Digital Accessibility Resources
Design for Everyone in Mind: Your Guide to Digital Accessibility
The Center for Faculty Excellence has brought together practical tools, guides, and strategies to help you create digital content that is accessible for everyone. Whether you're designing course materials or simply exploring best practices, you’ll find resources that align with accessibility standards. The goal is to make accessibility easier to understand and implement so that all learners can fully engage and succeed.
Why does digital accessibility matter in your course?
Digital accessibility is about designing course materials and learning experiences so that all students can engage fully and effectively. While accessibility is essential for students with documented disabilities, it also benefits students who have not disclosed disabilities, students with temporary or situational challenges (e.g., illness, concussion, caregiving responsibilities), multilingual learners, and students who simply learn best using tools like captions, screen readers, or flexible formats. In practice, accessibility improves clarity, usability, and learning for everyone.
Proactive approaches to accessibility—such as providing captions, using clear document structure, and offering multiple ways to engage with content—align closely with evidence-based teaching practices like Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Research consistently shows that when courses are designed with flexibility and access in mind, students experience improved comprehension, reduced cognitive load, and greater persistence (CAST, 2018). Importantly, many students who benefit from accessibility features never formally request accommodations; meaning accessible design often reaches learners who might otherwise be overlooked.
As a public institution, Bowling Green State University is legally obligated under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II. to make its web content and digital services accessible. New federal regulations require that state and local governments bring web content and mobile apps into conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 Level AA by April 24, 2026 (see ADA.gov). This means that the University must align its digital infrastructure, course design, and Learning Management System (LMS) practices with these accessibility standards.
UDOIT Accessibility Tool
UDOIT (Universal Design Online Inspection Tool) is an accessibility checker designed to help instructors scan accessibility issues in their Canvas course content. Instructors can use the UFIXIT feature within UDOIT to find and fix issues directly in their courses. The UFIXIT feature will streamline the remediation process and provide precise feedback to improve course accessibility scores.
#1 - Welcome to UDOIT
What is UDOIT? How do I enable it? Who has access? What issues does UDOIT look for?
#3 - Fixing Accessibility Issues in Canvas Content with UDOIT
Overview of the UFIXIT page, including many of the common errors seen in Canvas content, and how to resolve them with UDOIT!
#5 - Course-Level Reports in UDOIT
Teachers and designers can view course-level reports in UDOIT to get a bird’s eye view of issues and resolutions.
#2 - The UDOIT Home Page
On the UDOIT Home Page, view a summary of the issues found, and jump into workflows for remediating content.
#4 - Making Files Accessible in Canvas with UDOIT
In the Review Files area, UDOIT can generate alternate formats of files to make them more accessible. Turn a DOC or PDF into a Canvas Page!
#6 UDOIT: Student Access
This feature of UDOIT allows students to quickly access (and optionally generate) alternate file formats for files that are linked in Canvas content.
UDOIT FAQs
What will happen to my course files?
Your course files will not be removed or altered. Any files you previously remediated will remain in their original location, whether that’s in the Files area of Canvas or if you downloaded them to your device, etc.
Will I be able to identify content accessibility scores outside of UDOIT?
No. You will need to click into UDOIT to run an accessibility scan and identify inaccessible content.
I don’t see UDOIT in my course. How do I access the tool?
You will need to enable the UDOIT tool in your Canvas course by first selecting 'Settings' in the course navigation menu, and then finding the 'Navigation' tab to make the tool visible.
Will my students have access to alternative file formats?
You will need to enable the UDOIT tool in your Canvas course by first selecting ‘Settings’ in the course navigation menu. Once in the ‘Navigation’ tab, drag ‘UDOIT’ from the disabled items to the course navigation. Then, hit ‘save’.
Where can I get help with using UDOIT?
UDOIT has several resources to help you understand and use the tool. Check out the UDOIT User Guide by Cidi Labs as well as the training videos provided above. To help you create accessible learning environments and ensure legal compliance, the CFE has developed a self-paced Course & Content Resource Repository in Canvas. Access the Course & Content Accessibility Repository and enroll yourself by logging in with your BGSU credentials.
Updated: 01/22/2026 11:45AM