Digital Accessibility

Accessibility in education ensures that all learners, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, can access and engage with instructional materials, technology, and resources equitably. Accessibility promotes inclusivity, supports diverse learning needs, and complies with legal requirements like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Beginning on April 24, 2026, Title II of the ADA will require all digital course materials and related content to meet accessibility standards. In addition to the federal regulations, U-M has a specific that was adopted in June 2022.

Following best practices of around accessibility is a good teaching practice overall. Even users who do not have any disabilities can benefit from accessible content (like closed captions).

The accessibility standards are comprehensive and robust. The following is a simplified, though not comprehensive, list of general accessibility guidelines:

All links should be descriptive (not "click here").
All videos should have closed captions, which should be as accurate as possible.
All images should have alt-text, which described the image/graph/equation in plain English for those with vision issues.
Heading levels should be respected (H3 falls under H2, no skipping levels)
Color contrast should be as high as possible (dark text on a light background, or light text on a dark background).

The above guidelines apply to content created in Canvas as well as documents (Word, Google Slides, PDF, etc), slideshows (PowerPoint, Google Slides, etc), Spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets, etc), and any other digital materials available as part of a course or on a public website.

��-Dearborn's has a more comprehensive list and guidance for fixing/remediating most issues.

U-M has purchased a few tools to assist with identifying and remediating digital accessibility issues in specific platforms. Please see he links below for more information about each of these tools.

Canvas (and associated Microsoft Office and PDF files) -
Google Apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides) -

Canvas Training Course

The Office of Digital Education and the Hub for Teaching and Learning Resources have a focused on accessibility issues and how to remediate them in Canvas with U-M Approved tools. While the course is focused on Canvas, the concepts are universal and any ��-Dearborn faculty, staff, or student is welcome to enroll.

Summer 2025 Digital Accessibility Virtual Presentation Series

A new Digital Accessibility series will be offered on Tuesdays at 10:00, replacing our open office hours and aligned with the new Title II regulations and ��-Dearborn’s for people who prefer it not to be self-paced. Each session will have a short,15-20 min, presentation on a specific digital accessibility topic, followed by time for Q&A or hands-on work. The topics covered in most of these sessions apply not only to faculty but to anyone who creates content for internal or public consumption, so staff members are welcome to join as well as faculty. The training segment of the sessions will be recorded and posted to the as time allows. These sessions will be offered again during the fall and winter semesters for those who can’t join during the summer or at the specific time these sessions are offered, but please keep the April 24, 2026 federal compliance deadline for all content in mind. Feel free to , use the individual session calendar links below, or at the appropriate time.

Tuesday, June 10 10am-11am: Color Contrast ()
Tuesday, June 17 10am-11am: Headings ()
Tuesday, June 24 10am-11am: Image Descriptions (alt-text) ()
Tuesday, July 1 10am-11am: Audio/Video Captions and Transcripts ()
Tuesday, July 8 10am-11am: Descriptive Links ()
Tuesday, July 15 10am-11am: Tables ()
Tuesday, July 22 10am-11am: Files (Microsoft Office, Google Docs, PDFs) ()
Tuesday, July 29 10am-11am: Yuja Panorama ()

Support via Email

Please email [email protected] with any questions about digital accessibility in Canvas or the classroom.

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