Brightspace Accessibility
Brightspace Accessibility Tools
Brightspace includes built-in accessibility tools such as Anthology Ally and ReadSpeaker to support accessible course materials and improve the learning experience for all students.
Anthology Ally
Ally is integrated into all Brightspace courses. Ally helps instructors identify and improve the accessibility of course materials, while also providing students with alternative formats such as audio, tagged PDFs, and HTML.
For instructors
Ally checks the files you upload to your course, such as Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, and images.
- An accessibility score indicator appears next to each file. Red, orange, and green indicate low, medium, and high accessibility.
- Select the indicator to see what the issues are, why they matter, and step-by-step instructions to fix them.
- Upload the corrected file directly from the Ally feedback window to replace the original.
- Ally’s course accessibility report shows the overall score for your course and which files to fix first.
Only instructors see the scores. Students never see them.
For students
Ally lets you download course files in the format that works best for you. Look for the Alternative formats option next to a file or in its download menu. Depending on the file, formats may include:
- Audio (MP3) to listen on the go
- HTML for reading on a phone or in a browser
- Tagged PDF for screen readers
- ePub for e-readers
- Electronic braille
- BeeLine Reader, which adds color gradients to make reading easier
- A translated version in another language
Alternative formats are created from the original file, so the better the original, the better the alternative formats. Creating accessible files from the start, and checking them with Grackle before uploading, improves results for everyone.
Ally resources
- Learn More about Ally
- Ally Tutorials – For Students
- Ally Tutorials – For Instructors
- Brightspace Accessibility Course for Instructors
ReadSpeaker
ReadSpeaker is built into Brightspace to provide text-to-speech functionality, allowing users to listen to course content and documents directly within the platform.
- Select the Listen button on a Brightspace page to hear the content read aloud, with each word highlighted as it is read
- Adjust the reading speed and other settings to fit your needs
- Listen to documents such as PDFs and Word files, in addition to Brightspace pages
Resource: ReadSpeaker Guide
Other Brightspace Accessibility Features
Built-in Accessibility Checker
The Brightspace editor includes an Accessibility Checker for content you create directly in Brightspace, such as pages, announcements, and discussion posts. Select the Accessibility Checker icon in the editor toolbar to find and fix issues like missing alt text, heading problems, and low color contrast before you publish.
Resource: Use the Accessibility Checker in Brightspace
Accommodations for quizzes and exams
Instructors can set accommodations for individual students in Brightspace, such as extended time on quizzes, that apply to every quiz in the course. Students who need accommodations should work with the Accessibility Resources & Student Transition office, which notifies instructors of approved accommodations.
Keyboard and screen reader support
Brightspace is designed to work with keyboards, screen readers, and browser zoom. To learn more, see the Brightspace accessibility library.
Have a question about Ally, ReadSpeaker, or accessibility in Brightspace? Please submit a support ticket.