By April 2026, all Western (and higher ed) courses will need to meet updated accessibility standards at the AA level, as required by the ADA. Although these new guidelines might feel overwhelming at first, Western provides plenty of resources and support to help faculty make their digital content accessible. These changes, guided by the Department of Justice, aren’t just about compliance but also about making sure every student can benefit from course materials. By following accessibility best practices like clear formatting and captioned videos, we not only meet university policies but also demonstrate our commitment to creating an equitable learning environment for everyone.
The Center for Instructional Innovation’s recent video series on LLATCH (text formatting) and CATCH (video set up) and the Pope Tech Accessibility Dashboard (Canvas content scanning), offer essential guidance for faculty and staff navigating the world of accessible course design in academia.
How should I use the Course Link Validator in Canvas?
As a first step to improve their courses, instructors can use the Course Link Validator in Canvas to search their course for invalid, broken, or deleted links. It reviews both published and unpublished content, identifies links that may not work for students, and highlights deleted or unreachable items. After updating any problematic links, you can re-run the validator to confirm all links are working. Cleaning up links prior to using the Pope Tech tools will eliminate many errors in that process. Faculty can find the “Validate Links in Content” option in their course Settings in the side panel. For details, see Instructure’s documentation on how to validate links in a course.
Note that it does not check email (mailto) links, and some flagged links may still work for students even if Canvas can’t access them. Also, a common error to watch for is a link that goes to a page or file in another class. The link will work for the instructor since they have access to that class, but it would not work for the student.
What is Pope Tech and why does it matter?
Pope Tech Accessibility Dashboard and Accessibility Guide Checker are powerful accessibility tools integrated into Canvas. Pope Tech scans course content, identifies accessibility issues, and provides actionable feedback. And with the Accessibility Dashboard, faculty can do this on a per course basis, and track the status of accessibility issues. This video is a primer for using the Accessibility Dashboard and Pope Tech Guide tools.
Bottom line: While the Pope Tech tools do not repair accessibility issues automatically, they can point you to the accessibility issues in your course and provide information for you to repair them.
What are the Pope Tech Dashboard Errors and Alerts in a Nutshell?
The Pope Tech Accessibility Dashboard, now paired with the Errors and Alerts Walkthrough video below, gives faculty a fast, practical path for making Canvas courses more accessible. Pope Tech is your built-in Canvas assistant for accessibility, scanning your content and flagging issues that might keep students from fully engaging. From the Dashboard, faculty can spot and fix problems in tandem with the Accessibility Guide directly on Canvas pages.
Bottom line: With just a few clicks, you can identify accessibility issues, use the Guide tips and tools to correct them, and ensure courses meet ADA requirements (as well as making them more welcoming for all students).
Don’t know where to start?
Look at common formatting issues (LLATCH and Color Contrast) in your courses to build your confidence before tackling a mountain of errors.
Note: Color contrast is the most pervasive error in Canvas content pages and it presents significant challenges for those with low vision.
Accessible Courses Made Simple: Pope Tech, LLATCH, and Dashboard
This video zeroes in on practical steps for faculty: spotting errors, fixing color contrast, adding alt text (with help from WWU’s Alt Text Generator – DATG), organizing headings, and correcting file type issues.
Note: This walkthrough shows how to rescan your course after changes and encourages thinking “accessibility first” when building content.
Document Accessibility Demystified: LLATCH and Remediation in Canvas
Struggling with inaccessible documents in your Canvas course? Trying to understand why PDFs are such an accessibility problem? This video can help spot remediation issues, and practical steps for making Word documents, tables, and PDFs accessible. It also folds in the WWU DATG Alt Text Generator and Sensus Access tools available at Western
Note: For a PDF that is not accessible, and you don’t have the original, this video also shares some beginning guidance on Acrobat Pro for advanced PDF fixes.
Media Accessibility Made Easy: CATCH, LLATCH, and Video in Canvas
If you use media in your Canvas courses, the CATCH – Media and Video LLATCH guide breaks down how to make your video and audio content more accessible. It covers everything from captioning and audio descriptions to transcript tools and readability best practices. At WWU, Panopto makes it easier to add or edit captions and even supports Audio Descriptions (helpful when visual elements in a lecture aren’t fully explained out loud.)
But what about media outside of Panopto, like YouTube videos or other web content used in your course? Even if you didn’t create the video, you can still make it more accessible. Simple AI tools can help you pull transcripts, generate captions, and ensure that your students aren’t left guessing.
Have a course that is a heavy lift?
For faculty at Western, the Center for Instructional Innovation (CII/ATUS) is currently offering assistance. With a small team of trained student employees, the CII staff can support faculty to improve course accessibility of their Canvas courses. Faculty should review the Canvas Course Accessibility Assistance Request Form carefully for stipulations and limits.
Want more on accessibility?
Self-paced Courses
These courses are made available to Western faculty, staff, and students by the Web Communication Technologies (WebTech) office.
- Micro-Accessibility Course for Web Content
- Western’s Accessibility Training (WAT)
Support at Western
- General Guidance
- Academic Technology and User Services (ATUS)
- Center for Instructional Innovation (CII)
- Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance (CRTC)
- Disability Access Center
- Teaching & Learning Co-op (TLCoOp)