New Accessibility Checker Tool in Canvas: Anthology Ally

Posted August 4, 2025 in Educational Technology News, Featured News, Instructional Design News, JMU Libraries News

JMU Libraries has added a new tool to Canvas to help you check the digital accessibility of your course materials.

Anthology Ally scans course materials for accessibility issues, offers tips for improvement, and generates an accessibility report for each JMU course in Canvas. Reports are visible only to the course’s instructor(s). Ally also offers alternative formats for certain documents, including electronic braille, language translations, and more.

To view Ally’s analysis of a course in Canvas, click the “Ally Course Accessibility Report” link on the left side of the course’s homepage. The instructor view also shows the relative accessibility of each file you upload. If you have questions, check out Ally’s Quick Start Guide.

Why it matters: By using Ally, you can improve the accessibility of your course materials, better support students with disabilities, and improve the educational experience for all JMU students. Using this new tool also supports JMU’s efforts to meet updated accessibility standards for digital content under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Get support from JMU Libraries: Stay tuned for Ally workshops, coming this fall. As always, your colleagues at JMU Libraries are here to help you with Canvas and much more.

Learn more about Ally at JMU and the digital accessibility support we offer. Please reach out to us or share your feedback and questions with the campus Accessibility Committee directly.