Throughout the semester, you are encouraged to post announcements to establish instructor presence in your course. You might use them to provide additional insight into the material or to share recent developments relevant to the course. When creating announcements, it’s important to review the content for accessibility to ensure all students can receive the information. Here is a list of what the iDocs team recommend checking in your announcements:
Images
Alt-Text: Include alt-text descriptions so all students can benefit from the ideas the image conveys. When writing alt-text, there are a few guidelines to keep in mind:
- Include any information that is critical to the meaning of the image.
- Images that don’t offer important information relative to the announcement don’t need alt-text, so be sure to mark them as decorative.
- Alt-text should be succinct. While there isn’t a universally accepted word count for alt-text, Canvas’s Accessibility Checker will flag any alt-text longer than 120 characters.
- If you’re unsure about where to start, use this image accessibility creator to create first drafts of alt-text.
Text in Images: If you are using an image or chart that contains a significant amount of text, you will need to relay this information in text for students who cannot see the image.
- Canvas’s alt-text allowances may be too short, so use other strategies.
- Consider putting the content in text form in your announcement.
- If the previous option is not feasible, provide a long description of the image that highlights the important information students should take away from the image. This can be placed directly under the image.
Videos
Captions: Videos with dialog must be captioned.
- If you create a video through Kaltura, machine captions will be automatically applied.
- Because instructional designers won’t know when you share a video in announcements, you will need to revise the captions for accuracy.
Transcripts: Including a transcript of your video can also be helpful for students.
- Captions in Kaltura can be viewed as a transcript, which you can also leverage for reviewing the accuracy of your captions.
Visuals in Videos: Consider how viewers with visual impairments will receive information in any visuals and demonstrations.
- As you’re recording, audibly describe all relevant visual content within your video, such as images, data, and tables.
Transcripts for Audio Recordings: Audio content must have a transcript.
- If you share an audio recording with your students, use Kaltura to create and add it to Canvas.
- Like videos, Kaltura will create auto-captions that you can then edit.
- Also like videos, these captions can be viewed as a transcript, which you can share with your students so that they have multiple means of accessing the information.
Text
Text content also needs to be accessible, and there are a few easy strategies you can employ to ensure the readability of your text.
Use Headings in Text-Style:
- If using headings in your announcement, format them as headings in Canvas’s rich content editor (RCE).
- The headings should follow a logical structure, so the first heading should be designated as H2, and any subheadings should increase in number order after this (H3, H4, and so on).
- Don’t skip heading levels. For example, if you start with H2, the next heading level should be H3, not H4.
Color and Text-Styles: When using color and text-styles, there are a few guidelines:
- Avoid using color to convey meaning because people perceive color differently. Instead, use text formatting, such as bold or italics (for images/charts use different shades or patterns).
- Avoid using underlined text as this can be mistaken for a hyperlink.
- Check the color contrast between the text and its background using the WebAIM Color Contrast Checker; too low of a contrast makes the text difficult to read.
Hyperlinks/URLs: When including hyperlinks in your announcement, use descriptive text and avoid simply posting a URL or writing phrases like “Click here.” Here is an example:
- Incorrect: Click here to determine if your colors are accessible.
- Students using a screen reader have no context as to where “Click here” directs.
- Incorrect: Here is the WebAIM Color Contrast Checker: https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
- Screen readers will read out the lengthy URL which doesn’t provide meaningful context for students.
- Correct: The WebAIM Color Contrast Checker will help you determine if the colors you’re using are accessible.
- Students using screen readers can correctly infer that the text directs them to the mentioned website.
After you have created your announcement and followed the strategies above, it’s still a good idea to use the Canvas Accessibility Checker to review the material.
Accessibility for All
Creating accessible material is an important step towards a more equitable and inclusive educational environment. These are just some of the few ways you can create your announcements with accessibility in mind. Reach out to your course’s supporting instructional designer for any accessibility questions or support.