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Ally Accessibility Tool FAQs

What do my students see?

Your students will never see an accessibility score for your course materials.

Students see a menu to the left or right of your documents. From this menu, they can select Alternative formats (such as HTML, ePub, electronic braille, audio, and more alternative format options) to download.

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What content does Ally check?

Ally checks:

  • PDF files
  • Microsoft® Word files
  • Microsoft® PowerPoint® files
  • OpenOffice/LibreOffice files
  • Uploaded HTML files
  • Image files (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BPM, TIFF)
  • What you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) content and YouTube videos embedded in WYSIWYG content

What accessibility issues will Ally find?

Ally’s accessibility checklist is based on WCAG 2.1 AA (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). This international accessibility standard aligns with most legislation and legal requirements worldwide. Examples include: 

  • Contrast issues
  • Untagged PDF
  • Image without a description
  • Misuse/missing headings
  • Misuse/missing titles
  • Tables without headers

If I copy my course, will the Ally improvements be copied to the new course site?

Yes. You will find all alternative formats and instructor feedback in your new course site.

What happens to my original files?

The original file stays in your course site.  Ally doesn't store a copy of the original, move the original, or delete it.

How do I see all issues?

Select All issues to see every issue in the file. This view shows you how much the score can improve as you fix each issue. Find the issue you want to start with and select Fix. Accessibility is most improved when you use this feedback to improve the score of your documents.

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How is my Ally accessibility score determined?

Ally provides every document with an accessibility score, reflecting how accessible an item is, how many students it can affect, how severely it affects them, etc. To calculate the accessibility score for a document, Ally takes a weighted average of the different accessibility rules and checks (contrast, headers, etc.). 

What Ally accessibility score should I try to achieve?

The initial goal is for instructors to make sure all course content is “green.” Accessibility is a spectrum. It’s hard to provide a point at which an item becomes “accessible.” By ensuring all course content is scored as green and working toward adopting principles of accessibility and usability, instructors are actively providing a more inclusive learning environment.

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