Online course accessibility audit

Users should be able to determine the purpose of each link from the link text alone. Screen reader users can create lists of links as a navigation aid, but this is only helpful if the link target is clear from the link text. 

1. Scan the page for links.
   1. Are there generic links such as "Click here" and "Read more"? These are confusing for users, especially users of assistive technology, because the link destination is unclear. If there are generic links, fix them or mark this check Fail.
   2. Do links that go to the same destination page have the same link text? For example, if the links "the essay" and "Chapter 7" both go to the same page, users will be confused, especially users of assistive technology, who assume differently named links will go to different pages. If links that go to the same destination have different text, fix them or mark this check Fail.
2. The last step is to validate your links. In Canvas, this is not a page-by-page feature. You must validate all the links of an entire course at the same time.
   1. Select the Settings menu tiem, at the bottom of the left sidebar menu.
      
   2. In the right sidebar, click the Validate Links in Content menu item.
      
   3. Click the Start Link Validation button.
      
   4. When the validator is done, you'll get a list of pages with broken links. Select the page, and edit and fix the link.
      
   5. Alternatively, you can mark this check as Fail and fix it later.

See more on accessible links.

Clear, concise writing helps everyone, but is crucial for people with reading, memory and attention deficit or other cognitive disorders.

1. Scan the page you're testing:
   1. Is the content concise, and does it use simple sentences that are free of jargon and idioms?
   2. Are there places where images or video could be used to illustrate main points?
   3. Are instructions for what to do next clear?
   4. If there are equations and scientific notations, were they created using the the Equation Editor in the Rich Content Editor?

       
      

2. Test the readability of the content.
   1. Copy and paste the page content into one of these free online tests: Juicy Studio's Readability Test or the Hemmingway Editor.
   2. OR copy and paste the page content into MS Word, then follow these instructions to generate Readability Statistics.

      

To pass this check, content must achieve the best readability scores possible for the subject.

See more on readability and writing for accessibility.

Canvas doesn't provide a page-by-page check of document accessibility. However, the Accessibility Checker can evaluate all document files in a course at the same time.

1. In your Canvas course, select the Files menu item in the right-hand sidebar.
2. In the resulting list of files, each document will have a small gear. The color of the gear tells you when a file is accessible, needs some work, or is inaccessible.
   
3. If any files have a red or orange gear icon, click on the icon. An Accessibility Score pane will open, with suggestions for making the document accessible.
   
4. Download inaccessible documents and fix them. See detailed instructions on how to make files accessible: MSWord, PDF, PowerPoint, Google slides and docs).
5. Alternatively, you can mark this check as Fail and fix it later.
6. Reload the accessible document into the course.

Sensory cues convey information by color, shape, size, visual location, sound, etc. When only a single sense is used as a cue, people with sensory limitations can be left out. For instance, referring to the "box on the left" or the "large text" will baffle users with vision loss. Indicating errors by making the text red won't be helpful for the 8% of men with color blindness.

1. Scan the page you want to evaluate.
2. Is color alone used to convey information? For instance, does the text refer to the "Green arrow"? Are errors indicated only by making the text red?
3. If yes, add a text label to the sensory cue. For instance, add the "Green Next arrow" or the "red text marked with an asterisk."
4. Alternatively, you can mark this check as Fail and fix it later.

See more on sensory cues.

Users with impaired hearing or who are deaf rely on captions to access videos. In addition, recent studies show that 71% of undergraduate students without hearing difficulties use captions at least some of the time to improve retention and recall.

1. Visually check that all videos on the page have closed captioning. This is usually indicated by the presence of the CC icon:  Click the Play button and the CC icon to make sure captions work.
2. If video has captions, mark this check as Pass and move to the next question.
3. If video doesn't have captions, follow the instructions for auto-captioning video in YouTube.
4. Always edit automatically generated captions.
5. You can embed YouTube video on Canvas pages, or you can copy the .SRT (caption) file from YouTube and upload with the video to any video host.
6. If you don't fix the captions at this time, make sure you mark this check as Fail and return to fix it later.

See more on video captions.

Go to the page you want to evaluate. Scroll down it.

• Is the page layout simple and uncluttered with adequate white space and plain backgrounds?
• Is text sufficiently large (i.e., ≥12 pts [16px]) and left-justified?
• Are italics and bold used judiciously and are only links underlined?

If you answer yes to all three questions, the page passes this check.

1. In the left sidebar menu, click Modules. Scan the list. Is the course broken into modules logically by topic or class session? Do modules have unique, descriptive names (e.g., “Week 3: Algorithms” rather than “3”)?
2. In the left sidebar menu, click Home. Is there a home page that introduces students to the course and makes clear where they should go and what they should do next?
3. Click through as many the pages of the course as you can. Are the page layouts uncluttered and consistent throughout the course?
4. Return to the page you want to evaluate. Click the Student View button in the upper right corner of the screen.   In the left sidebar menu, are most of the links hidden, leaving only the most important menu items visible to students? Are the menu items ordered by importance?

If you answer yes to all four questions, the page passes this check.

Making online quizzes and assignments accessible is critical to the success of students of all abilities. If your page is a quiz or assignment, scan it now:

1. Are instructions clear?
2. Does the question text explain the type of questions to expect and any required formats?
3. Are drag and drop and dropdown formats avoided whenever possible?
4. Are time limits avoided whenever possible?
5. Was the Equations Editor used to create math equations or scientific notations?

If you answer yes to all fiv3 questions, the page passes this check.

See more on accessible Canvas quizzes and assignments.

Interactive items like links, form fields, buttons, and components (e.g., videos, slideshows, tabs, and accordions) are often difficult for assistive technology users to navigate.

Put your mouse aside and use only your keyboard to move through the page and to all links, form fields, buttons, and components:

• Tab key: to move forward (use Shift + Tab to reverse)
• Enter/Return key or Space bar: to select
• Arrow keys: to move inside components (e.g., groups of radio buttons or checkboxes, dropdowns, tabs, etc.)
• Escape key: to close popup windows (or when desperate)

You must be able to answer yes to all of the following for the page to pass:

1. As you move through the page, can you tab to each interactive item in order? Tabbing should not move you prematurely away from a component until all items in the component have been tabbed through or a task is complete.
2. Can you select all links and buttons with the Enter/Return or Shift key?
3. Can you move inside all interactive items with the arrow keys and move away with the Tab or Escape key?
4. When you close a modal or popup window, are you returned to the last place you were on the page?
5. Is the focus indicator (a blue outline) clearly visible on each element as you tab to it?
   

If you encounter an issue with keyboard-only access and the reason is not apparent or you're unable to fix the problem yourself, please report this accessibility problem in as much detail as possible. Someone will contact you about a resolution as soon as possible.

See more on keyboard access.