Digital Accessibility Guide for Instructors

Digital accessibility is a requirement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and is reinforced by the University of Maryland’s Accessible Technology Policy. Just as the ADA mandates accessibility in physical spaces, such as classrooms, offices, and sidewalks, it also requires equivalent accessibility in digital spaces, including websites, course materials, and online tools.

The ADA requires that all University web content and mobile applications, including academic course materials, comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This requirement applies to all digital content, whether public-facing or behind authentication, such as materials housed within ELMS-Canvas. 

It is the responsibility of content creators, including faculty, staff, and campus units, to ensure that all digital materials meet established accessibility standards. This includes documents, videos, presentations, websites, and digital tools used for teaching, communication, and administrative functions.

With the new ADA regulations, it is essential for all members of the campus community to take a proactive role in making digital content accessible. Accessibility is not solely the responsibility of the Division of Information Technology (DIT) or Accessibility and Disability Services (ADS). Instead, it requires a collective shift in mindset, everyone who creates, shares, or uses digital content has a part to play in ensuring equal access for all.

As instructors, we rely heavily on digital platforms to deliver our courses. From online content and learning management systems like ELMS-Canvas to digital documents, multimedia resources, and third-party web applications, digital tools are central to how we teach, share materials, communicate with students, and assess their learning.

ADS will continue to provide accommodations for students with disabilities who are registered with their office. We invite you to learn as much as you can about digital accessibility and to implement best practices that improve the accessibility of your courses. Instructors, to the extent possible, should ensure that all course content is accessible from the outset, not only in response to individual accommodation requests.

For instance, all instructional videos need to include captions, regardless of whether a student requiring captions is enrolled. When we proactively design course content such as videos, documents, and course pages following established accessibility guidelines, we create online learning environments that are more flexible, navigable, and responsive to diverse student needs. Designing content with these principles not only removes barriers for students with disabilities but also enhances the overall learning experience by reinforcing comprehension, supporting different learning styles, and making instructional materials more engaging and effective for everyone.

At UMD, core academic technology tools play a vital role in the instructional learning experience for most students and instructors. Each day, over 30,000 students and 2,000 instructors log into ELMS-Canvas, UMD's learning management system. Zoom facilitates video conferencing and recording for more than 3,000 online meetings on weekdays, while UMD community members watch over 1,500 hours of online video lectures through Panopto.

Ensuring that all digital materials are accessible means that every student, regardless of ability, can participate fully and equitably in their academic experience. This includes students with visual, auditory, cognitive, physical, and neurodiverse needs.

Students navigate the online environment in diverse ways, including platforms like ELMS-Canvas, university websites, external learning tools, and web applications, often relying on assistive technologies tailored to their specific needs. 

For students who are blind or have significant visual impairments, screen readers such as JAWS, NVDA, or VoiceOver convert digital content into synthesized speech or braille, enabling full access to web-based materials.

Those with low vision may use screen magnifiers like ZoomText or built-in tools to enlarge and enhance the visibility of on-screen elements.

Students with mobility impairments or learning disabilities may depend on speech recognition software, such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking or built-in dictation tools, to navigate the web and complete assignments through voice commands.

Others may use alternative input devices, including sip-and-puff systems, head pointers, or eye-tracking technology, to interact with web content without traditional keyboards or mice, allowing them to participate fully in digital learning environments.

Any time you are using the rich content editor in ELMS-Canvas, you will notice the accessibility icon just below the editing window. 

If there is a number next to the icon, that means the built-in Canvas accessibility checker has identified potential accessibility issues. Clicking on the number will take you to the Canvas Accessibility Checker panel.

The panel displays issues one by one, with steps to fix issues such as color contrast, heading levels that are out of order, missing alternative text, and more. When you have fixed the issue, the "Apply" button becomes active, and you are taken to the next issue.  For more information, see How Do I Use the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor.

DesignPLUS is an advanced content editor for ELMS-Canvas that lets instructors use design and formatting features without having to know about HTML. You don't need to use DesignPLUS to format your ELMS-Canvas course in order to use the included accessibility checker tool, which is a powerful and easy-to-use option for ensuring the accessibility of your course content. One unique feature of the DesignPLUS accessibility checker is that it also checks math elements on a page to make sure they are accessible to all students.

DesignPLUS is launched by going into Edit mode and then selecting the red "rocket" icon in the upper right corner of your screen.   For more information about using the DesignPLUS accessibility checker, see Accessibility and Usability Tools.

Instructor Feedback

Ally integrates with all of your ELMS-Canvas courses and automatically checks your course content and uploaded files for any potential accessibility issues. Learn more at Ally: An ELMS-Canvas Accessibility Tool.

Ally has the following features:

• Automatically checks course content and files uploaded and flags any potential accessibility issues.
• Provides a course accessibility report and score.
• Gives feedback and instructions for fixing issues that it has identified.

Ally scans your course materials, detecting digital content that is not readable or usable by a student with a disability. Ally then provides feedback and instructions for fixing issues that it has identified. Ally measures the accessibility of each file attached to a course and shows you at-a-glance how it scores. Scores range from Low to Perfect. The higher the score, the fewer the issues.

Ally Course Accessibility Report

The Ally Course Accessibility Report is available by default in the navigation menu of all your courses and is only visible to instructors. The course accessibility report gives instructors more detailed feedback on the accessibility of specific items in their course as well as an overall score for the entire course. The course accessibility report is a good starting point to understand the issues in your course, and then prioritize your own workflow — everyone's process will be different. This report offers an overall accessibility score and guides you to get started by addressing easy-to-fix issues.

Watch the video of Ally Course Report (Canvas)  (1:14 min.) 

Course Report Dashboard

Ally’s course accessibility report includes Overview and Content tabs so that you can get the big picture as well as specific details about the accessibility of your digital course content.

• The Overview tab shows the course content grouped by content type, and a list of all issues identified in the course

The Content tab shows you the content with accessibility issues, and it can be sorted by name, number of issues, and score.

Your Course Accessibility Score: A Starting Point, Not the Finish Line

At the top of the report, you’ll see the overall accessibility score for the course, along with a visual indicator showing where it stands on the journey to accessibility. The higher the score, the fewer the issues. Remember, this is your baseline, with the goal of improvement from wherever you are starting. 

Accessibility is a Journey, Not a Number.  Whatever the score is today, the goal is improvement, not reaching 100%. The score is just one simple representation of your course’s accessibility and does not fully account for all content, such as videos or outside resources. Don’t focus too much on the score; instead, focus on making steady progress and meaningful improvements.

All Course Content

The course accessibility report is also a great way to see a record of all your course content, grouped by content type. Instructors are often surprised to see how many files of each content type exist in their ELMS-Canvas course. These details can inform your workflow decisions when you begin working on file accessibility.

If it seems like there are more Word documents than you remember, for example, you should run the TidyUP tool mentioned earlier to identify and delete unused files that may be impacting your course accessibility score before you begin working on remediating your files.

Alternative Formats for Students  

Ally also provides students with accessible alternative formats for documents in your course. Alternative formats increase accessibility for those with disabilities, support diverse learning styles, enhance engagement through interactive materials, and provide flexibility in accessing learning resources and personalized learning experiences.

The Ally Alternative Format icon is visible to instructors and students. Students can download Alternative formats  wherever they find the "Download Alternative Formats icon." 

Students can also choose “Alternative Formats”  from the download arrow icon for any files you are providing in the course. The file content is the same, but is available to the student in a different, more accessible format:

The alternative formats available depend on the original content type. If students don't see an option to download alternative formats, the file is not a supported content type. Alternative format types are listed in the dialog box that appears when the file is a a supported content type:

We suggest using the following language in your course syllabus:

The Ally accessibility tool is available in this course. It allows you to download content in alternative formats that best fit your learning preference. Examples of alternative formats include MP3 (audio file), HTML, ePub, electronic braille, and BeeLine reader. Select the Download Alternative Formats icon to download content in a different format. The alternative format file will be downloaded to your device, and you will be able to access it at any time. Watch the Ally alternative formats video or read the article on Ally Quick Start for students.

Microsoft Word

Microsoft includes an accessibility checker for Word, PowerPoint, and Excel spreadsheets. 

Learn how to improve accessibility with the Microsoft Accessibility Checker

Google Docs

Although Google does not check for accessibility of Docs, it does provide guidance and steps for "how to" make accessible content, including:

• Adding and editing alt text
• Checking for adequate color contrast
• Using descriptive text for hyperlinks
• Using numbered bullets and lists
• Using headings to organize the document

Although Google does not have a built-in accessibility checker, Grackle Docs is a Google extension that is free to install and will check your Docs for accessibility. Once installed, you can access Grackle Docs from the toolbar under "Extensions." 

Fixing image-based PDFs with OCR (optical character recognition) ensures accessibility for people with visual impairments, making text machine-readable for screen readers, text-to-speech tools, and search functions. It also supports users who need to search, highlight, or interact with the document more effectively. This is the easiest type of document to fix and has the highest impact on accessibility.

Step 1: Check If the PDF Is Image-Only

• Try selecting text with your mouse.
  • If you cannot highlight individual words or letters, it is likely an image-only PDF.
• You can also confirm this by opening the file in Adobe Acrobat Pro or using Ally in ELMS-Canvas.

Step 2: Run Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

Using Adobe Acrobat Pro (desktop version):

1. Open the file in Acrobat Pro.
2. Go to Tools > Scan & OCR.
3. Click Recognize Text > In This File.
4. Choose settings and click Recognize Text to convert the image into selectable, searchable text.

Step 3: Fix Basic Accessibility Issues

After OCR has been applied:

• Use the Tags pane to structure the document with proper headings.
• Add alt text to images (Tools > Accessibility > Set Alternate Text)
• Check the reading order (Tools > Accessibility > Reading Order).
• Save the updated document.

Step 4: Run the Accessibility Checker

• Go to Tools > Accessibility > Full Check.
• Review the report and follow guidance to correct any outstanding issues.

Step 5: Provide an Accessible Alternative if needed

If the PDF cannot be made fully accessible:

• Offer the original Word or Google Doc version.

Or create a summary or retyped version in an accessible format.

PDFs are generally created first in another platform and then exported to PDF. PDF stands for "portable document format," a format originally designed for use in printing rather than reading as an electronic document. Because of this, there can be many reasons why a PDF may not be accessible to assistive technology such as a screen reader. When checking PDFs for accessibility and remediating issues, it's important to remember two points:

1. The best way to create an accessible PDF is to start with an accessible original document (e.g., a Word document).
2. If a PDF cannot be made accessible, be prepared to offer an alternative format (e.g., the original Word or Google document).

Common accessibility pitfalls that may be found in PDFs include:

• Untagged PDFs.
• PDFs that are scanned images of text rather than text.
• Images within PDFs that have no alternative text.
• PDFs that are tagged, but in the wrong order.
• PDFs where interactive elements (form fields, links, videos, etc.) are not selectable.

Many PDF issues can be resolved by editing the original document, but that may not always be possible. It is always best to test your PDFs before publishing them for use — you can use Ally, Adobe Acrobat Pro, or other tools to evaluate and fix accessibility issues. These programs are especially helpful if you are not the original owner of a document or do not have access to the original copy.

Content that will be reused (new first, then those already in use):

• New or existing course pages, assignments, assessments, discussions, documents, videos, etc.

Core materials students rely on 

• Syllabus, assignment guidelines, required readings, required videos, key assignments

Easy-to-fix issues

• Course pages and simple documents you’ve created yourself.
• Use the built-in accessibility checkers in ELMS-Canvas, Word, and Adobe PDF to address common issues, such as the six essential steps: headings, links, images, tables, and color contrast.
• Start with the step that feels easiest for you.

Supplementary materials (used only once or temporary/time-limited content):

• One-time lecture recordings (e.g., Panopto recordings), class-specific slides, classroom notes, in-class polls, and discussion threads limited to a single semester

Optional or enrichment resources are not required for success

• Extra articles, recommended videos, supplemental readings
• Content produced by students

Required and supplemental complex documents and video content

• Examples include PDFs, documents that you do not own, scanned complex documents, or specialized academic materials.
• Expertise in digital accessibility is required to remediate complex content such as math, physics, and chemistry equations, music notation, foreign language text, art and design content, maps, complex graphs, infographics, or scientific images.

Captions for new videos that will be reused

• Add captions to new videos at the time of creation.
• Use professional captions or edit machine captions

Captions for already recorded videos that will be reused

• Use professional captions or edit machine captions
• Use automatic machine captions in Panopto or YouTube. 
• Test accuracy; if errors are minimal, enable automatic captions for all videos.
  • Edit machine captions in Panopto.

Transcripts for videos that will be reused

• Create and save live transcripts of Zoom recordings (webinars, training, etc.)
• Save and edit Zoom transcripts
• Download Panopto transcripts.

Real-time automatic caption for classroom lectures

• Present Google Slides with Captions
• Present PowerPoint with Captions
• Create auto-captions on Windows computers
• Automatic captions for Chrome browser users

One-time or supplemental videos

• Use Automatic captions in Panopto or YouTube. 
• Test the accuracy of automatic captions; if errors are minimal, enable automatic captions for all videos. 
• Edit machine captions in Panopto.

Audio description 

• If recording a new video, incorporate a verbal description or narration of visuals provided (describe charts on the board, etc.)
• If presenting a video that was pre-recorded, text descriptions can accompany the video, similar to alternative text.
• If the recording is located in Panopto, manually add Audio Descriptions.

• Understand what digital accessibility is and that digital accessibility is a requirement under the ADA.
• Recognize that accessibility is my responsibility as I am a content creator.
• Recognize that Digital Accessibility is part of excellence in teaching and that it benefits all students, not just those with disabilities.

• Use Headings to organize content semantically.
• Ensure Links are descriptive and meaningful.
• Use sufficient Color & Contrast for readability.
• Include Alternative Text for all images.
• Format Tables properly for screen reader navigation.
• Provide captions/transcripts for Media (video and audio).

• Use the Canvas Accessibility Checker.
• Use DesignPLUS for enhanced accessibility and formatting.
• Review the Ally Accessibility Score for my course.
• Correct accessibility issues flagged by Ally.
• Encourage students to use Ally’s alternative formats.

• Create accessible syllabi and documents in Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
• Review the Ally Accessibility Score for your documents and follow suggestions for improvement.
• Use Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).
• Use Grackle Docs for checking Google Docs accessibility.
• Ensure PDFs are accessible (text-selectable, properly tagged, etc.).
• Run OCR on image-based PDFs.
• Fix PDF accessibility issues using Adobe Acrobat Pro.

• Provide captions for all video content.
• Provide transcripts for all audio content.
• Review and edit auto-captions (e.g., in Panopto or YouTube).
• Include audio descriptions if visual elements are essential.

• Request an IT Compliance Review before using new tools.
• Consult the Approved Tools List from DIT.

• Bookmark the DIT Accessibility Services Site.
• Take additional training and the Digital Accessibility Course available on Open Learning.
• Request a consultation or support from the DIT Accessibility Office at itaccessibility@umd.edu.