Accessibility Best Practices for Canvas Courses

Accessible design isn't about compliance—it's about creating learning experiences that work for everyone. When you design for accessibility, you improve the experience for all students: those using screen readers, those with cognitive differences, those in noisy environments, and those on mobile devices. Here's your comprehensive guide to making Canvas courses truly accessible.

Start with Semantic Structure

Use Canvas's built-in heading styles (Heading 2, Heading 3, etc.) instead of just making text bigger and bold. Screen readers navigate by headings, so proper structure helps students find content quickly. Never skip heading levels—go from H2 to H3, not H2 to H4.

Alternative Text for Images

Every meaningful image needs alt text. Right-click any image in Canvas and add descriptive alternative text. For complex diagrams, consider providing longer descriptions in the surrounding text or in a linked document. Decorative images should have empty alt text (alt="") so screen readers skip them.

"Accessibility benefits everyone. Captions help students in noisy coffee shops. Clear structure helps everyone find information faster. Design for the edges, and the middle takes care of itself."

Video Accessibility

All videos must have captions—no exceptions. Canvas Studio provides auto-captioning that you can edit for accuracy. Captions help deaf and hard-of-hearing students, non-native speakers, and anyone in sound-sensitive environments. Consider adding audio descriptions for videos with important visual information.

Color and Contrast

Never use color alone to convey information. If you highlight important dates in red, also use bold text or icons. Ensure sufficient contrast between text and backgrounds—at least 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text. Canvas's color contrast checker can help verify your choices.

Document Accessibility

PDFs are notoriously problematic for accessibility. When possible, create accessible HTML content directly in Canvas instead. If you must use PDFs, ensure they're tagged for accessibility (most Word and Google Docs exports aren't by default). Better yet, provide content in multiple formats—HTML, accessible PDF, and Word document.

Link Best Practices

Write descriptive link text. Instead of "Click here for the syllabus," use "View the course syllabus." Screen reader users often navigate by links, and "click here" provides no context. Also, avoid using URLs as link text—they're difficult for everyone to read and understand.

Table Accessibility

Use tables for data, not layout. When creating tables, always designate header rows and columns. Keep tables simple—complex merged cells confuse screen readers. If your table is too complex, consider presenting the information differently, perhaps as a list or series of smaller tables.

Use Canvas's Accessibility Checker

Canvas has a built-in accessibility checker. Look for the accessibility icon (a person in a circle) when editing content. Click it to scan your content for common issues: missing alt text, poor contrast, improper heading structure. Fix issues as you go rather than trying to retrofit an entire course later.

Clear Language and Instructions

Cognitive accessibility matters too. Use clear, concise language. Break long paragraphs into shorter ones. Use bullet points for lists. Provide explicit instructions for assignments. Avoid idioms that might confuse non-native speakers. White space is your friend—crowded pages are harder to process.

Mobile Accessibility

Many students access Canvas primarily on mobile devices. Test your course on a phone. Are buttons large enough to tap? Is text readable without zooming? Do embedded elements work on mobile? Mobile accessibility often overlaps with general accessibility—if it works on mobile, it usually works well for everyone.

Building an Accessibility Mindset

Accessibility isn't a one-time fix—it's an ongoing practice. Build accessibility checks into your content creation workflow. When you add an image, immediately add alt text. When you upload a video, caption it before publishing. Make accessibility part of how you teach, not an afterthought.

Conclusion

Creating accessible Canvas courses is both a legal requirement and an ethical imperative. But more importantly, it's good teaching. When you design with accessibility in mind, you create clearer, more organized, more usable courses for everyone. Your students—all of them—will thank you.