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Digital Accessibility Resources

Digital Accessibility for Campus Websites, UC Davis Canvas, Aggie Video & Other IET Services

Information and Educational Technology (IET) manages core digital platforms, hardware and software that support the teaching, research and service at UC Davis. We have an enduring commitment to digital equity and accessibility, ensuring everyone can access, benefit from and contribute to UC Davis digital information, programs and services. As of April 2026, “accessible” is measured by conformance to Level A and Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG, version 2.1.

  • The Digital Accessibility website is your primary source for campus-wide resources and policies. 

  • Use this page for accessibility information and resources for IET services.

     

Navigation

Explore digital accessibility tools by category:

Campus Websites

Members of the UC Davis community responsible for website(s) in one of the two web content management systems, SiteFarm and Faculty Sites, may consider the steps below: 

Get Started

  1. Run your site(s) through SiteImprove. SiteImprove will rate your site's accessibility and flag accessibility and usability issues. SiteImprove is available for SiteFarm and Faculty (WordPress) websites. Email [email protected] to request access.
     
  2. Depending on your web content management system, follow the steps outlined below:
  3. Review files on your site(s), paying close attention to PDFs. The following resources will get you started in creating accessible PDFs, but consider whether that file format is really necessary or if can be converted to a document or web page.
  4. Use best practices for Alt text, images, heading order, and more from the UC Davis Web Accessibility Guide.
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SiteFarm Resources

SiteFarm, based on Drupal, is the primary web content management system at UC Davis.

Faculty Sites Resources

UC Davis offers faculty members Faculty Sites, based on WordPress.

SiteImprove Resources

The University of California uses SiteImprove, a software plug-in that can review websites and flag accessibility and usability issues. SiteImprove is an all-in-one software that helps you perfect your digital presence and fix or improve accessibility, SEO, content quality, security issues, and more. 

Advanced: Web Developer Resources

If applicable to your role:

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UC Davis Canvas

UC Davis Canvas is the official campus-wide learning management system (LMS).  Note: Additional resources may be needed to ensure courses and accompanying content are accessible to all.

Get Started

  1. Use the Course Accessibility Checker to assess Pages and Assignments for common accessibility issues, such as missing alt text, missing or non-sequential heading levels, color contrast, and broken links.
     
  2. Use theRich Content Editor Accessibility Checker to assess Announcements, Quizzes, and Discussions for common accessibility issues, such as heading length and proper sequence, text size, and descriptive links. 
     
  3. Because the built-in Canvas tools do not assess files, such as PDFs or images, review the following accessibility resources from the University of California:
    1. Create Accessible PDFs
    2. Provide Meaningful Descriptions of Images
    3. Carefully Select the Language for Links
    4. Transcripts, Captions and Audio Descriptions in Videos
Illustration of a person teaching from a laptop, with a graduation cap icon above.

Course Accessibility Checker 

Available in the main navigation bar, detects common accessibility issues within a course. Scans Pages and Assignments for missing alt text, missing or non-sequential heading levels, color contrast, broken links, and more. This tool only assesses Pages and Assignments, not Quizzes, Discussions, Announcements or Files. 

Rich Content Editor Accessibility Checker

Detects common accessibility issues within the content created in the Rich Content Editor. Can be used to verify the accessibility of Announcements, Quizzes, and Discussions. Scans written content for heading length and proper sequence, text size, and descriptive links. Assesses tables for captions, headings and structure.  

Canvas Accessibility Resource for Students

Once content is made accessible, students may convert it to a format that better fits their individual needs. Within Canvas, SensusAccess can automatically convert files, but only if the original content is already accessible. For instance, it cannot be used to make an inaccessible PDF more accessible, but it can convert an accessible PDF into audio or Braille for students.

Learn more about SensusAccess

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Videos & Recordings

When creating instructional videos on AggieVideo or sharing recordings from Zoom or Teams meetings in Box, OneDrive, or Google Drive, there are several key accessibility steps you can take before making the content available to others.

Get Started

  1. Provide captions for dialogue. When using automatic captioning tools in AggieVideo or other platforms, review captions for quality and accuracy. For details, see: Digital Accessibility Training.
     
  2. Include video descriptions. When creating videos that have no dialogue, i.e., music and visuals only, consider video descriptions to provide context about what is happening on screen.
     
  3. Identify speakers whenever possible. If you are lecturing, be sure to introduce yourself, and call on any other speakers out loud. Additional guidance is available at Providing Audio Descriptions for Videos.
     
  4. Optimize text on screen. Keep text on screen brief and simple. Make sure it meets accessibility standards and has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1. Consult the SiteImprove color checker to ensure adequate contrast.
     
  5. Warn viewers about flashing imagery. If your video has strobing effects or flashing images, add a disclaimer at the beginning of your video.
     
  6. Refer to theUC Davis Video Accessibility GuideandVideo Best Practices to learn more about video captions, descriptions, text on screen, flashing imagery and more.

For videos already posted to AggieVideo, UC Davis recommends prioritizing captions for videos that are public-facing, embedded in Canvas for a large class or where one or more students using disability accommodations. 

Yellow circular icon featuring a video player with a play button.

Live Captioning

Zoom and Teams, virtual meeting platforms, offer real-time captioning capabilities. Depending on your instance of these platforms, your admin may need to enable the tools before you can use them. Once enabled, the University of California recommends live transcription be turned on by default to ensure accessibility, unless there is a reason to turn it off for a particular session. Review the following resources for additional information about live captioning in Zoom and Teams.  

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Additional Resources

Find Support

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