If you’re wondering where to start, you’re not alone. Fortunately, there are several straightforward steps you can take right now to make meaningful progress. Here are five high-impact strategies—“easy wins”—to help you quickly improve your accessibility score:

1. Clean Up Unused Files with TidyUp

Use the TidyUp tool to remove outdated or unused files from your course. Eliminating files you no longer use, such as, old syllabi, PowerPoints, and announcements can significantly boost your score. If the content will not be available to your current students, it shouldn’t be in your course.

2. Address Common Issues in the Accessibility Report

The Ally Accessibility Report highlights issues that can often be resolved directly within Canvas. Focus on fixing:

• Images without alt text (use the Ally Alt Text Assistant for support)
• Text with insufficient contrast in HTML/Canvas Text Editor Content
• Tables missing headers in HTML/Canvas Text Editor Content
• Scanned documents without OCR
• Broken links in HTML/Canvas Text Editor Content
• PDFs missing a language setting or title

These fixes are quick and impactful.

3. Replace PDFs with Original Word or PowerPoint Files

Whenever possible, upload the original Word or PowerPoint versions of your documents instead of PDFs. These formats are easier to edit for accessibility, and students can still download PDFs using Ally’s alternative formats feature. Don’t forget to delete the old PDFs to improve your score.

4. Use Tools to Streamline Alt Text Creation

Leverage tools like the Ally Alt Text Assistant or the ASU Image Accessibility Creator to jumpstart your alt text writing. These tools provide a solid foundation, which you can then tailor to your instructional context.

5. Add Alt Text to Word and PowerPoint Files

Open the Ally Accessibility Report for your document to identify images in your file that are missing alt text. Download the file, make edits on your computer, and re-upload the improved version directly into Canvas where prompted. Microsoft also provides guidance on improving the accessibility of your presentations.

Note, Ally’s Accessibility Report is more robust than Microsoft’s Accessibility Assistant. Follow the guidance provided by Ally when the two checkers disagree.

Need Help? We’re Here for You.

The Ed Tech Center is ready to support you in making your course content accessible. Whether you have questions or want hands-on assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out:

LIB 375
edtech@jccc.edu
913-469-3842

Request help remediating your course

JCCC Accessibility Training Resources

Let’s work together to ensure all students have equitable access to learning materials.

Fixed: Alternative Text for Image Files Copy to New Semester

Alternative text added to image files in Canvas Files area through Ally’s Instructor Feedback will now copy over from semester to semester. Your Ally score will stay the same in the new course. Please note that the Ally score will take some time (up to an hour) to update in the new course due to the system conducting a new review.

Updates to Student Alternative Formats

New Feature: Handwritten Content Now Supported in Scanned PDF Files

Handwritten content within a scanned PDF should be converted to text using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for students downloading the Ally Alternative Formats. The availability of this format is dependent on the quality of the image and the handwriting. This is for English only at this time (does not support math or content in other languages).

Math Support: Word Documents Now Available in 3 New Alternative Formats for Students

Students can download three new alternative formats for math content within Microsoft Word Documents:

• HTML Alternative Format converts Office Math to MathML in their browser (webpage).
• Audio Alternative Format should read content from the Math Editor in an understandable way.
• Immersive Reader Alternative Format allows students to access additional accessibility features including the MathJax contextual menu option.