Rich Content Editor

Canvas Accessibility Checker

Available in the RCE is the built-in Canvas Accessibility Checker. This tool will alert you to any accessibility errors and guide you in fixing them directly in the editor.

When you want to add lists or headings to an item in Canvas, we recommend using the tools in the RCE as much as possible. If you only change the visual appearance of the text (e.g., using a bold font and larger text for a heading), a screen reader will not recognize that the stuctural format has changed, and will read the heading like any other text, which can be confusing to students.

Here are a few tips to help avoid this confusion.

• For lists, we recommend using the Ordered and Unordered Lists button in the RCE.
• For headings, you can use the headings menu provided, known as Blocks in the RCE.
  • Tip: It’s important to use the headings in consecutive numbered order, because this will tell the screen reader how to read the structure of the page. For example, try to avoid skipping from Heading 2 to Heading 4 consecutively. Instead, use Heading 2, then Heading 3, or Heading 3 and then Heading 4, and so on.

For more information on these topics, explore Documents: Lists and Headings.

Whenever you include a link, if possible, try to include descriptive text. Here’s how:

• In the RCE, you can add a link with the Links button.
• Try to avoid using the full URL or generic phrases like “Read More” or “Link Here.” Instead, use language that will tell the screen reader – and thus the student – what information the link will provide. For example, if you want the student to be able to access the “About” page at Cornell University, try using descriptive text like About Cornell University, instead of “Read More” or https://www.cornell.edu/about/).

For more information on these topics, explore Documents: Links.

Anytime you include an image in your course materials, you’ll want to make that image accessible. To do so, we recommend adding alternative text¹ (alt text). This is (usually) a fairly straightforward process. Here’s how it works:

• Click “Upload” under the Images button in the RCE.
• Underneath the upload section, under “Attributes,” describe the image in the “Alt Text” section.

For more information, visit the following links:

• What is Alternative Text?
• How do you do this in Canvas?

When using colors in Canvas, try to choose high-contrast color combinations. This is particularly important for students who have low vision or are colorblind.

• If changing the default colors with the Text Color, Background Color, or other buttons in the RCE, you can check your changes with the Canvas Accessibility Checker before saving. This tool should alert you to any color contrast issues and increase your document’s readability for students.

In general, we recommend only using the Bold and Italic tools in Canvas for single words or phrases. We suggest this because using the Bold or Italic tools for large chunks of text, such as multiple consecutive sentences or paragraphs, can result in a loss of impact, as well as readability issues for some students.

Similar to Bold and Italic, we recommend avoiding using the Underline tool for emphasis or anything other than links. Canvas adds an underline to links automatically, and other underlined text may be confusing for students who depend on screen readers to help them navigate the platform.

When creating tables with the RCE, we suggest labeling the row and/or column headers, and associating those headers with the correct rows and columns. Here are a few steps to help you do this:

Using the Cell Type and Scope tools in the Cell Properties to designate a row or column header.

1. Click into a cell that you want to make a header.
2. Go to Table < Cell < Cell Properties.

3. In the Cell Type menu, select Header cell.

4. Under Scope, select Column for a column header or Row for a row header.

5. Click Save.

For more detailed information about tables, we recommend reviewing Documents: Tables.

If you want to record and/or upload media, we recommend using a tool called Panopto. This tool can automatically generate captions to accompany your media. When using Panopto, be sure to enable the auto generated captions and edit those captions once they’re available. For more information on how to do this, visit Getting Started with Panopto.

• Tip: Try to avoid uploading videos/audio files with the Record/Upload Media button. This will quickly use up all the available space in your Canvas course.
• Instead, record/upload with the Panopto button.

• Enable the auto generated captions in Panopto, and then edit the captions for accuracy to the best of your ability. For more information on how to do this, see Editing Automatic Captions in Panopto.

Tip: Shorter videos (five minutes or less) are faster to caption AND can be more conducive to learning than longer videos and lecture recordings.

If you’re interested in learning about how to add accessible equations to your Canvas course, you can schedule a consultation with CTI’s instructional designers at cornellcti@cornell.edu.

Please note that, while Canvas has an equation editor available via the Insert Math Equation button in the RCE, its uses are not always accessible. For example, LaTex has known accessibility issues. We recommend using a tool that can generate MathML or, as a temporary solution, images with an accurate description of the equation in the alt text.

While the Canvas RCE does have an HTML editor, we gently suggest that you avoid using this function unless you’re experienced with HTML and accessibility. If used incorrectly, bad HTML can lead to accessibility issues not only for learners who depend on assistive technologies, but for all your learners.

Please note that copying and pasting into the RCE from other documents or websites may look messy and cause readability issues, due to invisible formatting embedded within the text you’re copying. Using the following keyboard commands to paste the text will change the formatting to match that of the website you’re pasting the content into: Control + Shift + V (PC) or Option-Shift-Command-V (Mac). This will help you avoid this issue.

If you’re concerned about word count and comprehension for difficult material, the RCE has a word and character counter available in the Editor Status Bar area. This feature may help you keep instructions or guidelines for students concise and focused.