Ally FAQs

What is Ally?

Ally is an external tool integrated with Canvas to automatically:

• provide instructors with an analysis and accessibility score for most course materials
• deliver guidance to instructors on how to improve the accessibility of course content
• provide students with accessible, alternative formats for many course materials

Find out more about Ally in Getting Started with Ally.

Why is Ally on in my course?

Ally is automatically enabled across all courses in Canvas, beginning Spring 2023. Students can access automatically generated alternative formats of course materials with no action by the instructor. If desired, faculty can identify accessibility issues with course documents. Find out more about Ally in Getting Started with Ally.

Why does Ally documentation take me to a Blackboard page?

Ally is actually a Blackboard tool, but they have developed an integration to allow Canvas users to utilize this tool as well. As such, when you visit vendor documentation, you will see Blackboard listed, despite the documentation applying to Canvas.

Can Ally make my course accessible?

Yes and no. By Ally being on, files and pages in Canvas are automatically more accessible because students can now access alternative formats of content. Ally does not alter any of your files or Canvas content though, so there is still room to manually improve accessibility. It is possible to use Ally to turn scanned PDFs into OCRed PDFs which is not automatic, but is a quick and easy way to make marked accessibility improvement.

Can Ally check student work for accessibility?

No. At this time, Ally can only check certain file types uploaded and materials directly generated by faculty/course admins/TAs.

Do I need to do anything to make Alternative Formats available?

No. Alternative formats are available to students by default without any action by the instructor.

Why can’t students download pdfs under Alternative Formats?

Not all files can be downloaded as a pdf. See Ally’s documentation on alternative formats for specific details.

Why are there icons/symbols on my course?

The icon next to a file or at the top of a page in Canvas is an accessibility score indicator gauge that is only visible to the instructor/TAs/admins. The various colors relate to an accessibility rating of low to perfect. These scores are the result of Ally’s assessment of how accessible each item is for students who may use screen readers; are deaf, Deaf, and hard of hearing; or have other barriers to learning. To learn more, look at Ally’s documentation on accessibility scores.

Do students see these accessibility score icons?

No. Accessibility scores on files and pages in Canvas are only visible to instructors/TAs/admins.

Why isn’t there an accessibility score on my file?

Typically, you should see your accessibility score within 15-90 seconds. This may take longer if your content is complex, or if you have a lot of course content and it is being assessed all at once. Please contact Canvas@Cornell.edu if your file has not been scored 24 hours after being added to your course.

How do I access my Accessibility Report?

In order to access the Ally Accessibility Report, you must first add the report to your course navigation. Once added to the course navigation menu, the Accessibility Report will be fully available for the instructor(s)/TAs/admins to explore.

Can students see my Accessibility Report?

No. Students cannot see the Accessibility Report.

What course accessibility score do I need for my course?

There is no institution course accessibility score requirement. You may want to contact your department leadership to understand your department’s specific policies.