Over the course of the 2024-2025 academic year, Canvas will become George Mason’s primary learning management system (LMS). As such, it is critical that we remove instructional barriers, ensuring course content is as accessible and usable as possible. For more information about the transition to Canvas, visit Canvas LMS Transition website opens a new window.
During the transition, ATI staff will continually reassess existing support resources and develop new ones to assist faculty with creating accessible instructional content. For information on how to get started with making your Canvas course more inclusive and accessible, see below:
Canvas Accessibility Tips
The Canvas platform is already accessible for many students who use assistive technology applications. In other words, course navigation links can be easily accessed via mouse or keyboard, item and module titles automatically embed some degree of structure that improves navigation for screen readers users, and the list goes on. The challenge for most faculty, however, is in making the content that they add to their courses (i.e., videos, documents, images) accessible as well.
See below for some tips and resources regarding Canvas accessibility:
VIDEO: 5 Principles for Creating Accessible Canvas pages by How to Canvas opens a new window (13:33)
Additional Accessibility Tips/Resources:
- Canvas Accessibility Standards opens a new window – Resource contains information on navigating Canvas using a keyboard, working with screen reader, and feature accessibility.
- Using the Canvas Rich Text Editor’s Built-In Accessibility Checker opens a new window
- ATI Accessibility Support Services – ATI staff, at no cost to faculty and/or academic units, can assist with making sure your course documents can be read by students with print-related impairments (i.e., blindness, dyslexia, etc.). We can also provide professional-level captions (min. 99% accuracy), transcripts, and audio description for your videos.
- Canvas Keyboard Shortcuts opens a new window
- Giving extended time on tests and quizzes opens a new window
Additional Resources for Canvas
Below, we have listed additional resources to assist with making your Blackboard course site more accessible and usable:
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- Canvas’ Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPAT)
- Canvas LMS VPAT opens a new window – Updated 11/2023
- Student and Teacher App VPAT opens a new window – Updated 11/2023
- Canvas’ Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPAT)
Still have questions?
If you have additional questions related to Canvas accessibility, please contact the ATI.