Canvas accessibility work can feel overwhelming, but Utah Tech has tools that can save you time and make the process more manageable. Start by using TidyUp to remove old or unused course content. Then use Ally to improve the accessibility of the materials students actually need. For anything more complex, UT Online can meet with you and help create a practical plan.
Step 1: Clean up your Canvas course with TidyUp
Remove What Students No Longer Need
Before you start fixing accessibility issues, take a few minutes to clean out old, unused, or duplicate Canvas content. This matters because unused files can still appear in accessibility reports. Removing content students do not need can reduce the amount of accessibility work in front of you and help you focus on the materials that actually matter for learning.
TidyUp can help you identify and remove:
- unused or duplicate files
- old materials from previous semesters
- hidden content that may still affect accessibility reports
Steps To Cleaning With TidyUp
- Turn on and open TidyUp in your Canvas course.
- Review Canvas content and files that may no longer be needed.
- Delete the obsolete materials.
- Then move to Ally to improve the content students still use.
Step 2: Improve Content Accessibility Score with Ally
Use Ally to Work on the Content Students Actually Use
Ally can help you review and improve the accessibility of all the remaining course materials. Ally scans Canvas content and files, identifies common accessibility issues, and provides guidance for fixing them. The goal is to make sure students can access, understand, and use the materials they need for learning. Ally’s score can be a helpful progress signal to help determine if the content works well for students.
Ally can help you work on:
- image descriptions and alternative text
- PDFs that need OCR or accessibility improvements
- common document and Canvas content issues
- guidance on how to resolve other accessibility issues
Steps to Improving Your Accessibility Score
- Open the Ally Course Accessibility Report in Canvas.
- Start with high-impact or easy-to-fix issues.
- Review images, PDFs, and documents students actually use.
- Use Ally’s guidance to make improvements.
Step 3: Get custom support from UT Online
Let Us Help With Tricky Media and Files
Some accessibility work is more complex than TidyUp or Ally can fully resolve on its own. That is normal. Digital course content comes in many formats, and some materials need a more customized approach. You do not have to figure that out alone.
UT Online can meet with you, review your course, and help you decide the most practical next step.
We can help with:
- Word documents, PowerPoints, Excel files, and PDFs
- videos, captions, transcripts, and media questions
- images, alt text, and visual learning materials
- Canvas organization and file cleanup
- master courses, Blueprint courses, or shared templates
- deciding whether to fix, replace, remove, or redesign a resource
A practical way to start
Schedule a short meeting with a UT Online learning designer. We can look at your course with you, help you identify the highest-priority issues, and suggest a manageable plan.
Removing obsolete files first can make accessibility work much more manageable. Faculty who use TidyUp in their course often spend about 25 minutes using TidyUp to remove old, duplicate, or unused materials before moving on to Ally. Results vary by course, but this step can improve a course’s Ally accessibility score, sometimes dramatically, by removing inaccessible content students no longer need.
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Ally helps faculty address accessibility issues in the materials students still need. Faculty often spend about 25 minutes using Ally to address high-impact issues in the remaining materials. Results vary by course, but this step can improve a course’s Ally accessibility score, sometimes dramatically, without requiring manual file remediation.
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Additional Accessibility Resources
Use these resources when you want more detail or a printable guide.
Quick Guides
- View the Accessibility Checklist
- Open PDF Accessibility Tips
- View the TidyUp guide
- View Ally accessibility resources
Workshops and recordings
- Watch the TidyUp + Ally workshop recording
- Watch the workshop “Accessible by April: Getting Canvas Courses Ready for New ADA Requirements”
- View upcoming UT Online workshops
Title II and accessibility information
- More about Title II and online courses
- ADA.gov Title II web and mobile accessibility rule
- WCAG 2.1 Level AA overview
Need help?
UT Online Learning Designers are available to help faculty and departments work through Canvas accessibility in a practical, manageable way.
Whether you need help with one course, a shared course template, a Blueprint course, or a larger department cleanup process, we can help you decide where to start.
Huck Stewart
Learning Design Manager
Email: huck.stewart@utahtech.edu
Phone: (435) 879-4838
Office: GCB 365