Body
Consider the scenarios below as you add alternative text to an image in your course.
What are alternative descriptions?
Alternative text (alt text), referred to as alternative descriptions in Ally, are brief descriptions added to images to convey their content and function. Adding alt text is crucial for accessibility, as it allows screen readers to describe images, ensuring all students receive the same information. Additional information about how to add alternative text is available in the article, Including alternative text for image accessibility.
Note: The rich content editor (RCE) is used in Canvas to create content in various areas, such as Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, Pages, Quizzes, and Syllabus.
Will my alternative descriptions copy with my content when it is copied to another Canvas course shell?
It depends on how the alternative descriptions were added.
Copying content from within Canvas using the import existing course content, copy to, export course content, or import course content (including Canvas Commons) will bring the alt. text descriptions if they were added within the RCE, but not if they were added from the Canvas Files tool or the Ally Course Accessibility Report. We strongly suggest that alt. text be added from within the RCE, where Canvas can store the alternative descriptions attached to a content item.
Scenario 1: You provide an alternative description for an image using Ally in the Canvas rich content editor (RCE).
Selecting the Ally accessibility indicator in the RCE (see figure 1) will open the feedback panel for quick remediation of the accessibility issue. The description is now attached to the item stored in the RCE, and you will see an improvement in the Ally accessibility indicator. The description added through Ally is stored directly on the Canvas content item made available to your students. The alt. text descriptions will copy with the item if it is copied to another course shell.
Figure 1: View of the Ally score indicator on a Canvas Page for an image before the remediation has occurred.
Scenario 2: You provide an alternative description for an image directly within the Canvas RCE through the image options
Selecting the accessibility checker icon for Canvas will open the accessibility checker tool, see figure 2. The alternative description added directly to your image through the Canvas accessibility checker in the RCE is stored in Canvas and made available to your students. Ally will recognize the presence of the description, and you should see an improvement in the Ally accessibility indicator. The alt. text descriptions will copy with the item if it is copied to another course shell.
Figure 2: Canvas accessibility check available in the rich content editor.
Scenario 3: You provide an alternative description for an image using Ally in the Canvas Files tool.
Selecting the Ally accessibility indicator in the Canvas File tool (see figure 3) will open the instructor feedback panel for quick remediation of the accessibility issue. Ally has captured your alternative description, and you will see an improvement in the Ally accessibility indicator. Ally will store the description so that your students can access it when they encounter the image in your course. However, when a description is added from the Files tool, it will not be stored by Canvas and will not be copied to another course shell with your content.
Figure 3: View of the Ally score indicator from the Canvas files tool.
Scenario 4: You provide an alternative description for an image using the Ally Course Accessibility Report.
Using the Ally Course Accessibility Report, an image file can be remedied by selecting the Ally score icon, as shown in figure 4. Ally has captured your alternative description; you will see an improvement in the Ally accessibility indicator, and the file will no longer show on the report for an image missing a description. Ally will store the description so that your students can access it when they encounter the image in your course. However, when a description is added from the Course Accessibility Report, it will not be stored by Canvas and will not be copied to another course shell with your content.
Figure 4: Ally Accessibility Report view of a file missing an alternative description.
False negative alt. text warning in the Canvas accessibility checker
Scenario: You provide an alternative description for an image using Ally, but the built-in Canvas checker in the RCE says it is still missing.
The Ally accessibility indicator does not indicate an accessibility issue, but the built-in Canvas checker may say that your image is still missing a description. Don’t worry, Ally has stored the alternative description for that image so your students can still access it. Because the Canvas Files tool and Course Accessibility Report do not allow Ally to push your description back into the content directly, the built-in Canvas checker will be unaware of the description added through Ally. This is another reason why we suggest you add your alternative descriptions through the rich content editor (RCE).
Need more help with Ally? Contact the Academic Technology team for assistance.