These are problems that can completely block a student from accessing content or assessments.
- Non‑text content with no meaningful alt text (or marked decorative when it is meaningful),
especially:
- Images that convey information (diagrams, charts, assignment instructions in image form).
- Button or icon images that act as links or controls.
- Documents or PDFs that are effectively unreadable:
- Scanned PDFs without OCR or tagging.
- PowerPoints or Word files that are just images of text.
- Media without required alternatives:
- Lecture videos with no captions.
- Audio content without a transcript when it’s required to complete work.
- Interactive items that are not keyboard accessible:
- “Click‑only” activities, drag‑and‑drop with no keyboard alternative, inaccessible quiz question types.
- Critical contrast issues:
- Very low contrast for core navigation or essential instructions (e.g., very light gray text on white for due dates or instructions).
For courses with many problems, start with:
-
- content required to complete graded work this week,
- then next 2–3 weeks,
- then high‑enrollment courses.
These don’t always fully block access but significantly slow or confuse students who use screen readers or keyboard navigation.
- Heading structure:
- No headings at all on long pages.
- Skipped heading levels (jumping from Heading 2 to Heading 4).
- Headings faked with bold/large text instead of real heading styles.
- Improper list and table structure:
- Using hyphens or manual spacing for lists instead of real list formatting.
- Tables used purely for layout instead of data.
- Data tables with no header row identified.
- Links:
- “Click here” or bare URLs instead of descriptive link text.
- Multiple identical link texts pointing to different destinations on the same page.
- Page and file organization:
- Critical information buried in long, unstructured walls of text.
- Files named generically (e.g., “document1.pdf”) so students cannot distinguish them in a screen reader file list.
In a busy remediation cycle, prioritize:
- Home page, “Start Here,” and syllabus pages.
- Weekly overview or “Modules” landing pages.
- Any long “instructional” pages students must repeatedly reference.
Once blocking and structural issues are under control, address the items that affect ease and comfort of use.
- Color and contrast beyond core navigation:
- Low‑contrast decorative or accent text.
- Color alone used to convey meaning (e.g., “items in red are required”) without another cue.
- Text formatting:
- Long paragraphs with no spacing.
- Overuse of all caps or italics.
- Complex fonts or small font sizes that make reading difficult.
- Layout and consistency:
- Inconsistent placement of key elements (instructions, due dates, links).
- Important instructions embedded in images instead of text.
These are also good candidates for faculty development and templates: using accessible Canvas page templates, style guides for headings, and consistent module patterns.
These are worth addressing as you have capacity or when revising content anyway.
- Minor HTML validation issues that do not affect assistive technologies.
- Redundant or verbose alt text on nonessential images.
- Very old or rarely used content that is not required for assessments and has low student traffic.
More on Panorama
Panorama acts as an accessibility assistant — not an automatic solution — to make digital course materials more accessible.
Panorama will:
- Scan Canvas course content for potential accessibility issues.
- Assign an accessibility score to each content item (module items, files, assignments, pages, etc.) which will help instructors prioritize and address concerns.
- Provide tools to quickly resolve some issues inline and provide information to resolve more complex issues.
- Provide students with a variety of alternative formats for content items, including but not limited to audio, tagged pdf, and braille.
As a support and diagnostic tool, Panorama has benefits for both instructors and students.
For instructors, the tool scans Canvas course content to identify accessibility issues. It also offers instructors some inline tools to address those issues without leaving Canvas.
As Panorama scans course content, it generates an accessibility score and displays an icon that reflects the score. Instructors can use the scores and icons to prioritize accessibility efforts or begin remediation.
Hexagon, green: 85% or higher
Triangle, yellow: 60% to 85%
Octagon, red: 0% to 59%
Timer, purple: Pending or unscanned
Circle backslash, gray: Not available (document not scanned or cannot produce an accessibility score)
Circle figure, blue: Icon for students to view alternative formats
Panorama is a valuable support resource, but please remember:
- Panorama does not replace accessible course design, nor does it single-handedly bring a course up to ADA standards.
- Instructors and staff are responsible for ensuring their course content meets Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 standards. All UW course content must be accessible by April 24, 2026.
- Panorama is not an automatic fix-all; some accessibility issues will require manual remediation.
To get started, visit the Panorama Guide for UW-specific resources or the YuJa Help Center for troubleshooting and tips.
- Take advantage of our Instructor Drop-in Support (M & TH, 2 -4 PM) Right here!
- Watch this very short quick look at Panorama.
- ECTL will have a Panorama Knowledge Base page up soon. It will be linked in the official Panorama announcement coming soon and available at ECTL website.
- Learn more at Yuja Panorama Support.
