Skip to main content

Bite-Sized Tips for Digital Accessibility

Posted December 17, 2025 in Educational Technology News, Featured News, Instructional Design News, JMU Libraries News

image of a computer keyboard with accessibility-related icons on some of the keys

Have you been enjoying the series of quick tips on digital accessibility topics in our weekly emails? Now you can find them all here! 

As part of JMU’s campus-wide digital accessibility efforts, the Libraries and our Digital Accessibility Ambassadors are working hard to support faculty in making course materials more accessible.

Whether you’re updating a syllabus, designing slides, or sharing resources online, these tips make it easier to build accessibility into your everyday teaching. 

If you’re not sure where to start, try these quick tips: 

1. Make your tables accessible 

Tables can create barriers for people using mobile devices or assistive technology, so try presenting your content using headings and text instead. If you need to use a table, follow JMU’s guide on how to properly format tables or watch this short video on how to make an accessible table in Microsoft Word. 

2. Add alt text to images

Alt text is a short description of an image that explains its meaning and purpose. It helps people who are using assistive technologies and those in situations where images don’t load, such as on slow internet connections. You can get help with alt text for images in Canvas by using the AI Alt Text Assistant feature in Ally, our accessibility checker integrated into Canvas.  

3. Make your PDFs accessible

It’s easier than ever to make PDFs accessible to all learners! A new feature within Anthology Ally allows you to apply quick fixes to PDFs right in Canvas. See this short video of Ally’s PDF Quick Fixes in action. Guides are also available to help you create accessible PDFs. 

4. Caption your videos

Have you ever wanted to watch a video in a public space, but forgot headphones? Thankfully, captions and transcripts can make a video more accessible for anyone who can’t hear it. Learn how to create captions and transcripts for the videos you use in your classes.   

5. Use heading formatting (Heading 1, 2, etc.) instead of bold text 

Can you imagine if you couldn’t skim headings to see what was on a document or web page? People using screen readers can jump to a section of the page only if you use headings instead of bold text. This is why Ally may remind you to add headings to a document in your Canvas courses.   

6. Attend our workshops and office hours

We’re offering personalized office hours and interactive workshops to help JMU faculty improve the digital accessibility of their course materials. You can also find recorded workshops and self-paced guides among JMU’s resources for instructors.

Questions? 

Submit your questions to JMU’s Digital Accessibility Technical Advice Team, or visit JMU’s Digital Accessibility page to learn more.