How do I make Canvas content accessible?

Many of the same techniques for making documents accessible can be used to make a web site, including a Canvas course site, accessible.  In Canvas paragraph styles (e.g., Header 2 <h2>) add structure to text.  Knowing how and when to use these styles can greatly reduce issues with screen reading software.

How to make your Canvas site accessible

• Understand how screen readers interpret Canvas sites: The course title and page/activity titles are read first, then modules or the page/activity content.
• Use paragraph styles to add heading tags (e.g., header 2, header 3, etc.) to websites to indicate a hierarchy.  In Canvas the header 1tag is used to note the course or page title.  You will notice that the Canvas text editor’s options begin with Header 2. This is to prevent the reuse of tags already in use for top level information. Nest headings and subheadings using paragraph styles in descending order. For example, a heading or parent item would be Header 2 a subheading or child of that item would be a Header 2. A new parent items would be Header 2 again.
• When inserting visual elements (charts, graphs, images), include an alternate text description.
• Avoid using red and green to add emphasis to text. Readers who are colorblind may not be able to differentiate these colors. Colored text should not be used as the only method to convey emphasis or to stress importance.
• Text and background colors should be high contrast (e.g., black text on white background).
• While there are no special tools needed to make a website accessible, it can be a good idea to use a screen reader emulator (such as Fangs for Firefox) to test out the readability of your site.