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Pathways to Accessibility
Practical Tips for Inclusive Teaching
Choose an actionable tip or trick to help you make your course content more inclusive and compliant—without the overwhelm. From Canvas to PDFs, videos to presentations, these quick insights are designed to support your workflow and enhance the learning experience for all students.
Topics:
Canvas Tip: Use a development shell to safely build and test your course content. It’s a private space—students won’t see it—so you can focus on accessibility and design without disrupting your live course.
Request a Canvas Development Course Shell
Additional Resources:
Let’s walk this path together-one step at a time.
Web Accessibility Plan for Courses
Use the Accessibility Plan Template when you find course materials that aren’t accessible and can’t be fixed right away. The template helps you document the issue and provide an equivalent alternative for students.
Add your completed plan to an unpublished README Course Prep page under an Accessibility Information section so it’s easy to locate later. If you want a quick review before adding it to your course, please share with the UNCG Web Accessibility Coordinator.
Start Smart: Scan, Spot, and Simplify!
Why it matters: Accessibility isn’t just about meeting standards—it’s about creating equitable pathways for every learner to succeed.
Ensuring an accessible and pleasant experience to all users, regardless of ability, is a key element of Canvas software. Canvas tries to make it easy to create accessible pages, assignments, and rubrics by offering its users a variety of options.
Canvas supports inclusive learning with tools that help instructors create accessible content:
- Accessibility Checker: Built into the Rich Content Editor to catch common issues.
- UDOIT: Scans your course and offers fixes for headings, alt text, contrast, and more.
- Immersive Reader: Improves readability for all learners, especially those with learning differences.
Start using these tools to enhance your course accessibility today!
Make it Click: Accessible Pages & Media
Why it matters: Accessible course content ensures all students can engage fully, including those using screen readers or captions.
Let’s make your Canvas pages work better for everyone — fast fixes that boost accessibility and clarity.
- ✅ Structure Matters – Using Headings & Lists for Structure
- Use headings (H1, H2, H3) to organize content.
- Avoid using bold text for structure — screen readers rely on proper tags.
- 🖼️ Add Alt Text – Creating Alt Text
- Every image needs a description.
- Keep it short, specific, and relevant. Example: “Student using a laptop in a library” (not “image”).
- 🎥 Caption Your Videos – DIY Captions
- Use auto-caption tools in Canvas Studio or upload transcripts. Captions help everyone — not just those with hearing loss.
Did you know you can Request Captioning through ITS?
Fix Your Files: Docs That Work for Everyone
Why it matters: Inaccessible documents can create barriers for students using screen readers, keyboard navigation, or alternative formats. A few small changes can make a big difference in ensuring every student can engage with your content.
When creating documents, be sure to proactively design them in an accessible way – consider using the C.H.I.L.L. guidelines (color, headings, images, links, and lists).
C.H.I.L.L.: Easy Ways to Enhance Digital Accessibility Resource Document
Before sharing a document, run a quick check to catch common issues like missing alt text or poor color contrast.
Use built-in accessibility checkers:
- In Word, PowerPoint, and Excel: Go to Review > Check Accessibility.
- In Adobe Acrobat: Use Accessibility > Full Check under Tools.
These tools flag issues and offer suggestions to fix them—no expertise required!