With the addition of the Ally Accessibility Tool to our Canvas site, there might be some confusion between Ally and the two built-in accessibility tools Canvas already provided. Instructors can choose which tool to use (if any) but the University recommends using Ally as it is the most encompassing of the three.
Canvas Accessibility Checker and the Canvas Immersive Reader are both tools made by Canvas to increase usability for professors and students who have trouble interacting with the site.
Canvas Accessibility Checker automatically checks any content created in the Rich Content Editor for some issues like missing headers and image descriptions
Canvas Immersive Reader is for students who need assistance reading standard pages created in Canvas. It will read out the content to the students and allows them to select different font sizes/ colors to fit their individual needs.
Below is a more in-depth chart of the features and differences between the tools.
Canvas Accessibility Checker
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Canvas Immersive Reader
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Ally
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Focus:
- Content created in the Canvas content editor
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Focus:
- Content created in Canvas Pages
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Focus:
- Uploaded files/materials
- Canvas content created in the content editor (Pages, Modules, etc.)
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What it does:
- Detects and corrects the most common accessibility issues, such as missing text headings, alternative text for images, and color contrast
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What it does:
- Hear content created in Canvas Pages read aloud
- Split up words into syllables
- Highlight specific blocks of text for easier reading
- Choose between two fonts that are intended to help with reading
- Change font size, spacing, and background color
- Highlight verbs, nouns, adjectives, and sub-clauses
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What it does:
- Provides alternative formats for digital course content
- Allows students to convert course materials to different file formats
- Provides instructors with information about the degree of accessibility of their course materials
- Provides instructors with information on ways to make course materials more accessible
- Provides institutions with information about how accessible course materials are in the aggregate
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