Canvas Course Accessibility Checklist 

When developing content in Online@UT (Canvas), it is easy to adopt design habits that may appear visually acceptable yet inadvertently create significant accessibility barriers. While course pages might seem well-organized and appealing to sighted users, the layouts can be difficult to navigate for individuals using assistive technologies. Screen readers rely on the underlying HTML structure, rather than visual formatting, to interpret and present content. As a result, what looks fine on the surface may not be accessible to all users. 

Familiarize Yourself with the Checklist

To help instructors address visual formatting inaccessibility, the Instructure Community, an online portal to learn, share, and engage alongside other educators, has created a Canvas Course Accessibility Checklist. The document outlines how to be compliant regarding accessibility using the Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE). Use the checklist as a reference for the accessibility options within your course.

Over the next several Accessibility Made Easy articles, we’ll address each checklist item in further detail, provide examples, and help you use the tools available to make your course content accessible. 

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