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Using Ally in Canvas (Instructors)

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How Instructors Use Ally in Canvas to Improve Accessibility?

This article explains what Ally is, how it integrates in Canvas, how to interpret its accessibility scores, use the instructor Feedback Panel, and prioritize content fixes.

Note: We recommend using TidyUP before Ally to identify and remove unused files, outdated content, duplicate items, and empty folders. This streamlines accessibility remediation by focusing on content used in the course.

 

 

 

1. What is Ally?

  • Ally is a tool integrated into Canvas that helps identify accessibility issues in course content (e.g., PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoints, images).
  • It assigns an “accessibility score” (via a speedometer-style icon, not visible to students) to content items.
  • It provides instructors with feedback and suggestions on how to remediate accessibility issues.
  • Ally also generates “alternative formats” (e.g., tagged PDF, audio) that students can download.

Note: We recommend using TidyUP before Ally to identify and remove unused files, outdated content, duplicate items, and empty folders. This streamlines accessibility remediation by focusing on content used in the course.

 

2. Where to Find Ally in Canvas

  • After uploading a file (such as a document or image), look for the speedometer icon next to the item in your Canvas course.
  • The color of the icon indicates the accessibility score:
    • Red = Low (needs significant improvement)
    • Orange = Moderate
    • Green = High (meets accessibility standards)
       

3. Using the Instructor Feedback Panel

  • Click on the Ally score icon to open the Instructor Feedback Panel.
  • In the panel, you can:
    1. See a preview of the document (PDF, Word, etc.)
    2. View a list of all identified accessibility issues (e.g., missing alt text, poor contrast)
    3. For each issue, click “What this means” (explains why it's a problem) and “How to fix” (step-by-step instructions)
    4. After making changes in your source document, upload the corrected version via the panel to replace the old one.
    5. PDF remediation options.
       

4. Running the Course Accessibility Report

  • Use the Ally Course Accessibility Report in Canvas to see a high-level view of accessibility across your course.
  • The report has two tabs: Overview and Content.
    • Overview: Shows the course’s overall accessibility score.
    • Content: Gives a list of files and content items by their accessibility issues.
  • Ally categorizes issues by severity: Severe, Major, Minor.
  • Priority strategy: Either start fixing the easiest issues or address the lowest-scoring/high-impact items first.

5. Best Practices for Fixing Content

  • Focus on files with low accessibility scores first.
  • Use the feedback panel to understand and correct specific issues.
  • When editing documents - Microsoft ((Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Apple (Pages, Numbers, Keynote):
    • Add proper headings (use built-in heading styles).
    • Include descriptive alt text for images.
    • Fix contrast issues (choose text/background colors with enough contrast).
  • For scanned PDFs or image-only PDFs: convert to a text-based format or use OCR, then re-save as a tagged PDF.
  • Create and verify PDF accessibility using Acrobat Pro. 
    Note: Adobe Creative Cloud products are available at no cost to UCLA employees. For more information, visit the Software Downloads for more information.
  • Re-upload corrected files to restore or improve the Ally score.
  • Consider replacing some original files with the tagged PDF or another accessible format that Ally generates.
     

Additional Resources

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