How to Add Alt Text in Canvas

Canvas makes it easy to add alt text - prompting you to add it when you first upload your image. You can also access an image via the Rich Text Editor or the Ally icon to edit alt text.

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Read: Adding Images to Canvas Courses

Uploading from the Images Tab

If you upload an image from the Images tab when in edit mode, you must add alt text or mark the image as decorative in order for the image to be loaded to the page. Marking an image as decorative means that assistive technology will not announce that an image is present. Doing this ensures that you are providing an equitable experience to all of your students.

screen shot of image upload pane in Canvas with arrow pointing to alt text field

Uploading Adding Images Using the Rich Content Editor

When adding an image through the image icon in the rich content editor, you are not forced to add alt text, but you can easily add alt text in the process.

screen shot demonstrating steps to add alt text to image from rich content editor

Adding Alt Text to Existing Images

If you're adding alt text to exiting images, click on the image, then click on the image editor icon in the rich content editor to access the alt text field.

screen cast showing how to add alt text using the rich content editor in Canvas

Add Alt Text Through Ally

University of Washington has Ally for Canvas. Ally will flag image files that are missing alt text with a red meter (Ally does not scan images that are imported through Flickr or pasted from a browser - it only images files that have uploaded).

You can click on the meter to be guided through the process of adding alt text to your image. You can then decide if the image provides meaning in the context or if it is there for a decorative purpose. If an image is marked decorative, accessible technologies (advanced text-to-speech tools or screen readers) will not announce it.

screen cast demonstrating steps to add alt text through Ally

Alt Text for Complex Charts & Graphs

When it comes to complex graphics and charts, some of the guidance depends on the type of image presented.

In general, you should practice the following:

Identify the instructional merit of an image. What is the main point?
Keep the explanation of an image brief. How would you describe its purpose in a sentence?
Focus on the data or information, and not the actual appearance of the image.
Articulate the point of the image clearly. Would your explanation help the learner to understand the point of the image?
Ensure that your explanation is usable by all. How would you explain the image, if you need to do so to someone over the phone? This helps a sighted person perhaps better understand the experience of a non-sighted individual listening to alt text.
It is often more accessible to provide a well-formatted data table rather than narrative alt text in cases where you're using a pie chart and/or bar chart. Use captions on tables for identification.
For graphics that illustrate processes (e.g. flow charts), these can often be presented in a nested list format instead of or in addition to the image.
If the information conveyed in the image/graphic is already represented in the text, then a brief alt text description is all that's needed. For example, the alt text could read "flow chart representing the process of the scientific method".
For images that have a complex meaning, it is best to either make sure it is described/explained within the context of the image or provide a link for the longer description. This can be a separate Canvas page or a Word document.

Watch: About Alt Text

Understanding Alternative Text (5:12) - Video from North Carolina State University

Explore: Creating Effective Alt Text

IT Accessibility Checklist: Images - By UW-IT Accessible Technology Services

Are there guidelines for describing complex images? Article by the DO-IT Center at University of Washington

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