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Scanned PDFs are images and unreadable by screen readers. OCR converts them into real text.

How to OCR a PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro:

• Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
• Go to Tools → Scan & OCR → Recognize Text → In This File.
• Choose the correct Document Language.
• Click Recognize Text to convert the scan into selectable text.
• Go to Tools → Prepare for Accessibility to check for reading order, tags, and missing structure.
• If the scan is poor quality, export to Word, fix the text, and save back as a tagged PDF.
• For complex PDFs (math, code, tables), an accessibility exception may be needed.

All videos must be captioned—and auto‑captioning alone is not compliant until edited.

How to caption in Canvas Studio:

• Upload the video to Canvas Studio.
• Click Captions → Request Captions and select a language.
• Once generated, click Review and Edit to correct accuracy, punctuation, and terminology.
• Save and publish.

Tips:

• Break long sentences for readability.
• Correct names and discipline-specific vocabulary.
• If using YouTube, edit captions there, export the VTT file, and upload it to Studio.

Headings allow screen readers to move easily through a document.

How to add headings:

• Highlight a section title.
• Go to Home → Styles.
• Apply Heading 1 for major sections, Heading 2 for subsections, Heading 3 for details.
• Use View → Navigation Pane to ensure the outline is correct.
• Run Review → Check Accessibility to fix errors.

Tips:

• Do not skip heading levels.
• Do not rely on bold or large text to “look like” headings—screen readers won’t detect these.

Low contrast makes slides difficult to read, especially for students with low vision.

How to improve contrast:

• Select the text box.
• Change either the text color or background so they contrast strongly.
• Use Review → Check Accessibility for warnings.

Contrast rules:

• Normal text: ratio of 4.5:1 or higher.
• Large text (18pt+ or 14pt bold): 3:1 ratio.

Tips:

• Use dark text on light backgrounds or vice versa.
• Avoid decorative fonts; use Arial, Calibri, or Verdana.
• Increase transparency when placing text over images.

Alt text describes what an image conveys and why it matters.

How to write alt text:

• Right‑click the image → choose Edit Alt Text.
• Write 1–2 concise sentences describing the important content.
• Mark the image as Decorative if it conveys no meaning.

Tips:

• Don’t start with “Image of…”
• Focus on what students need to understand.

A correct reading order ensures screen readers read content in the intended sequence.

PowerPoint:

• Open Home → Arrange → Selection Pane.
• Reading order flows from bottom to top of the list.
• Reorder objects: titles → body text → images.

PDF (Adobe Acrobat Pro):

• Open Tools → Prepare for Accessibility → Reading Order.
• Select each content block and assign roles (Text, Heading, Figure, etc.).
• Adjust reading order so it matches the visual layout.

Table headers help screen readers interpret row/column structure.

Word:

• Click inside your table.
• Go to Table Design.
• Check Header Row and/or First Column.
• Run Review → Check Accessibility.

PowerPoint:

• Manually label the top row and first column with clear headers.
• Avoid merged cells or complex layouts.

Screen readers rely on document language to pronounce words correctly.

Word & PowerPoint:

• Press Ctrl + A to select all text.
• Go to Review → Language → Set Proofing Language.
• Choose the language of the document.

PDF (Acrobat Pro):

• Go to File → Properties → Advanced.
• Set the document language.

Tip:
In mixed‑language documents (e.g., Spanish + English), set language for each section manually.

Ally gives real‑time feedback on accessibility issues.

How to use Ally:

• Open a Canvas page or file.
• Click the colored Ally indicator.
• Review the issue list: missing alt text, low contrast, headings, tables, etc.
• Follow Ally’s guided instructions to fix issues.
• Re-upload or save the corrected version.

Tip:
Focus first on pages students will use most (syllabus, instructions, modules)