Using the Canvas LMS Accessibility Checker
The Canvas Accessibility Checker ensures that your digital course materials are clear and navigable for all students. There are now two primary ways to check your content: Scanning an entire course via the navigation menu or checking a single page while editing in the Rich Content Editor (RCE).
Note: The checker focuses on "high-impact" rules that most frequently affect users, testing against WCAG 2.2 Level A, AA, and AAA criteria.
Method 1: Scanning an Entire Course
This method is best for a "birds-eye view" of your course health. It allows you to find and fix issues across multiple Pages and Assignments from one central dashboard.
Open Accessibility: In your Course Navigation menu, click the Accessibility link.
Scan Course: Click the Scan Course button.
Note: Large courses (up to 1,000 items) may take a few minutes to complete.
View Issues: The dashboard will display a bar chart of issue types and a list of specific resources with errors.
Fix Issues: Click the Fix button next to any resource. A tray will slide out to guide you through the remediation wizard.
Apply & Next: Follow the prompts to fix the issue and click Save & Next to move to the next item.
Method 2: Checking an Individual Page (RCE)
This method is best for checking content in "real-time" as you are creating or editing a specific item.
Open Editor: Click Edit on any Page, Assignment, Discussion, or Quiz.
Launch Checker: Locate the Accessibility Checker icon (a person in a circle) at the bottom right of the text editor.
Follow the Wizard: A sidebar will open on the right. Highlighted areas in your editor will correspond to the issues listed in the sidebar.
Apply Fix: Enter the required information (like Alt Text) and click Apply.
What the Checker Identifies
The tool scans for common accessibility barriers in your text, images, and tables:
Category | Specific Issues Detected |
Images | Missing Alt Text, alt text too long (>200 chars), or using the filename as alt text. |
Links | Duplicate links or broken links containing extra spaces. |
Text/Heads | Skipped heading levels (e.g., H2 to H4), headings over 120 chars, or use of H1 within page content. |
Contrast | Small or large text that does not meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA contrast requirements. |
Tables | Missing headers, missing captions, or improper header scope. |
Important Notes
Scope: The checker does not scan files (PDFs, PowerPoints) or content created in external LTI tools.
Limitations: The Course-Level scan is currently limited to courses with fewer than 1,000 total pages and assignments.
Version History: If you roll a page back to a previous version, any previous accessibility fixes will be lost and must be re-applied.
Decorative Images: If an image does not add instructional value (like a divider line), always check the "This image is decorative" box so screen readers skip it.
Need additional help? Click here for further assistance.