An Accessible Syllabus

*Table 311.10 – Number and percentage distribution of undergraduate students enrolled in postsecondary institutions, by level, disability status, and selected student characteristics: 2019-20. 

National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). Fast Facts: Students with disabilities. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=60.

Everything should be accessible! 

No matter which of these options you choose, the end product should be accessible. From sufficient contrast between elements to  alt text on images, the syllabus should be accessible to everyone. Accessible content does not need to be plain or boring! Use images and colors carefully. Providing accessible content benefits and includes everyone, not just persons with disabilities.

You can have images on your Canvas syllabus that have descriptive and concise alternative text (or marked as decorative). Complex images (such as diagrams, charts, maps, etc.) should be described in surrounding text before and/or after it, in addition to having simple alt text. 

Whether you are linking to internal or external resources, always use descriptive (meaningful) links. Library articles or ebooks should use the permalink provided, but you can also download the PDF of the resource to give student options.

Use headings styles in order (starting with Heading 2) to start and separate sections and, if you must use a table for data or lots of information (such as a course schedule), making sure it has headers (column or row). 

When it comes to formatting, less is usually more, especially when it comes to font types, colors and using bold or italicized text. Reserve underline for links.

Look at the colorful dials in your course. That's Ally at work letting you know how accessible content is.

You might also consider having a version of the syllabus that is easy to download or print. PDFs created from MS Office that already have structure (headings, lists, contrast, descriptive links, alt text) and are not images, will be mostly accessible.

A few places to learn

• A great page about some of the basics of accessible Word documents

• Submit PDFs for remediation for free

• Best practices for accessible and inclusive digital content

• Canvas Accessibility Checker

• Ally, can help you find and correct inaccessible documents in your Canvas course

• How can you integrate accessibility into your syllabus?

• W3C Images Tutorial that offers great information on alt text for different image types

• Excellent pointers for creating syllabus based on the principles of Universal Design

• How to add captions in Canvas

• More information about Universal Design

• Accessible Technologies Webinar Series and information on how to get involved