The Office of Digital Learning’s (ODL) instructional design and development services support departments and faculty with the delivery of high-quality online instruction and accessible materials. Use the resources below to ensure your course content meets federal ADA compliance standards.
Official FSU Course Accessibility Guide
Access ODL’s quick start guide, course materials checklist, and how-to articles, which are designed to help instructors meet the U.S. Department of Justice’s digital accessibility requirements.
Visit ODL Course Accessibility SiteExplore guides on how to address accessibility issues in documents, slides, multimedia, and Canvas pages.
The "Easy Fix" Framework
Many accessibility hurdles in Canvas can be resolved quickly by using ODL’s "Easy Fix" strategies. These focus on common issues identified by accessibility checkers.
1. Accessibility Checkers
Canvas provides two built-in accessibility tools: Ally and the Canvas Accessibility Checker. Both tools help you identify inaccessible course content and offer suggestions for remediation.
2. Course Cleanup
TidyUP is a tool for Canvas that helps you identify and archive unused, duplicate, and outdated content. Removing this content improves your course accessibility score.
3. Video Captioning
With the Canvas tool Kaltura, you can add auto-generated captions to videos, enhancing their accessibility. Be sure to edit the captions as needed for accuracy and clarity.
4. PDF Accessibility
Scanned PDFs are not accessible because screen readers view them as images, not text, and are unable to read the content. Consult resources from the FSU Libraries to help you locate accessible online versions of your materials.
5. Alternative Text
Alternative text is a short description of an image that ensures content can be read by assistive technology. Images without descriptions are one of the easiest accessibility issues to address.
6. Contrast & Color
Low-contrast text is an obstacle for students with visual impairments. Use Ally or the Canvas Accessibility Checker to identify and correct contrast ratio issues.
7. Headings & Structure
The proper use of heading styles can improve the accessibility of course content. Apply styles to documents so students can navigate content effectively, especially those using assistive technology.
Working with multimedia? Visit Kaltura Makes Captioning Easy for help with Kaltura captioning and audio descriptions.
Need Support?
Technical Support
For assistance using accessibility tools within Canvas, reach out to the ODL technical support team.
Email: canvas@fsu.edu