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November 1, 2021 - Word Accessibility: Can your document be a Canvas page?
Accessibility Goal of the Week
This week, we will kick off a multi-part series on Word document accessibility. However, before we dive into the various elements of how to make a Word doc accessible, it's important to ask ourselves if the material in our Word doc needs to be in that modality after all.
The Best Solution: Turn Files into Canvas Pages
As we discussed with PDFs and PowerPoints, converting your external files to Canvas pages is the most accessible route, as doing so essentially renders the content into an HTML format. HTML is the best environment for screen readers and for students using mobile devices.
It is much simpler to manage the accessibility of your Canvas pages using the Rich Content Editor than it is to remediate other file formats. Not to mention, the fewer steps your students need to take to reach your content, the better. By incorporating your content directly into Canvas pages, you help facilitate your students' learning process more effectively.
How to convert a Word doc to a Canvas page
Create a new page in your course and then copy and paste the content from the external file to the Canvas page. Below is a helpful video (4:59) from @ONE which takes you through the conversion process. The document used in the video is a PDF, but the same steps apply to a Word doc.
Example Situations Where an Accessible Word Doc is Appropriate
It is appropriate to leave a document as a Word Doc if needed. Below are two examples when an accessible Word Doc suffices. If part of the learning objective or intent is how the document is formatted, one may create an accessible Word Doc (assuming Canvas is not the appropriate platform.)
- Syllabus: While Canvas has a syllabus feature, some students may prefer to have a Word or Google Doc version to facilitate easy printing. Better yet, provide BOTH! The video above shows you how to do this.
- Students need to preview an example of how to format a paper before submitting: This could be an APA or MLA formatted paper that provides students an example of how this should look like. This could be a student paper example that has essential points or topics organized in a specific way.
If including a Word doc is your preferred method, join us next week when we dive into how to make them accessible.
Tasks completed? Congratulate yourself on reaching this week's goal. Your efforts
matter!
Want some support as you work towards your goal? Accessibility Ambassadors are ready to help in the Digital Learning Lab on Tuesdays from 9:00-11:00 am and Fridays from 3:00-4:00 pm, or reach out to an Ambassador via the directory.