Design Center

Designing for All: Running Course Accessibility Reports

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Get in the Habit

Incorporate Ally’s Course Accessibility Report into your course design process. This report gives you a high-level view of the accessibility of your course and quick steps to fix common issues. 

Why This Habit Matters

  • Identify and quickly fix accessibility barriers: Proactively addressing accessibility issues through Ally can reduce student frustrations, minimize requests for accommodations, and improve the overall quality of your course. Review Marshall’s H.O.M.E. Framework to see how accessibility is integrated into our Belonging standard for online courses.
  • Accessibility standards are connected with UDL: Running Ally reports helps you optimize your digital content, and Ally’s Alternative Formats empowers students to choose how they engage with the content. 

How to Do It

  • Accessibility Report: In your course, locate the Details and Actions menu and go into Books & Tools. Click “Accessibility Report.” Review your report, prioritize high-impact issues, and follow Ally’s guidance to fix them. As you address issues, you’ll see your accessibility score rise. Re-run the report periodically as you add and update content.

Click Accessibility Report 

  • Alternative Formats: Instructors and students both have access to Alternative Formats. Download an Audio version to listen to text, or use Immersive Reader to simultaneously read, listen, and follow along with highlighted text. Look for the “A” icon on course pages to view these and other options. Ally logo

Alternative Formats

Other Considerations

  • Don’t be overwhelmed by a low initial score: View it as a starting point for improvement, and focus on high-impact issues first. Contact the Design Center for help.
  • Focus on source files: Not all course files can be fixed within Ally. For Word docs, PowerPoint presentations, and other files, you will need to make adjustments in the original file and re-upload it. 
  • Deepen understanding with Ally’s explanations: In addition to showing you how to fix issues, Ally also provides explanations and models. When adjusting alt text for an image, click on “How to write a good description” for examples of meaningful and discipline-specific uses of alt text. 

Additional Resources

  • Screen Reader Demo in Blackboard: What is it like to take a course with a screen reader? Aaron Preece, Editor-in-Chief of AccessWorld, (an American Foundation for the Blind publication) and graduate of Marshall University, demonstrates how he uses a screen reader to navigate a course in Blackboard.
  • Ally Help for Instructors: This page links to multiple Ally resources, including a Quick Start Guide, FAQs, and video demos.
  • View Ally’s playlist for more demos on course reports and accessibility recommendations.
  • Marshall Online: Digital Accessibility and UDL: This page contains accessibility information, resources, and services at Marshall University. You can also explore other habits that support digital accessibility and UDL in our Designing for All, Habit by Habit Series. Since accessibility laws are dynamic and nuanced, these recommendations (updated Aug. 2025) may not reflect the latest updates and should not replace legal advice. For legal questions about accessibility at Marshall University, reach out to the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations.

 

Designing for All, Habit by Habit Series

This is a part of Marshall Online’s “Designing for All, Habit by Habit” initiative, our way of making accessibility a core part of the workflow. We believe that small, consistent actions – practical design habits – lead to big, positive changes over time. By incorporating digital accessibility standards and UDL principles, we’re building a more inclusive digital experience, one habit at a time.

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