{"id":8014,"date":"2019-12-03T12:00:44","date_gmt":"2019-12-03T12:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/?p=8014"},"modified":"2019-12-03T12:27:19","modified_gmt":"2019-12-03T12:27:19","slug":"problem-document-format-pdfs-and-accessibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/12\/03\/problem-document-format-pdfs-and-accessibility\/","title":{"rendered":"Problem Document Format: PDFs and Accessibility"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Sad-PDF_twitter_square-01-1024x577.png\" alt=\"PDF Icon with a sad face.\" class=\"wp-image-8098\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Sad-PDF_twitter_square-01-1024x577.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Sad-PDF_twitter_square-01-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Sad-PDF_twitter_square-01-768x433.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Sad-PDF_twitter_square-01-100x56.png 100w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Sad-PDF_twitter_square-01-150x85.png 150w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Sad-PDF_twitter_square-01-200x113.png 200w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Sad-PDF_twitter_square-01-450x254.png 450w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Sad-PDF_twitter_square-01-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Sad-PDF_twitter_square-01-900x507.png 900w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Sad-PDF_twitter_square-01.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In the past PDF (Portable Document Format) was considered a great format for delivering documents online. By their nature the PDFs can be viewed and look the same on different devices. However, with the increase in viewing content on mobile devices and the welcome new <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/accessibility\">focus on accessibility<\/a>, PDFs have come to pose a substantial challenge. Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) like the University of Sussex\u2019s Canvas online study platform, are filled with PDFs which were not created with accessibility in mind and which don\u2019t meet legal standards for accessibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are three key elements on which documents of all formats commonly fail to meet accessibility standards:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>missing or irrelevant text descriptions for images,&nbsp;<\/li><li>lack of headings and lists for structure,&nbsp;<\/li><li>poor colour contrast.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>There are other issues which we cover in our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/accessibility\/accessibility-create\">digital accessibility toolkit<\/a> but for this post I\u2019ll focus on these three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These issues are not immediately apparent when looking at a PDF. Take the following two examples. The first is a PDF with text descriptions and headings. The second looks the same but is an image of the former document embedded in a PDF. A visually impaired viewer confronted with the second example would not be able to access the content at all.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Accessible_Thumb.png\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"8015\" data-link=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/?attachment_id=8015\" class=\"wp-image-8015\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Accessible_Thumb.png 800w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Accessible_Thumb-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Accessible_Thumb-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Accessible_Thumb-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Accessible_Thumb-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Accessible_Thumb-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Accessible_Thumb-450x450.png 450w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Accessible_Thumb-600x600.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption>1. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" style=\"color:#FFFFFF\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">A PDF with screen readable text and images with alternative text.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Inaccessible_Thumb.png\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"8016\" data-link=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/?attachment_id=8016\" class=\"wp-image-8016\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Inaccessible_Thumb.png 800w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Inaccessible_Thumb-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Inaccessible_Thumb-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Inaccessible_Thumb-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Inaccessible_Thumb-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Inaccessible_Thumb-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Inaccessible_Thumb-450x450.png 450w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Inaccessible_Thumb-600x600.png 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption>2. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" style=\"color:#FFFFFF\" aria-label=\"A PDF containing an image of a document. (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/11\/Flipgrid_Image.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">A PDF containing an image of a document.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Does it need to be in PDF format?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The first thing to consider is whether your material needs to be presented in this format. There may still be reasons for creating a PDF as the format is more \u2018locked down\u2019, which some may see as desirable. However, if you can provide information in a Canvas page it is likely to be more accessible on a larger number of devices and certainly easier to update and change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Creating accessible PDFs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you do want to use a PDF, next we\u2019ll look at some ways to do this. One likely route for creating it is from a Word Document or PowerPoint.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Preparing your document<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The accessibility of your final PDF will depend on the accessibility of your source document so it is important that before creating a PDF you add correct structure such as heading styles and lists, and make sure that images have alternative text (alt text) before converting to PDF. You can find guidance on adding structure, alt text and using appropriate colours in Microsoft Office documents in our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/accessibility\/accessibility-create\">Digital Accessibility Toolkit<\/a> so I won\u2019t cover that in more detail here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you are happy you have made your source Word or PowerPoint accessible, select <strong>File &gt; Check for Issues &gt; Check Accessibility<\/strong>, to run the accessibility checker. This can help to guide you to be sure you haven\u2019t missed anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Converting to PDF<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Both Word and PowerPoint give you the option to save as PDF (Select <strong>File &gt; Save as Adobe PDF<\/strong>). However, with Word don\u2019t save straight away. Select <strong>Options<\/strong> and make sure that <strong>Convert Word Headings to Bookmarks<\/strong> is checked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Correcting existing PDFs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before starting on this topic it is important to remember that placing a PDF of a journal article or section of a book on your module site is likely to be a breach of copyright. Readings should be added to your <a href=\"https:\/\/guides.lib.sussex.ac.uk\/c.php?g=664322&amp;p=4699801\">online reading list<\/a>. If you are unsure how to do this, please <a href=\"mailto:readinglists.lib@sussex.ac.uk\">contact the library<\/a> for further guidance. If you have an existing PDF that you created yourself you can correct it using <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sussex.ac.uk\/its\/services\/software\/list?filter=pc&amp;id=471\">Adobe Acrobat<\/a>. This is available free to all University of Sussex staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Recognisable Text<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In the example above the second PDF was rendered inaccessible because it was an image which had been converted to a PDF.&nbsp;You can easily check if text is recognisable in a PDF by trying to select it by clicking and dragging your cursor over the text. The words should be highlighted. If the text is not recognisable, Acrobat has a useful function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Select <strong>Tools &gt; Enhance Scans<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Then, from the menu at the top select <strong>Recognize Text &gt; In This File<\/strong><\/li><li>Finally select the blue <strong>Recognize Text<\/strong> button.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You should now be able to select the text in the document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/8zYVAC-aIkbEDT9helP6IGLKkAwR7TwkLjijmAxJXoLnFwkmKMLGeCq5nRtNLJScux4hcrZQMHcj7G-wFHA8MpVD283ABjUUGrcM1YJPph9dx9kpbXbQApe-Zbg2k9EopawYHi3z\" alt=\"A screenshot showing the Enhance Scans tool being used to recognise text in a scanned image.\" \/><figcaption>Recognising text in a scanned image.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3>Adding Alternative Text to images<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once your file is open in Acrobat, select <strong>Tools &gt; Accessibility<\/strong> to view the accessibility options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Selecting <strong>Set Alternate Text<\/strong> then <strong>OK<\/strong> highlights the first image in the document and gives you a box to add a text description. It\u2019s worth noting you also have a checkbox to mark the image as decorative. If the image provides no purpose other than aesthetics, check that box and a text description is not required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Select the forward arrow to move on to the next image and repeat until all images are done, then select <strong>Save &amp; Close <\/strong>to finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Adding some structure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, select <strong>Reading Order<\/strong> from the accessibility options. This should number the sections of the document so you can see the order in which they would be read by a screen reader.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may see now that what you had thought was a heading has been lumped in with other text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/YJCXAJXuUOOGg0qnKy_qUogYiPICX-P-NOFEjlZup7cHfu70e1271mu81-ajSAJr55c2eNPWeeYy5Vy_QvYqHXpsqIy6jbnuRtSB6zZZHmKG1GTWcUUg6qpsVrZPv_dXLiYf6eca\" alt=\"PDF with content highlighted. Images have been identified and show with alternative text. A heading has been identified as a paragraph. \" \/><figcaption>A PDF displaying the reading order of the document.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To identify a heading click and drag your cursor to draw a box around the heading text. The text should show a purple border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, select the relevant heading level from the <strong>Reading order<\/strong> panel.The main heading for the document should be Heading 1. Headings need to be nested, so Heading 2 is used for sub-headings, then heading 3 for subsections under Heading 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>It can get more complicated<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve tried to keep things simple here but many of you will have documents which are far more complicated than this with maths, tables and complicated reading orders. If you are unable to make your documents accessible please do consider what other ways you can make this information available to students, for example as Pages in Canvas. Do visit our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/accessibility\">Digital Accessibility Toolkit<\/a> to get more information on making your materials accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have any questions or require further guidance, please get in touch with <a href=\"mailto:tel@sussex.ac.uk\">tel@sussex.ac.uk<\/a>.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\"><div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon sd-sharing\"><h3 class=\"sd-title\">Share this:<\/h3><div class=\"sd-content\"><ul><li class=\"share-twitter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-twitter-8014\" class=\"share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/12\/03\/problem-document-format-pdfs-and-accessibility\/?share=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Twitter\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-facebook\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-facebook-8014\" class=\"share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/12\/03\/problem-document-format-pdfs-and-accessibility\/?share=facebook\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Facebook\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-tumblr\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-tumblr sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/12\/03\/problem-document-format-pdfs-and-accessibility\/?share=tumblr\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Tumblr\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-print\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-print sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/12\/03\/problem-document-format-pdfs-and-accessibility\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to print\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to print (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-pinterest\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-pinterest-8014\" class=\"share-pinterest sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/12\/03\/problem-document-format-pdfs-and-accessibility\/?share=pinterest\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Pinterest\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-pocket\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-pocket sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/12\/03\/problem-document-format-pdfs-and-accessibility\/?share=pocket\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Pocket\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-end\"><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the past PDF (Portable Document Format) was considered a great format for delivering documents online. By their nature the PDFs can be viewed and look the same on different devices. However, with the increase in viewing content on mobile<span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/12\/03\/problem-document-format-pdfs-and-accessibility\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\"><div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon sd-sharing\"><h3 class=\"sd-title\">Share this:<\/h3><div class=\"sd-content\"><ul><li class=\"share-twitter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-twitter-8014\" class=\"share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/12\/03\/problem-document-format-pdfs-and-accessibility\/?share=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Twitter\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-facebook\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-facebook-8014\" class=\"share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/12\/03\/problem-document-format-pdfs-and-accessibility\/?share=facebook\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Facebook\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-tumblr\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-tumblr sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/12\/03\/problem-document-format-pdfs-and-accessibility\/?share=tumblr\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Tumblr\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-print\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-print sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/12\/03\/problem-document-format-pdfs-and-accessibility\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to print\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to print (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-pinterest\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-pinterest-8014\" class=\"share-pinterest sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/12\/03\/problem-document-format-pdfs-and-accessibility\/?share=pinterest\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Pinterest\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-pocket\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-pocket sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/12\/03\/problem-document-format-pdfs-and-accessibility\/?share=pocket\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Pocket\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-end\"><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":293,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[36,98304],"tags":[98301,36,157077],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4IWEK-25g","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8248,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2020\/03\/10\/accessibility-tips-check-accessibility\/","url_meta":{"origin":8014,"position":0},"title":"Accessibility tips: Check accessibility","date":"10th March 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"In the latest of our \u2018Accessibility Tips\u2019 blog posts I will be looking at some quick and easy ways that you can check that the digital materials you produce\u00a0meet the\u202flegislation requirements\u202fand provide an improved learning environment for all. You can read more about digital accessibility in the\u00a0Digital Accessibility toolkit.\u00a0 Use\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Accessibility&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2020\/02\/2020-02-28_1117.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7844,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/07\/09\/making-your-canvas-modules-accessible\/","url_meta":{"origin":8014,"position":1},"title":"Making your Canvas modules accessible","date":"9th July 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Universal Access\" by Font Awesome is licensed under CC BY 4.0 If you\u2019ve attended any TEL training recently, you\u2019ll have heard us mention digital accessibility. This means making sure online teaching materials are usable for students with disabilities or specific learning needs. This year sees the introduction of new legislation\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Accessibility&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Universal Accessibility Icon: The icon depicts a person with arms outspread","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/07\/Universal-Accessibility.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10440,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2026\/03\/18\/canvas-new-course-accessibility-checker\/","url_meta":{"origin":8014,"position":2},"title":"Canvas\u2019 New Course Accessibility Checker","date":"18th March 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Educational Enhancement's latest blog by Mark Thomas (Learning Technologist) What Canvas\u00a0have\u00a0released\u00a0a\u00a0great\u00a0update to its support of accessibility within\u00a0modules: a\u00a0new Course Accessibility Checker.\u00a0Designed to\u00a0help making your modules more\u00a0accessible\u00a0easier, faster, and more intuitive.\u00a0The key difference is that\u00a0a\u00a0dedicated accessibility\u00a0tool\u00a0will be available\u00a0from the navigation pane\u00a0on all\u00a0Canvas\u00a0modules. The tool\u00a0will scan\u00a0all\u00a0your\u00a0pages\u00a0and assignments\u00a0(not documents,\u00a0pdfs\u00a0and discussions)\u00a0simultaneously\u00a0and\u00a0give you an\u00a0accessibility report\u00a0from\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2026\/03\/Capture-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7831,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/06\/25\/getting-ready-for-september-with-tel\/","url_meta":{"origin":8014,"position":3},"title":"Getting ready for September with TEL","date":"25th June 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Summer is here, but before we know it students will be arriving to begin the 2019-20 academic year. Before then, teaching staff will want to prepare their Canvas modules and related materials. To support staff during this process Technology Enhanced Learning have created two new sets of resources and are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Accessibility&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2019\/06\/thought-catalog-214785-unsplash.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3413,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2015\/12\/08\/note-making-and-annotating-with-an-ipad-which-apps-do-i-need\/","url_meta":{"origin":8014,"position":4},"title":"Note-making and annotating with an iPad - which apps do I need?","date":"8th December 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"When academics and students start using an iPad some of the first things they want to be able to do are make notes (in lectures, at conferences or in meetings) and annotate pdf documents. There are many apps available to accomplish these tasks so we have been comparing some of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;App review&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"table","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2015\/12\/table.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8243,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2020\/03\/03\/accessibility-tips-inclusive-design\/","url_meta":{"origin":8014,"position":5},"title":"Accessibility Tips: Inclusive design","date":"3rd March 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Few would want to exclude a student from getting the most out of their educational experiences. As a University we strive to limit disadvantages that may be experienced by students and ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve the outcomes of their course.\u00a0 There are many reasons why we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Accessibility&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2020\/02\/My_Post_1-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8014"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/293"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8014"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8103,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8014\/revisions\/8103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}