Additional How To's

• Accessible emails 
• Accessible Excel spreadsheets 
• LaTex/Mathematical Notation and Accessibility
• Web Accessibility Tutorials for those who design or manage web content
• Using PowerPoint templates
• Using Tables:
  • Microsoft: Create Accessible Tables in Word (watch) 

  • Canvas: How do I insert a table using the Rich Content Editor? (watch) 

• World Languages and Accessibility (coming soon)

What instructional material needs to be made digitally accessible?

All digital content used in a course must be made digitally accessible. This includes but is not limited to content made in Canvas (e.g., Canvas quizzes, pages, announcements, etc.), all files uploaded into Canvas, videos/audio content, digital articles/chapters/books/textbooks, hyperlinked materials, and emails and attached files. 

Which Canvas courses should I work on now?

For Spring 2026: Any digital content used between April 24, 2026, and the end of the semester should be made accessible to the best extent possible while the course is active.

For Summer or Fall 2026: Starting with Summer 2026 and Fall 2026 semesters, all new and actively used Canvas courses and uploaded content must meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards for university, state and federal compliance. 

Do my ongoing or special-use Canvas courses need to be in compliance?

Courses that continue to be used beyond a single term (for example, department training courses, advising resources, major-specific ongoing courses, etc.) must be remediated and kept accessible on an ongoing basis.

What about my un-used, never published, Canvas courses? 

If you do not use a Canvas course and students do not have access to it, no remediation is required. However, if students can access the course, any materials available to them must meet accessibility standards. If your course is "Unused", it will have "No" in the "Published" column of the table in your All Courses page in Canvas. 

How long is a Canvas course active at UVA? 

Instructors are automatically added to course sites 90 days before the start of the semester. If an instructor needs access to a site for a future course to start working on it earlier than 90 days before the semester's start date, they can reach out to [email protected]  The LTS team can add them to the site once they confirm that you are listed as the instructor for the course in SIS.  As of December 2025, each previous term will have an end date set 90 days after the semester's end date.  Ninety days after the semester's end date, the Canvas course will be moved into the "Past Enrollments" section of your All Courses list (opens new window) and is placed in a "read-only" state (it cannot be edited).  The UVA Canvas policies site contains more information.

What about Canvas courses from prior terms/archived courses? 

Canvas courses and materials from previous terms that are no longer in active use will be archived and in "read-only" format. Once a course is considered archived, accessibility remediation is not required if it is not used, accessed or changed. However:

• If the archived course or any part of the archived course is re-activated or re-published after April 24, 2026, the content must be made accessible.

• If the archived course, or parts of the archived course, are imported into a new course, the content must be made accessible in the new course prior to publishing.

• If any content of an archived course is changed, edited for grammar/typos, or the structure of the course is changed, the content must now be made accessible. 

• If a request is made for content from an archived course, you must provide an accessible version to the individual. 

How to know if a Canvas course is archived:

• Ninety days after the semester's end date, the Canvas course will be moved into the "Past Enrollments" section of your All Courses list and is placed in a "read-only" state (it cannot be edited).  The UVA Canvas policies site contains more information.