Making Canvas Courses Accessible

Creating accessible Canvas course sites is both a legal requirement and a best practice for inclusive teaching and course design. This page highlights Canvas accessibility tools and key resources to help you design barrier‑free courses.

Accessibility Tools in Canvas

UDOIT (Universal Design Online Inspection Tool)

The UDOIT accessibility checker is available in the lefthand course navigation menu where it is called “Accessibility Check.” 

UDOIT can be used to check course design settings, documents, and almost all items in the Canvas course (including Announcements, Assignments, Classic Quiz instructions, Discussions, Module URLs, Pages, and Syllabus). 

Learn more: UDOIT User Guide.

Rich Content Editor Accessibility Checker

The Rich Content Editor (RCE) in Canvas includes a built-in accessibility checker that identifies common issues as you create content. It is available by clicking on the person-inside-a-circle accessibility icon below the text entry area. The RCE checker scans only the content created within the RCE on that page.

Learn more: How do I use the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor

Accessibility Resources

• Instructure’s Accessibility Toolkit – Tools and Documentation for Accessible Course Design
• Canvas Course Accessibility Checklist – A Simplified, Printable List for Evaulating Courses
• Accessibility in Online Course Design – Practical Guidance for Creating Accessible Online Courses

Americans with Disabilities Act – The official ADA website provides information on laws and regulations, design standards, and technical assistance.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 from W3C

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines from CAST

Need Help?

Teaching & Learning Technologies can help review and improve your course accessibility. Schedule a consultation with a TLT team member or email us at classes@emory.edu to get started.