Ally Tool in Canvas

This page will introduce you to this tool for Canvas licensed by the University of Washington and made available in Canvas Autumn quarter 2018.

Ally Overview & Availability

Ally is a tool that integrates into Canvas and works to support content creators ensure that the materials they are creating and using are accessible. 

Ally Features

Ally supports accessibility in Canvas in a few exciting ways: 

1. When uploading content, Ally will scan the file and produce an accessibility score. This score is symbolized by a little gauge next to the document/image (on the Canvas page, the modules list, and in the Files list). The gauge will be red, orange, yellow, or green depending on the score.

   When you click on the gauge you'll be walked through an explanation of the problem and guidance on fixing the problem. 

2. When you add a file to Canvas, Ally will produce alternative formats. To view/access those formats, students click on the alternate formats link.

   Currently, the following formats are provided depending on the file type:

   • Tagged PDF version
   • HTML version
   • ePub version
   • Electronic braille version
   • Audio version
3. Ally allows Canvas administrators to run institutional reports to monitor institution-wide accessibility improvement over time. This feature is planned to be offered to content creators at the course level in the near future. 

• Video: Ally Overview - a quick overview of how content creators can use Ally. Note: some features have been updated. (6:45)
  
• Video: Ally Student view - a quick overview of how students can take advantage of Ally. (2:04)
  
• Introducing Blackboard Ally Links to an external site.