Course Files Should Be Accessible

When you provide files for students in your courses (documents, spreadsheets, presentations, etc.), make sure they're accessible. Similar to how you make you the content you type into Canvas accessible, any content you type into a document, spreadsheet, or presentation needs to be accessible. You can do this by:

Using templates with pre-formatted text and image areas
Using pre-programmed font formatting (headers) to signify the sequence of information on page
Using bullet points or a numbered list to organize multiple items
Using font sizes, colors, and contrast so text appears as clear as possible
Naming tables and including column headers, as well as setting the Table Header signifier
Providing captions for images indicating what the content refers to
Eliminating "clutter" of extra spaces that can confuse electronic screen readers

Myth! Simply saving a file as an Adobe .pdf file makes it instantly accessible. Nope! Not true... Adobe .pdf assists your students to more ably be able to open the file across various computers by serving as a sort of universal software, but saving content in Adobe .pdf does not automatically make the file accessible to students. Adobe .pdf merely takes of snapshot of the original file. If the original file is not accessible, the Adobe .pdf file will not be accessible.

Bonus! Both Microsoft Office now includes built-in accessibility checkers that will review your Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. Simply go to the File command at the top left the screen, and then you'll be able to Inspect Document/Check Accessibility.

how to run accessibility checks in office

Adobe Acrobat can also check files converted to .pdf for accessibility and possibly adapt existing .pdf files to be accessible.

Accessible Documents Tutorial

Tutorial 3: Accessible Documents of the Creating Accessible Content self-paced tutorial explains the ins and outs of how to sure your files you provide for students in Canvas are accessible.