Digital Accessibility Resources

Any content displayed in Canvas should be made accessible. 

Additional resources:

• Run TidyUP to clean up unused course content
• Run Ally to scan your course(s) for accessibility issues
• Use headings to organize content
• Add alternative text to images
• Creating accessible videos
• Use descriptive links
• Format lists as proper bullet or numbered lists
• Check the accessibility of any uploaded PDFs 
• Ensure that any equations are accessible

Many instructors create their materials in Microsoft products like Word, PDF, PowerPoint, etc. Remediating documents in their native program before uploading them to Canvas can help improve course accessibility. 

Additional resources:

• • Microsoft's Accessibility Checker
  • Use heading styles for document structure
  • Include alternative text for all images
  • Use descriptive hyperlink texts
  • Ensure sufficient color contrast
  • Create accessible tables with header rows
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Word

TidyUP is a utility designed to help users organize and clean up their files by identifying duplicates, unused items, and other clutter to free up storage and improve organization. Clean up unused content in your Canvas course to save time identifying files that must be addressed for potential accessibility barriers.

Additional resources:

• About TidyUP
• How do I get started with TidyUP? 
• TidyUP User Guide

For assistance: Contact UM Academic Technology

Ally is available in Canvas to help faculty identify digital accessibility barriers and provide alternative format downloads for students and instructors. Ally automatically scans course content and provides accessibility scores ranging from “low” to “perfect,” along with step-by-step guidance for improvements. The tool generates course accessibility reports showing overall scores, content distribution, and prioritized issues to address. Key features include:

Additional Resources:

• Ally quick start guide 
• Using Ally Accessibility Report 
• Ally Knowledge Base
• Ally for Instructors

For assistance: Contact UM Academic Technology

UMSL faculty can obtain Adobe Acrobat licenses through UMSL Information Technology Services to support PDF accessibility remediation efforts.

UMSL Adobe License Information

Additional Resources:

• Creating accessible PDF documents
• Adobe Accessibility Tutorials

 For assistance with obtaining an Adobe Acrobat Pro license: Contact the UMSL Technology Support Center

For assistance with learning to use Adobe Acrobat Pro: Contact UM Academic Technology

Mathpix is a tool that converts images or screenshots of math, equations, and handwritten notes into editable digital text using optical character recognition (OCR). If you have Math or STEM-related content in equations or images, contact Keeta Holmes (keeta.holmes@umsl.edu) to join UMSL's pilot for Mathpix, a software package that helps you convert that content to accessible formats.

• Mathpix Knowledge Base