Guide
How I use Canvas with low vision
an overview of Canvas accessibility for low vision and what worked for me when taking online classes.
I was first introduced to the Canvas Learning Management System (Canvas LMS) when I was taking online math classes through a community college. While I had experience with using Blackboard, Desire2Learn and Moodle for other online classes I had taken in the past, Canvas was brand new to me and I couldn’t find many resources for accessing Canvas with low vision from a student perspective, or information on Canvas low vision accessibility, so I started compiling my own list of resources. Here is how I use Canvas with low vision as a student taking online classes, and how I use (or don’t use) different vision accessibility features for Canvas LMS.
Devices I use to access Canvas content
I primarily access Canvas course materials using either a desktop Windows computer or my iPad tablet. For my computer, I use a 23-inch monitor with an external keyboard and mouse, plus an additional webcam that is used for proctoring during exams. I use both my computer and my iPad equally and have found that they provide the optimal workflow for accessing course materials for my classes.
Examples of ways I use my computer for accessing Canvas include:
- Watching slideshows, PowerPoints or live class sessions
- Attending office hours
- Reading and replying to discussion board posts or uploading assignments
- Writing math text in LaTeX or with another type of math editor
Examples of ways I use my iPad for accessing Canvas include:
- Sideloading readings or textbooks into an eReading application
- Taking quizzes or tests, since I can position the display at an angle underneath the bifocal in my glasses or use my Apple Pencil to annotate/write on documents
- Viewing PDF or non-responsive document layouts, as I can use pinch-to-zoom or Zoom to magnify pages more effectively through gestures/touch
- Checking my course email for notifications
Examples of ways I use both devices simultaneously for accessing Canvas include:
- Using an external application like a calculator during a quiz so I didn’t have to switch browser windows
- Logging into Canvas using a QR code displayed on another device
- Completing assignments or problems on another device while my instructor is presenting content during a lecture, or opening graphics on my iPad to zoom in further
- Scanning or copying scratch work from my iPad that I can upload via computer. I prefer to upload from my computer instead of directly from the iPad so I can make sure the file opens as intended.
For students with low vision taking online classes, especially math classes, I strongly recommend using both a computer and a tablet to accommodate for displaying different types of content and adjusting display angles. I received approval to use my iPad and computer simultaneously through Disability Services.
Related links
- Questions To Ask When Choosing A Desktop Computer For College
- All of the Technology in My Dorm Room: Post Round Up
- How I Use My eReader For School and Online Classes
- Adapting Digital Equations: Math Problems and Low Vision
- How To Get Disability Accommodations In Community College
Canvas feature options for low vision
Canvas offers several Feature Options for students with low vision that can be enabled by opening the Account tab and selecting the Settings menu. Users can either browse a list of Feature Options or use the search tool to activate/deactivate a specific setting. Examples of options that I set for my own account include:
- Disable alert notification timeouts: avoids automatically dismissing notifications and provides users with extra time to read content
- Disable celebration animations: hides extraneous animations
- Disable keyboard shortcuts: Canvas has its own set of keyboard shortcuts, but some screen reader and/or keyboard access users may prefer to turn these off and use their own. I personally turned this off for using NVDA.
- High contrast UI: adds additional color contrast to text and buttons so they are easier to identify and avoids using color as a way of conveying information. I actually turned this off in another class because I preferred using built-in high contrast displays for my devices.
- Microsoft Immersive Reader: provides option for students to use Immersive Reader for supported content if their professor does not have it turned on for all users (more on this in a later section). My professors had this available for all students, so turning it on/off had no effect for my profile
- Open to-do items in a new tab: opens to-do items in a new tab in the background
- Underline links: underlines hyperlinks in navigation menus, Dashboard, and page sidebars, which can make them easier to locate.
Other ways I made Canvas easier to navigate visually include:
- Collapsing threads or modules when they are not in use, and only opening one module at a time to decrease visual clutter. “Collapse all” was a helpful shortcut for this!
- Using the search tool to locate pages of interest
- Downloading files to view in external programs instead of in an embedded view
- Accessing content with browser zoom or with screen magnification
Related links
- Why To Take Virtual Classes in College
- How To Use High Contrast in Windows 10 and Windows 11
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Keyboards
Enable email notifications for grades
When I’m waiting for an exam grade or other major assignment grades, I will often check Canvas multiple times a day (or multiple times an hour) waiting to see if anything has been posted yet. Since that isn’t a great way to spend time, I configured my notifications to email me when new grades or feedback are posted for any of my classes, with the option of including score information in the email as well. This can be helpful for receiving information in a text-based format without having to browse the Grades page or other course pages, but I chose not to have scores included for my own emails.
Users can turn on email notifications for grades and feedback by opening the Account tab (which has the student’s profile picture) and selecting Notifications. From there, users can configure email notification settings by type, and then select whether they want to receive all of their notifications once a day, or if they want to get alerts as new content/grades are posted. Students can edit their selections at any time to change which notifications they receive.
Related links
Using Immersive Reader with Canvas
Immersive Reader is a simplified reading display tool that applies a consistent text style, size and background color to digital text content in Canvas. When available, Immersive Reader can be activated by selecting the Immersive Reader button in the top right corner of a course page and then customizing the display of text within the settings menu. I love using tools like Immersive Reader for reading large print, but there were some limitations to when and how I could use it as a student in Canvas:
- Immersive Reader is available for pages, assignments, course home pages and the syllabus. Most of the text-based pages in my course modules could be read with Immersive Reader, but images would be completely hidden or just have their file names displayed, with no additional alt text.
- I could not open links or hyperlinked content if Immersive Reader was open. Since my professors were great about using descriptive hyperlinks, I could easily locate and open links once I finished reading, but it was something I had to keep in mind.
- Immersive Reader was unavailable for discussion board content (both prompts and responses), quizzes and tests, which meant I had to find other ways to display content in large print.
- I can’t use other browser extensions to read content in a simplified reading display, because course content is password protected.
Even with these limitations, I am glad to have access to Immersive Reader for accessing Canvas content, but it is not a universal solution for making course content accessible to students with low vision or print disabilities. With the way my professors structured the course, I used it a lot less often than I expected.
Related links
How I read discussion boards and entries in Canvas
One of the most helpful tools I have found for reading discussion forums and posts in Moodle is the Reading Mode extension for the Google Chrome web browser on desktop. With Reading Mode, I can view discussion board prompts and responses to a single thread, including the name of the post author and any text they included in their post. However, I still have to use other strategies for drafting my own replies to posts or interacting with content that isn’t shared in plain text. Successful strategies I have used include:
- Using the search tool to look for keywords in entries or specific authors, which can help with locating topics or threads of interest.
- Using Chromecast to mirror a webpage on a larger screen, such as a TV
- Enlarging text with the Docked view of a screen magnification software
- Using text-to-speech or Read Aloud (which is supported within web browsers/device settings) to read selected text out loud
- Copying discussion board prompts into Microsoft Word or another word processing tool so I can enlarge the font size more efficiently.
- Using profile pictures as visual landmarks for identifying posts or threads
- Posting responses to the discussion board as attached documents, which can be opened in another program. Some of my professors required this instead of having students type responses, which was helpful for me.
Related links
- Google Reader Mode and Low Vision
- Low Vision Assistive Technology For Discussion Board Posts
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
More resources on how I use Canvas with low vision
- My math professors often would use another program like ALEKS or MyMathLab for sharing assignments instead of Canvas. I wrote more about these tools in ALEKS Accessibility For Visual Impairment and How I’m Using MyMathLab With Low Vision
- At the time of my classes, my professors didn’t use Anthology Ally (also known as Blackboard Ally) so I could convert downloaded content into multiple formats, though I know it is available for many students in Canvas. However, I did use this at my home university and wrote about this feature in How I Use Blackboard With Low Vision
- One of my “hacks” for easily accessing my classes is to pin the course website to my toolbar or home screen. Learn more about this in Helpful Ways To Bookmark Websites For Low Vision Users
- My professors personally proctored exams for all students and would have us turn on our webcams during the testing period instead of using a remote proctoring software, which was great for me since I often run into issues using assistive technology with those programs. Learn more about testing accommodations in Remote Testing Accommodations For Low Vision and Math Test Accommodations For Low Vision
By Veronica Lewis/Veronica With Four Eyes, www.veroniiiica.com
Updated August 2024.
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