Panorama is an accessibility tool that integrates seamlessly with the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS). It is designed to help institutions improve the accessibility of digital media and course content.
Overall, it creates a more engaging and user-friendly experience for instructors by helping them identify inaccessible digital media, and for students by enabling them to select the alternate formats (e.g., electronic braille, PDFs, audio/MP3) that best support their specific learning needs. For information on getting started with Panorama, see below:
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- Panorama Basics
- Fixing Accessibility Issues using the Accessibility Report (Instructors)
- Access Alternate Format Options in Panorama (Students)
- Manage your documents with Accessible DocHub (Non-Canvas Users)
- Adjust your browsing experience with Web Accessibility Widget
- Additional Resources in Panorama
Panorama Basics
Below is a short video overview for those who are new to Panorama (1:43)* and some brief tips/strategies to help you with learning what Panorama offers and how to access it in your Canvas course:
Panorama provides two major benefits:
- Panorama identifies inaccessible digital media in your course site (i.e., images, documents, videos without captions, etc.) in your Canvas course that need to be made accessible for students; especially those with disabilities who use assistive technologies (e.g., blind, low vision, and motor impairments) and those with learning/cognitive challenges (e.g., dyslexia).
- Panorama provides all students with the ability to download an alternative format (e.g., audio, electronic braille, web-based, etc.) of any document that you have uploaded in your course.
The RED OCTAGON, ORANGE TRIANGLE, or GREEN CIRCLE Accessibility score icons indicate how accessible your file is and the likelihood that it could pose a potential access issue for a student with a disability.
Accessibility score icons are located next to each file type or along the top of HTML content and provide a quick at-a-glance summary of the accessibility score based on their color.
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- The blue circle is for student view.
- The green hexagon is for accessibility scores greater than 70%.
- The ORANGE triangle is for accessibility scores between 30% and 70%.
- The red octagon is for accessibility scores less than or equal to 30%.
- The grey prohibition sign is for documents with disabled alternative formats.
NOTE: RED and ORANGE icons mean that students with disabilities, especially those who use assistive technologies (e.g., blind/low vision, keyboard-only users) and/or those with learning/cognitive challenges (e.g., dyslexia), will find it difficult to access the content in those images and documents.
For more information, see Panorama Accessibility Score Indicators opens a new window.
Simply hover your mouse over the Accessibility score icon to access your score.
What happens if I click on the Accessibility score icon?
Panorama opens a Document Preview window, highlighting the following:
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- Preview of the instructional content or document
- Overall accessibility score of the instructional content or document
- Number of critical issues
- List of the identified accessibility issues
- Access to alternative formats
- Access previous versions
- Fix this document (i.e., access options to quickly remediate the instructional content or document)
For more information, see Using the Accessibility Report for LMS Documents opens a new window.
To add the Panorama link to your course navigation in Canvas, do the following:
- Log in to Canvas and select Courses.
- Select Settings.
- Select Navigation.
- Locate Panorama in the list of items hidden from students.
- Drag it to the preferred location in your navigation menu.
- Click Save at the bottom of the page.
Fixing Accessibility Issues using the Accessibility Report
Getting Started
Start by clicking on the accessibility score icon next to the instructional content or document. Prioritize fixing documents with RED and ORANGE accessibility score icons. These icons indicate that the instructional content could pose an accessibility barrier for students.
This will open the Preview Window. Once opened, the Preview Window provides instructors with information on the following:
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- Preview of the instructional content or document
- Overall accessibility score of the instructional content or document
- Number of critical issues
- List of the identified accessibility issues
- Access to alternative formats
- Access previous versions
- Fix this document (i.e., access options to quickly remediate the instructional content or document)
Reviewing and Correcting Issues
Begin by reviewing each issue individually. You can review all the issues at once or filter them by clicking on the Minor, Major, or Severe tabs.
Click the issue to highlight it in the Document Preview window. This will make it easier to visually identify the problem.
To correct the issue, click on either the Fix Issue or Check Issue links. Fix Issue will show when the issue can be resolved directly in Panorama. For example, links without text descriptions, images without alternative text descriptions, and color contrast issues can be corrected directly within Panorama.
Check Issue shows when the issue can only be reviewed or verified, but cannot be corrected in the LMS. To fix these issues, the document must be corrected in its native application. For example, reading order issues on PowerPoint slides should be corrected within PowerPoint. Once corrected, you can replace the original file in the File Upload area.
Getting Help
Not sure what to do? After clicking the Fix Issue link, select the ‘Help Guide’ link for information on resolving that specific accessibility issue. Instructors will then receive guidance on the importance of addressing the issue, view a short video on how to correct it, and receive step-by-step instructions. (PLEASE NOTE: When clicking Check Issue, select the ‘Learn More’ link.)
Additionally, instructors can contact the ATI Office by email at [email protected] or by phone at 703-993-4329 for guidance.
Alternative Format Options in Canvas (Students)
Panorama offers students multiple alternative format options to support various learning styles and needs. View the video below to learn more:
To access alternative formats, start by clicking on the Alternative Formats icon.
When the Alternative Formats menu opens, select from the following options:
- Source File: View the document in its original format, suitable for download viewing.
- PDF: View the document in PDF format, suitable for both online and download viewing.
- Text File: View the document in a pure text format without any formatting styles, suitable for both online and download viewing.
- Immersive Reader: Allows for customizations to text preferences, grammar options, and reading preferences while following along with the audio playback.
- Gradient Reader: Enhances visual word recognition when reading by providing a guiding color gradient.
- EPUB: View the document in the e-book format, suitable for any e-book reader application.
- Braille: View the document in the braille grade 2 format, suitable for download viewing (a braille reader is required).
- Audio Podcast: Audio playback for documents, suitable for both online and download listening.
- Enhanced HTML: HTML documents can be displayed in a dedicated tab to customize the document’s appearance using the Website Accessibility tool.
- OCR: Convert images with text into machine-encoded text that can be searched and read by screen readers.
- Math Formats: Convert documents containing math equations into LaTeX, Math Text (i.e., numbers and symbols to words), MP3 files, or MathML.
For more detail regarding the alternate formats available and what would work best for you, visit Alternative Formats in Panorama opens a new window.
Accessible DocHub
Panorama’s Accessible DocHub tool is a platform for accessible document storage that allows users to upload and store files in the Panorama Cloud. Panorama automatically checks the accessibility of files stored in the Accessible DocHub. Users can also share files via email and synchronize their accessible content across multiple devices. The video (2:31) below provides additional information:
How do I access DocHub?
- To access the Accessible DocHub, go to https://gmu.panorama.yuja.com. Click Log In Using SSO Authentication.
- Once logged in, users may be taken to the Course Accessibility Report screen. If that happens, access the menu on the left-hand side of the screen and click DocHub.
- All users are provided with 4 preset folders. You may use this or simply delete them by accessing the vertical ellipsis to the right of the folder name. Users can also create their own folders.
For additional information, visit The DocHub Page The DocHub Page in Panorama opens a new window.
Web Accessibility Widget
Panorama’s Website Accessibility Widget allows students to adjust the content and color of course site web pages to meet their respective learning styles. Users can take advantage of predefined user profiles like ADHD which enables screen masking to reduce distraction and Dyslexia which enables the use of special fonts to support users with print impairments. The video (1:13) below provides additional information:
How do add the Web Accessibility Widget?
To access the Web Accessibility Widget, click on Panorama in your Course Menu and then click on General Settings. Next, scroll down to the Default Course Settings section and enable LMS Website Accessibility.
Click the gear icon to the right of the LMS Website Accessibility to adjust where the icon is placed by default.
Once enabled, you will see the Web Accessibility Icon on your Canvas course site (PLEASE NOTE: Once turned on, this widget can be accessed in any Canvas course). Click the icon to open the Website Accessibility dashboard and adjust your color and contrast settings.
For additional information, visit Panorama’s Website Accessibility Widget opens a new window.
Additional Resources
Please review the resources below for more guidance on how Ally assists faculty and students with making Blackboard instructional content more accessible and usable:
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- Panorama’s Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPAT)
- VIDEO: Panorama Kick-Off Training for GMU – March 4, 2025 (51:49)
“How To” Resources
The following playlist features short videos that offer guidance on using Panorama in your Canvas course. Follow the link below to learn more:
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- Panorama How-To Videos opens a new window
- Pulling Reports from Panorama
Yuja Panorama Help Center Resources
Still have questions?
If you have additional questions related to Panorama’s Digital Accessibility Platform, please contact the ATI.