When Learning Isn’t Accessible
As instructors, we strive to build meaningful, engaging learning experiences. But what happens when a course isn’t designed with accessibility in mind? For students with disabilities, small barriers can quickly become major roadblocks. Sometimes making it difficult or even impossible to participate fully. In the short video below, you’ll hear from a student who became legally blind at 16 and shares how digital accessibility has allowed him to thrive not just in school, but in life. His story highlights an essential truth: when technology is accessible, disability becomes far less limiting. But when it’s not, the burden shifts unfairly to the student to find workarounds or miss out. This is the human side of accessibility and it’s why thoughtful design in our digital classrooms matters so deeply.
Student Accomodations?
Students with disabilities are entitled to equal access in classrooms and across campus—physically and digitally. Guide students to connect with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) to request accommodations.
What Is Digital Accessibility?
Canvas Student Features for Accessibility
The Microsoft Immersive Reader is an inclusively designed tool available on all Canvas pages and through the alternative formats download options. It allows students to listen to text-based content, supports reading comprehension through a clean and customizable interface, and provides translation into multiple languages. This tool is designed to enhance accessibility and support a wide range of learning needs. Review the Immersive Reader guide to learn more.
Canvas is tested for screen reader accessibility using the most widely used screen reader and browser combinations, including JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. These pairings are selected based on current usage data and are updated as user preferences evolve.
Canvas includes built-in keyboard shortcuts to support faster navigation and improve accessibility. To view a list of shortcuts in individual discussions, announcements, or the Rich Content Editor, press Alt+F8 on a PC or Option+F8 on a Mac. To view shortcuts on the Assignments Index page, Modules Index page, Gradebook, and SpeedGrader, press Shift+?. Keyboard shortcuts are available on several key Canvas pages, including Announcements, Assignments, Course Settings (Navigation tab), Discussions, Gradebook, Modules, New Quizzes, the Rich Content Editor, and SpeedGrader. For more information, view the Canvas Keyboard Shortcut resource document
The User Settings page hosts feature options to enhance accessibility. In Global Navigation, click the Account link, then click the Settings link, Feature Options will appear as the last section on the page.
- High Contrast UI: When enabled, this feature offers higher contrast in buttons, tabs, and other areas throughout Canvas. Learn how to turn this feature on by visiting the high-contrast guide.
- Underline Links: When enabled, this feature underlines hyperlinks in navigation menus, the Dashboard, and page sidebars.
- Dyslexia Friendly Font: When enabled, this setting replaces the default font in Canvas with OpenDyslexic, an open source font created to help increase readability for readers with dyslexia.
When enabled, students are able to access and download a range of alternative and accessible formats for files uploaded to Canvas using Ally. These alternative formats are automatically generated.
- In a Canvas course, select the Ally alternative format icon
located next to the page title or any linked resource. - Select the alternative format you would like to use.
- Select “Download” to download the file to your computer.
- Open the file on your computer with assistive technology or another application.
Visual guide to Access Ally Alternative Formats
Video Length: 1 min
Ally Alternative Formats Options
Video Length: 2 min, 52 sec
Last Updated December 22, 2025