Digital Learning Resources

Accessibility

Beginning in April 2027, digital course materials and online learning environments will be subject to enhanced accessibility requirements under federal ADA regulations. More importantly, digital accessibility helps ensure that every student and faculty member can fully engage with and benefit from learning and course content.

In response to these requirements, the university has invested in several key platforms designed to optimize course accessibility, including YuJa Panorama and Canvas Studio.

Join the Pilot

We are currently piloting a fully online workshop that provides up-to-date digital accessibility concepts, practical guidance, and hands-on instruction for YuJa and Studio. Faculty interested in participating in the pilot can email facultysupport@usf.edu.  

US Laws

• Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (includes Section 508)
• ADA Title II (updated with new requirements for April 2027)

USF Policies

• Policy 0-108 Disability and Accommodations
• Policy 10-506 Captioning and Access of Media Used in Course Content
  
  

Student Accessibility Services have a variety of resources to help you provide the access to course content that your students need. 

• SAS Web Accessibility
• SAS Resources 
  
  

• What is Canvas Studio
• Canvas Studio Basics
• Canvas Accessibility Design Guidelines
• Canvas Accessibility Checker Guide 
• Extending Quiz Time with Moderate Quiz Tool

Make your online course materials accessible: organize PDFs and docs with clear titles, headings, and alt text. Screen readers can then relay content effectively to  students with visual impairments. Check the SAS Accessibility Guide for tips on pages 10-12, and the following resources for different document types. 

Microsoft Office 365

Office 365 Accessibility Checker

• Microsoft Office Products Accessibility Checking

MS Word

• WebAIM Guide to Making Word Documents Accessible

MS PowerPoint

• Make Your PowerPoint Presentations Accessible
• WebAIM Guide to Making PowerPoint Accessible

PDF Documents

• Create and Verify PDF Accessibility 
• WebAIM Guide to Making PDF Documents Accessible 
• Turning Page Scans into Clean Text

Improve multimedia accessibility with concise, 10-minute content with closed captions and transcripts. This can also increase play and review rates. Contact Student Accessibility Services for assistance if captioning tools from Kaltura, Teams, or Canvas don't meet your needs.

• What is Canvas Studio
• Canvas Studio Basics
• Editing Captions in Kaltura (limited to online courses - AD or PD)
• Captions in Teams
• Adding Captions in Canvas RCE
  
  

Alternative text (Alt text) provides descriptions of images, allowing screen readers to convey their content to users who are visually impaired. Instead of displaying file names, screen readers read the Alt text to provide meaningful context.

Below are resources on how to add Alt text in common file types:

• Adding Alt text in Canvas
• WebAIM Article on Alternative Text
• Adding Alt text in MS365
• Adding Alt Text in PDFs 
  
  

Color is an important consideration when determining the accessibility of your content. Check out our video about it and some tools to help.

• WebAIM Color Contrast Checker
• Color Blindness Simulator