on screens.

Use Canvas Default Font (Recommended)

If Changing Font, Use Sans Serif Fonts

For the most consistent and accessible results, it is recommended that you use Canvas’s default font sizes. If you adjust font sizes, choose sizes that maintain readability and ensure that headings remain larger than body text.

Use Canvas Default Font Sizes (Recommended)

If Changing Font Sizes, Use Accessible Sizes

Headings and subheadings should clearly describe the content that follows. Use short, meaningful phrases that help readers quickly understand what each section is about. Avoid vague titles such as “Introduction” or “Details,” and instead choose descriptive headings that reflect the topic of the section.

Good headings also help organize content into a logical structure. Each heading should represent a new section of related information and follow a clear hierarchy so readers can easily scan and navigate the page. Keeping headings concise and informative makes content easier for both sighted users and screen reader users to understand.

Always Use Heading Styles

Screen readers do not recognize large or bold text as headings. Only built-in heading styles identify content as a heading to screen readers.

Always apply Canvas's built-in heading styles (Heading 2, Heading 3, Heading 4, etc.) to your headings rather than just manually making heading text large and bold. 

Note that Canvas automatically applies the Heading 1 style to the title of your Page, Assignment, Quiz, Discussion, etc., so you will not need to apply Heading 1.

Using heading styles is important because:

• Screen readers use headings to navigate through content.
• Students with screen readers can quickly jump between sections instead of having to read every word on the page from top to bottom.
• Well-structured headings improve readability for all users.

Tip: If text looks like a heading, but when you click the text, the Styles panel shows anything other than Heading 2, Heading 3, Heading 4, or Heading 5, the heading is not accessible because a style has not been applied to the text.

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Use a Heading Hierarchy & Don't Skip Levels

Use headings in a logical hierarchy, similar to an outline. Start with Heading 2 for main sections, then use Heading 3 for sub-sections, Heading 4 for sub-sub sections, and so on. Do not skip heading levels because skipping levels can be confusing to your readers and can make content harder for screen readers to navigate.

Heading level example:

Heading 2 Wisconsin

Heading 3 Dane County

Heading 4 Madison

Heading 4 Fitchburg

Heading 3 Milwaukee County

Heading 4 Milwaukee 

Heading 4 Wauwatosa

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How to Apply Heading Styles

1. Open your Canvas Page, Assignment, Discussion, Quiz, etc., and click Edit to access the Rich Content Editor (RCE).
2. Select your heading text.
3. In the Style dropdown menu, select the appropriate heading level:
   • Heading 2 for main section headings
   • Heading 3 for subsections
   • Heading 4 for sub-subsections

   

   Note: Heading 1 is not available as a selection because Canvas automatically applies that style to the title of the Page, Assignment, Discussion, or Quiz.

4. Repeat these steps for each heading on the Page, using heading levels in logical order. Do not skip levels.

Accessibility standards require that every image should either have alt text or be marked as decorative.

• Alt text (alternative text) is a short written description of an image that conveys its purpose or meaning to people using screen readers or other assistive technology. Alt text descriptions are normally hidden from sighted users; however, when an image fails to load, its alt text will appear in place of the image.
• Images marked as decorative are images that do not add meaning to the content. Marking an image as decorative tells the screen reader to skip the image. 

What Kind of Alt Text Does My Image Need?

For every image in your content, you need to do one of the following:

For Simple Informative Images - Add a Brief Alt Text Description

For Complex Images - Add a Brief Alt Text Description & Long Description

For Purely Decorative Images - Mark Image as Decorative

Links should have meaningful, descriptive names that clearly indicate where the link goes. Screen reader users often navigate content by jumping from link to link, so link text like “click here” or a URL doesn't tell screen reader users where the link goes.

🚫 Not accessible - Click here
🚫 Not accessible - https://www.npr.org/
✅ Accessible - Go to NPR’s website

Tips:

• Underline links (default setting in Canvas).
• Do not underline anything that is not a link. Use bold for emphasis, instead.
• Use consistent link text so the same wording always leads to the same destination.

Apply Canvas's built-in bullet list style to your lists where items do not need to appear in a specific order. The built-in list formatting provides structural information that allows screen readers to recognize the content as a list. This helps assistive technologies announce how many items are in the list and allows users to navigate between list items more easily.

Do not manually create bulleted lists using symbols like hyphens or asterisks in place of bullets. Always use the built-in bulleted list formatting so screen readers can correctly interpret the list structure.

When a screen reader reads content with built-in bullet list formatting, it recognizes the content as a structured list. The screen reader will announce the number of items in the list and then read each item individually. For example, a screen reader might announce something like:

"List with 3 items.

Bullet: Submit the assignment by Friday.

Bullet: Participate in the discussion.

Bullet: Review feedback.

End of list"

Apply Canvas's built-in numbered list style to lists where the order of the items matters (for example, steps in a process or instructions that must be completed in sequence). Canvas’s numbered list formatting provides structural information that allows screen readers to recognize the content as an ordered list. This helps assistive technologies announce the number of items in the list and allows users to navigate between list items more easily.

Do not manually create numbered lists by simply typing numbers. Always use the built-in numbered list formatting so screen readers can correctly interpret the list structure.

When a screen reader reads content that uses built-in numbered list formatting, it announces the number of items in the list and then reads each item individually. For example, a screen reader might announce:

“List with 3 items.

Item one: Submit the assignment by Friday.

Item two: Participate in the discussion.

Item three: Review feedback.

End of list”

See Accessible Math. 

Module Creation

Consider creating one module for each week, course meeting, topic, or unit, whichever structure works best for your course.

Modules should follow a consistent internal structure so students can easily locate readings, videos, assignments, and other activities.

Module Naming Conventions

For visual and functional consistency, use the same naming conventions and layout for modules and their contents throughout the course.

Text headers within modules should:

• Be worded consistently
• Appear in the same order in each module

For example, each module might include text headers such as Topics, Readings, and Homework.

Module Contents

• Modules should include links to all assignments, discussions, quizzes, and resources for the week, unit, or topic.
• Module items should be clearly labeled with meaningful, descriptive titles.
• You may rename module items as needed to improve clarity.
• For modules with a large amount of content, use one of the following approaches:
  • Add text headers to group related items, and indent items under each header to show hierarchy
    OR
  • Move readings and resources to a single overview or resources page within the module to reduce visual clutter

Module Order

Arrange modules and items within modules in a logical, predictable order.

Assignments and activities should be ordered chronologically, based on the sequence in which students are expected to complete them.

Module & Content Publishing

Keep a consistent flow throughout the course so students know when to expect new content and when things are due: 

• Modules always publish on same days and times.
• Assignments, Discussions, Quizzes have consistent due days and times.
• Add a To-Do Date to Pages so they appear on students’ To-Do List.
• Communicate exceptions clearly in Announcements. 

Create a clear path through your course for your students by streamlining the left-hand navigation. Instructors can hide elements in the course's left-hand course column from students in order to reduce student confusion and remove clutter in the course navigation.

Recommended Navigation Items

In your Canvas course, go to Settings > Navigation and enable or hide navigation items from students.

The following is a list of recommended navigation items to enable. Consider disabling (hiding) other navigation items unless they are intentionally used in your course:

• Announcements (Note: Even when enabled, the eye-slash icon appears next to Announcements until you post your first announcement.)
• Grades
• People
• Syllabus (Enable only if you plan to use the Canvas-generated syllabus. Disable this item if you upload your syllabus as a file within a module instead.)
• Collaborations (Enable only if you plan to create collaborative Office 365 documents in your Canvas course.)
• Zoom
• Search
• Course accessibility checker (UDOIT) 
• TidyUP (Only visible to instructor.)
• Attendance (Enable only if you plan to use the Canvas Roll Call attendance tool.)

Tables should only be used to present data, not to control the layout or alignment of content in your document.

Avoid using tables to position text, images, or other elements on the page. Layout tables can cause problems for screen readers because assistive technologies expect tables to contain structured data and may read the content in a confusing or illogical order.

Use simple table structures whenever possible. Avoid merging or splitting table cells, as this can create problems for screen readers. Complex table layouts can make it difficult for assistive technologies to correctly identify the relationship between table headers and data cells.

Create tables using Canvas’s Insert Table tool. Do not create tables by pasting images of tables or by arranging content with text boxes, spaces, drawings, or screenshots. Tables created with the table tool include structural information that screen readers use to understand and navigate the data.

Table headers identify what each column or row represents, helping screen readers interpret the table correctly.

A table caption provides a short description of the table’s purpose or content.

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How to Mark Table Headers & Add a Table Caption

Follow the procedures for Table Accessibility in Canvas to learn how to add table captions and mark table headers. 

See Make Your Videos Accessible with My Media.

There are two accessibility checkers available in Canvas: UDOIT and the Canvas Accessibility Checker. Use the table below to determine which tool best fits your needs.

Important: No accessibility checker can identify every accessibility issue in your content. It is still important to understand key accessibility concepts so you can identify issues that a checker may miss.

Table 1: Comparison of accessibility checker tools

Tool	Scope	Notes
Canvas Accessibility Checker	Checks only the content that you are currently editing in the Rich Content Editor (RCE).	Simple but useful page-level accessibility checker that helps you identify and fix accessibility issues while you're editing.  Pros: Especially helpful for making tables accessible (i.e., adding captions and marking header cells). Easy to use. Helps you fix accessibility issues while you're creating content in the RCE. Cons: Identifies a narrower range of accessibility issues than UDOIT.  Does not scan videos or uploaded files.
UDOIT	Scans a course for accessibility issues.	Course-level accessibility checker that helps you identify and remediate accessibility issues across multiple course items. Pros: Can identify a wider range of accessibility issues than the Canvas Accessibility Checker.  Provides you with an overview of the accessibility issues in your course and groups them by type and severity. Can scan YouTube, Vimeo, and Kaltura videos for missing captions or unedited auto captions that may need review. Can perform a high-level (not comprehensive) scan of accessibility issues in uploaded and published files (Word, PowerPoint, PDF, and Excel). Gives you the option to convert content of some uploaded files to Canvas Pages.  Cons: Has more features and a broader scope, so it may take longer to learn. Dashboard that lists accessibility issues across the course can feel overwhelming.  While it scans a large portion of your course, there are still course elements that it cannot scan (see Course Elements That UDOIT Does Not Scan).

What Is UDOIT?

UDOIT is an accessibility checker integrated into Canvas. You can use UDOIT to scan the content of an entire course for accessibility issues.

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What Types of Accessibility Issues Does UDOIT Identify?

UDOIT scans your course for accessibility issues such as:

• Color contrast issues
• Missing or automatically generated captions in videos
• Alt text issues in embedded images
• Link naming issues
• Headings that have missing style or incorrect style applied
• Tables that don't have headers marked

The What Does UDOIT Look For page in UDOIT's user guide has a complete list of accessibility error warnings and their definitions. 

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Which Course Elements Does UDOIT Scan?

• Announcements
• Assignments 
• Classic Quiz Instructions
• Discussions (just description area of Discussion)
• Files (Word, PowerPoint, PDF, Excel) Note: These are not comprehensive scans of the files. Read more about what UDOIT looks for in file scans. 
• Pages
• Canvas Syllabus
• Module URLs
• YouTube, Vimeo, and Kaltura videos

Read UDOIT's user guide for a complete list of elements that UDOIT scans. 

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Course Elements That UDOIT Does Not Scan

• Discussion replies

• Google Docs

• Classic Quiz Questions & Question Banks (UDOIT only scans the description/instructions area of Canvas Classic Quizzes)

• New Quizzes (UDOIT does not scan New Quizzes at all.)
• Videos that aren't in YouTube, Vimeo, or Kaltura 
• Video files uploaded or recorded directly to Canvas

Read UDOIT's user guide for a complete list of elements that UDOIT does not scan. 

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How Can I Convert an Uploaded File to a Canvas Page?

In some cases, it may be easier to convert a file in your course to a Canvas Page and improve accessibility there rather than remediate the original file itself. In these situations, you can use UDOIT’s Request Alternate Formats feature to convert certain files into Canvas Pages. Read more about the Request Alternative Formats feature.   

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How Does UDOIT Handle Course Copies and Blueprints?

UDOIT automatically carries over your accessibility work and data to help you maintain progress without starting over. Read more about how UDOIT works with blueprints and copied courses.  

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Can My Students Use UDOIT?

Yes, UDOIT adds an Alternate Formats button next to linked files in your Canvas content. This button will launch a drop-down menu that displays any existing alternate formats that have been generated with UDOIT and (if enabled) other format types that students can request. Read more about how your students can use UDOIT.

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Overview of How to Use UDOIT

1. Locate UDOIT in your course's left-hand navigation. 

2. Scan your course with UDOIT to identify accessibility issues. 
3. Review accessibility issues in your course that UDOIT identified, and use UFIXIT to remediate issues. 

See the UDOIT User Guide for more information.

What Is the Canvas Accessibility Checker?

The Canvas Accessibility Checker is built into the Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE). Unlike UDOIT, the Canvas Accessibility Checker scans the current item you are editing rather than the entire course. 

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What Types of Issues Does the Accessibility Checker Identify?

The Accessibility Checker identifies basic accessibility issues like problems with alt text, table headers and captions, heading styles, link names, color contrast, and more.

For a full list of what the Accessibility Checker checks, read the Canvas documentation on the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor.

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How Do I Use the Canvas Accessibility Checker?

When you are editing content in the RCE, the accessibility checker at the bottom of the window indicates how many accessibility errors it detects in the content you're editing. If you click the accessibility checker icon, you can view and resolve the accessibility issues. 

For more information, read the Canvas documentation on the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor.

What is TidyUP?

TidyUP is a content cleanup tool for Canvas courses that provides a quick way to view all of the content in your course and clean out anything that is no longer needed.

Identifying and deleting unused files, folders, pages, or assignments makes your course easier to manage and more usable for everyone!.

Read more about TidyUp's features.

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How to Use TidyUP

1. Click TidyUP in your course's left-hand navigation.
2. Select All to scan all course content, or select Custom to choose which types of content TidyUp will scan.
3. Click the Scan button.
4. Review your Canvas content in the following tabs: Files, Folders, and Canvas Content.
5. Optional: Because deletions with TidyUp are permanent, consider downloading content before permanently deleting it:
   1. Check the box next to each item you want to download. 
   2. Click the Download Selected button. 
6. To delete content, check the box to the left of each item you want to delete, and press the Delete Selected button. 

See TidyUp's documentation for more information on using TidyUP. 

Watch a Recording of CASL's Canvas Accessibility Training

• Register for an upcoming CASL accessibility workshop.
• Accessibility in Online Course Design - Instructure
• Accessibility Blog - Instructure
• Accessibility Toolkit - Instructure
• How do I Use the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor? - Instructure
• UDOIT User Guide - CidiLabs
• ULEARN Accessibility Guide - CidiLabs
• TidyUP User Guide