Keeping up with all the accessibility guidelines to ensure that our digital output meets the WCAG 2.2 level AA standard can be challenging, as it’s easy to overlook some of the details. That’s why our Canvas modules include a set of accessibility tools and integrations, e.g., Anthology Ally, to help maximise the accessibility of our digital content.
Anthology Ally is the University’s main accessibility advisory tool and can be accessed via Canvas. The use of Ally helps ensure that Canvas modules are accessible to all learners through the following ways:
- Ally scans Canvas modules for accessibility issues and flags them.
- Once issues are flagged, Ally provides feedback on how to fix them.
- Ally provides alternative formats for each Canvas page that learners can download.
What is Anthology Ally?
Anthology Ally is a tool integrated with Canvas that helps us check how accessible our Canvas modules are. It can check for common faults that make digital content inaccessible, such as missing image descriptions, scanned PDFs, low-contrast text, etc. There are a few issues, however, Ally might not flag including acronyms or language that may be difficult to understand. So it’s important to keep those in mind.
Common accessibility issues based on Ally
The following section outlines common examples of accessibility issues we’ve identified across the University’s Canvas modules.
Language and Navigation
Common examples include:
- low contrast text
- empty links
- missing instructional language.
Headings and Structure
Common examples include:
- heading structure does not start at the same level
- content with no headings.
Media assets
Common examples include:
- images with no alternative text
- images with contrast issues.
Tables
Common examples include:
- tables with no headers
- tables with no column headings.
Indicators
Whenever you upload a file to Canvas, such as an image, a PDF, or a Word document, you should see a fuel gauge icon in the bottom right or left of the file. The colour of the fuel gauge icon indicates how low or high the file scores on Ally’s accessibility scale. There are four different colours: red, orange, light green and darker green and each represents a different score range on the accessibility scale. Note that these icons are not visible to students — they are only visible to teachers.
- Red: Needs help! — Indicates a low accessibility score
- Orange: A little better — Indicates a moderate accessibility score
- Light green: Almost there — Indicates a good accessibility score
- Darker green: Perfect! — Indicates a great accessibility score
Improving your accessibility score using the feedback panel
Once you’ve identified likely accessibility issues with your files, you should read Ally’s guidance on improving your file’s accessibility score.
To view the feedback, select the accessibility indicator, i.e. the fuel gauge icon next to your file. You will then open Ally’s feedback panel to read detailed information on how to fix the accessibility issues flagged.
If you want to read step-by-step guidance on improving your accessibility score, navigate to Instructor Feedback Panel (Anthology Inc, n.d.). Alternatively, watch Ally First Steps Guide – Feedback and guidance for instructors in Canvas (Sam Peck, 2017).
Alternative formats
Whereas Ally is a great tool for helping us address and resolve accessibility issues in our content, it also offers alternative formats of the original module content.
Alternative formats allow learners to download audio alternatives or electronic braille alternatives, for instance, of the module content in Canvas, so that they access the information in a way that is more tailored to their individual needs.
The following list outlines the alternative formats available to download using the Ally integration.
- ePub: For reading as an e-book on an iPad and other e-book readers
- Electronic braille: BRF version for consumption an electronic braille displays
- Audio: MP3 version for listening
- BeeLine Reader: Enhanced version for easier and faster on-screen reading
- Immersive Reader: Aid reading comprehension and grammar skills, Internet required.
Downloading alternative formats
You might have seen the following icon before but weren’t sure what it is for. This is the Ally alternative formats icon, and it appears next to the title (H1 heading) on every page in your Canvas module.
When you select the ‘Accessible formats’ icon, a modal window will appear, prompting you to download the formats of your preference, as illustrated in the following image. Note that you can download multiple alternative formats for each Canvas page.
All available alternative formats can be used offline once downloaded, except the ‘Immersive Reader’ format which can only be used online. We will look at Immersive Reader later on in this article.
Note you can select the following image to view a larger version.
Further Guidance
If you want to read more about Ally’s alternative formats, please navigate to Alternative Formats (Anthology Inc, n.d.).