-
Link accessibility
Links are one of the primary ways learners move through digital content. They connect ideas, point to resources, and guide users through tasks. Accessible links ensure that all learners can navigate content confidently and independently. [toggle] What are screen readers? [toggle] Screen readers are assistive technologies…
-
Image accessibility: alt text
What is alt text? Alt text (short for alternative text) is a written description that represents an image for people who cannot see it. When someone uses assistive technology such as a screen reader, the alt text is what gets read aloud in place of the image. Without alt text, the image and the information it communicates…
-
Heading accessibility
What are headings? Headings are usually styled differently from body text to stand out visually. Assistive technology doesn’t recognise headings by the styling, but by the heading tag attached to the text inside the html. This is created when you format the text as a heading in the Rich Content Editor, or other text…
-
Text contrast accessibility
What is color contrast? Color contrast refers to the difference in brightness and color between text and its background. High contrast makes text easy to read, while low contrast can make it difficult or impossible for some learners to see. Providing sufficient contrast is an essential accessibility practice. It ensures…
-
Accessible list formatting
Lists are an important way to organize information. They help learners quickly understand groups of related items, steps in a process, or key points. What is a misformatted list? When a list is misformated, for example using line breaks or symbols instead of proper list elements, it may look correct visually but assistive…
-
Table accessibility
Tables can be powerful tools for presenting structured information such as data, schedules, comparisons, and results. But when tables are not properly formatted, they can become confusing or completely unusable for learners who rely on assistive technologies. Accessible tables ensure that every learner can understand the…
-
From Guidelines to Practice: Making Learning More Accessible in Canvas Through Templating
These days we hear a lot about personalizing the learning experience to help provide more agency for our learners. This speaks to me because I value the human connections I create in my role. I serve as one of the Technology Instructional Specialists for our small, rural district in Indiana. My role supports K12 teachers…
-
Dyslexia-friendly font: Offering more accessibility options to our users
Hi, I'm Ed Schiebel, guest blog poster and Senior Software Engineer with Instructure, where I spend my days working on Canvas. Here at Instructure we periodically have a Hackweek, where engineers get to work on features we don't have time to tinker with during the normal course of business. Sometimes hackweek ideas come…
-
Fresh Look, Same Mission: Instructure's Updated Accessibility Toolkit
We’re excited to announce a refresh of one of your favorite community resources - the Accessibility Toolkit! Whether you’re just getting started or looking to level up your practice, this updated version is designed to save you time, spark new ideas, and make your day-to-day work a little easier. What’s New Streamlined…
-
Recent Accessibility-Related UI Changes
Below is a list of recent accessibility-focused UI updates. These changes help improve usability, navigation, and screen reader support across the platform. We’ll keep adding more as we continue this work. Page / Component Description Accessibility Checker trayAdded callback to native mobileAccount - Edit ProfileEnabling…
-
Accessibility Features in Canvas LMS and Studio for Teachers - Video
Hi all, The Instructure team has made a video overview of Canvas and Studio features that help instructors and course designers to foster a more accessible digital learning environment. We have included the link to the video as well as the embed codes below in the interest of sharing this resource. Thank you for your…
-
Building Inclusive Products: Our Internal Accessibility Engineering Process
Internal Accessibility Engineering Process Here at Instructure, we believe that accessibility isn't just a feature—it's a foundational part of how we build. Creating accessible experiences is a cross-functional effort that starts from the earliest design phases and continues through development, testing, and beyond. Here’s…
-
Design with Accessibility First: Integrating WCAG Compliance From the Start
In today's digital age, creating accessible learning experiences is not just a best practice, it's a necessity. As Product Designers, we have a responsibility to ensure that our content and user experience is usable by everyone, regardless of their abilities. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is by approaching…
-
Resource: Alt Text Flow Chart
Alt text doesn’t have to be confusing. Whether you’re unsure when it’s needed or how to write it, we’ve got you covered. We just published a brand-new Knowledge Base article that breaks it all down: * When you should (and shouldn’t) use alt text * What makes alt text effective * A simple flow chart to guide your…
-
Accessibility Takes a Village: How Cidi Labs Tools Help Everyone Play a Part
With an increased sense of urgency to provide accessible learning experiences for all students, the accessibility conversation is shifting from a focus on all the reasons that it’s important to all the ways that we can make the important work of accessibility more achievable. At Cidi Labs, a provider of clever, affordable…