This article explains how to use the Ally features within Moodle to check and fix document accessibility.
Bryn Mawr College's Accessibility Policy for Classroom Instruction requires that course materials be accessible and accessibility is an essential component of the Universal Design for Learning (URL) framework for including and engaging all learners.
Before you start, you may need the following:
- an Instructor of Record, Other Editing Teacher or Non-Teaching editor role in a Bryn Mawr Moodle course.
Alternative formats
Instructors and students can use the Download Alternative Formats icon next to uploaded files to have Ally convert them to different formats, such as text-to-speech audio recordings, ePub files for e-book readers, and electronic Braille, or to open them using assistive technologies such as Immersive Reader.
Warning: The accessibility of the original document directly affects the quality of converted document. For example, if a PDF hasn't been checked for appropriate tagging and reading order, the text-to-speech recording generated from it may skip passages or put them in the wrong order.
File-level accessibility scores
The Accessibility score icon next to each uploaded file indicates how well it meets accessibility standards. (These scores are only visible to participants with a teaching role; Auditors and Registered students cannot see them.)
Accessibility scores range from 0 to 100 percent. A low score indicates severe or multiple significant accessibility issues. A high score signifies minor or no accessibility issues.
Improve the accessibility score
- Click on the on the Accessibility score icon.
- Ally's Instructor feedback panel provides more information about the accessibility issues within the file, highlights where they occur within the document (if relevant), and recommends actions for improving them.
- In many cases, you will need to open the file in Adobe Acrobat (for PDFs) or the software you used to create it (Word, PowerPoint, etc.) to make the recommended fixes. When you are finished, upload the edited file in the space provided and Ally will immediately rescan it.
Course-level accessibility report
Ally also provides a course-level report, which shows accessibility information for all files and activities within the course and provides recommendations for how to triage them.
- In the Moodle course menu, click Reports.
- Click Accessibility Report.
- The Overview tab shows your course accessibility score. If you need to Fix low scoring content or Fix major issues, the number of affected files will be listed, click Start to see a list and begin fixing them.
- Click the Content tab to see a list of course files and their accessibility scores.
More information:
- See Ally's instructor guide.
- For technical issues with Ally, please contact the Help Desk.
- If you have questions about document accessibility or have accessibility needs that Ally does not meet, please contact Access Services (accessservices@brynmawr.edu).
Questions?
If you have any additional questions or problems, don't hesitate to reach out to the Help Desk!
Phone: 610-526-7440 | Library and Help Desk hours
Email: help@brynmawr.edu | Service catalog
Location: Canaday Library 1st floor
