This article guides instructors to ensure they are aware of all accessibility features and best practices when creating courses in Canvas. The content is guided by the latest accessibility standards, with input coming from the Academic Success Centre and the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL).

New in August 2025, the Equitable, Accessible Teaching and Learning course has launched in Canvas. Part of the Disability Cultures and Access Hub, this new collaborative co-curricular course featuring input from CTL, Disability Cultures and Access in the Office of the Vice Provost, and other U of A contributors is an asynchronous learning space that provides a series of highly actionable and sustainable practices that can each contribute towards a more equitable and accessible course for learners.

Canvas Accessibility Standards

Instructure (the Canvas vendor) is strongly committed to accessibility and keeps an up-to-date guide to their accessibility standards online. Specific topics within that page include:

• Screen Readers and Browsers
• Canvas Navigation with Screen Readers
• Keyboard Shortcuts

Instructure also recently posted their roadmap for accessibility in Canvas.

Built-in Canvas Tools

Canvas provides instructors a number of in-system options for easily validating and improving the accessibility of their courses and content:

• Accessibility Checker - reviews content created through the Rich Content Editor (RCE).
• Canvas Link Checker - checks for broken or unreachable links in course content. 

SensusAccess Accessibility File Converter

New in August 2025, our file conversion tool has been updated in Canvas. The SensusAccess Accessibility File Converter makes it simple for students to convert any compatible content into a range of accessible formats including audio books, Braille, digital large-print, e-books and other accessible formats. The available formats are automatically determined based on the type of canvas content: pages, discussions, assignments, and files. Each different conversion type offers various options to provide students the flexibility to choose the format that works best for them.

You will see the SensusAccess Accessibility File Converter launch button on the modules, files, assignments beside any content in Canvas that can be converted:

Instructors can learn more about how students can use this tool here.

Additional Design Guides/Resources for Instructors

• CTL's Access and Accessibility Resources - a collection of U of A specific resources prepared by the Center for Teaching and Learning
• Canvas Content Accessibility Checklist - guide to best practices for building HTML content within Canvas using the RCE.
• Canvas Course Accessibility Evaluation - PDF with specific recommendations for content based on UDL provided by Canvas and then updated by CTL and OCE.
• Fundamentals of Accessible Digital Content in Canvas - an on-demand, self-paced training course available for all U of A staff and instructors through the Canvas Training Centre via the in-system Resources menu.

Video Captioning

Beyond native Canvas content, instructors should also consider accessibility in online meetings, lecture recordings, and videos. Note that captions are now enabled by default in all the main video recording and meeting tools at the U of A (with the options in both tools to hold captioning until after review.)

General Recommendations

• • For students who are blind or have low vision, narrate the material that is displayed visually on the screen. Just as you might read materials aloud in class, read the screen material that you share on-screen, just in case students are not able to see the essential text.

Yuja 

• • Review and edit automatically created captions in Yuja
  • Upload additional caption files in Yuja - this can include pre-existing captions for videos and caption files in different languages
  • Add audio descriptions for videos

Canvas Studio

• • Review and edit captions in Canvas Studio
  • Request Studio captions in a different language

Zoom

• • As of May 2025, automated captions have been enabled by default for all Zoom meetings
  • Zoom settings for automated caption (opt-out) and live subtitles in meetings

Using Google Workspace Tools

• • Users can enable captions when using Google Meet by toggling on the CC feature at the bottom of your screen.
    
  • Instructors using Google Slides to record voiceover lecture videos can  enable the live captioning feature within Google Slides