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► Creating Accessible Course Materials
Digital Tools to Support Accessibility
Small changes in how we design courses and materials can remove big barriers for our students. Building accessibility in from the outset prevents barriers before they arise and ensures your materials work for everyone. Learn more from the TLC Guide on Creating Accessible Course Materials.
Two tools on this page — UDOIT and the Canvas accessibility checker — can help you by identifying and fixing barriers so that all students can fully access your materials. The other tools are useful for students to make digital content more accessible to them.
Note: While these tools can be helpful at reducing barriers for all students, some students may still require additional accommodations. The Disability Resource Center can help.
Tools for Instructors
UDOIT
UDOIT is an accessibility tool in Canvas that scans your course content, identifies possible accessibility issues, and guides you through how to resolve those issues. In Canvas, UDOIT appears in the course navigation and is only visible to Teachers.
This UDOIT video provides a brief overview in just over a minute.
Canvas accessibility checker
The Canvas accessibility checker detects common accessibility issues in text and images that you have added to your Canvas pages, quizzes, assignments, and discussions.
For more information, visit the Canvas guide on using the Accessibility Checker.
Tools for Students
SensusAccess
SensusAccess allows students to convert digital materials into another file type, like PDFs into MP3s for listening while commuting, or image-only PDF files or scanned images into more accessible formats.
SensusAccess shows up in Canvas as a blue circle with a white S in it.
Resources for SensusAccess
- UCSC ITS SensusAccess page
- ITS Guide: SensusAccess Integration in Canvas
- SensusAccess E-learning Course
Microsoft Immersive Reader
Microsoft Immersive Reader (MIR) allows anyone to customize the display of text on a Canvas page (e.g., changing font size, background color, letter or line spacing), or use line focus and read aloud without a screen reader. MIR is helpful for all students and can be especially beneficial to learners with dyslexia, low vision, or visual processing disorders.
It can be activated at the top of Canvas Pages.