When my university switched to using Canvas as its learning management system for hosting course websites, I had to quickly learn how to access Canvas with low vision and how to use tools like Canvas keyboard shortcuts or strategies for accessing Canvas content with large print. Even though I had used Canvas when I was a visiting student at a community college, most of my assignments for those classes were submitted on other platforms (e.g., WebAssign or ALEKS), so I didn’t explore a lot of Canvas accessibility features.
Since I couldn’t find many resources for accessing Canvas with low vision from a student perspective, or information on Canvas low vision accessibility, I started compiling my own resources and notes about how I use Canvas with low vision in online and hybrid classes. Written for visually impaired students, here are tips for using Canvas with low vision and navigating Canvas accessibility features.
My technology workflow: Devices for accessing Canvas
I have two devices for accessing Canvas with low vision that I use equally often in my online and hybrid classes, a desktop computer and an iPad. My desktop computer is a Surface laptop attached to a docking station, with a 24-inch monitor, large print keyboard, mouse, webcam, and external microphone. For the iPad, I have the iPad Air with a Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil. Both of these devices enable me to access Canvas content in large print while minimizing the effects of eye strain or cognitive fatigue from switching apps frequently.
I use my computer to access Canvas for tasks such as:
- Attending synchronous class meetings or office hours
- Uploading assignments (usually created outside of Canvas)
- Reading and replying to discussion board posts
- Watching PowerPoints or lecture videos
- Accessing module content
I use my iPad to access Canvas for tasks such as:
- Taking quizzes or some tests, as it is easier to position the tablet screen under the bifocal in my glasses and use pinch-to-zoom
- Viewing PDF or non-responsive document layouts, as I can use pinch-to-zoom or Zoom to magnify pages more effectively through gestures/touch
- Accessing module content or replying to discussion board posts from my email
- Uploading assignments or screenshots
Examples of ways I use both my computer and iPad simultaneously in Canvas include:
- Accessing lecture notes or collaborative documents during synchronous classes
- Reading course materials or textbooks
- Using a calculator or other application so I don’t have to switch between windows
- Taking notes during class or from files open on another device.
While I could exclusively use my computer to access Canvas, the iPad makes it easier to read several types of content since I can position the screen closer to my face. I also prefer using pinch-to-zoom for some tasks over full screen magnification, since I can tilt the iPad screen at an angle.
Can students access Canvas using only an iPad?
For students that are wondering if they can use an iPad as their primary device to access Canvas, I would say that this depends heavily on how the instructor uses Canvas and the types of files/content students are expected to access. When I was recovering from surgery and unable to sit at my desk, I used my iPad to access Canvas and relied heavily on tools like Magnifier, Speak Text, Hover Text, and pinch-to-zoom to access visual content, while using the external keyboard. I also used the Canvas web application in the web browser, not the Canvas app for iPad, because I have had inconsistent experiences with Dynamic Text and using the Canvas app with large print.
For these classes, all of my assignments were shared as Word documents and I would work on them in the Word app on my iPad, uploading assignments when finished. All of my course readings were also provided as external links, so my primary interactions on Canvas involved uploading assignments and responding to discussion posts. In this context, I could use my iPad to access all of the content I needed, but I definitely missed my larger computer screen and larger display in general. I would not have been able to exclusively use my iPad to access Canvas if my professors had proctored quizzes or tests, did not use modules for organizing all course content in a consistent location, or share content in accessible formats that I could read with large print and edit in other applications.
For visually impaired students, I would strongly recommend learning to use Canvas on a computer and not just on an iPad, and using an external keyboard like Magic Keyboard to assist with typing. I find typing on a touchscreen to be very frustrating in Canvas.
Related links
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Computers
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Tablets
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Keyboards
- How To Make iPad Accessible for Low Vision
- How To Create A Disability Services File
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 turn this off when using screen readers like 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 later turned this off to use a built-in high contrast display on my computer.
- 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
Using Canvas with keyboard shortcuts
One of the most helpful strategies for accessing Canvas with low vision is using keyboard shortcuts. A list of Canvas shortcuts can be found by using the shortcut Ctrl + ?, which will open a list of keyboard shortcuts for a particular area. This menu can be closed by pressing Esc.
Here is a list of Canvas keyboard shortcuts for students that I have used in my classes. For convenience, I have also attached these shortcuts as a HTML document that students can reference.
Discussion board keyboard shortcuts
Rich content editor keyboard shortcuts
- ALT+F8: Open keyboard shortcuts dialog
- Shift+Arrow keys: Highlight an element to activate the element options toolbar
- Ctrl+F9: Focus element options toolbar
- ALT+F9: Go to the editor’s menubar
- ALT+F10: Go to the editor’s toolbar
- ESC: Close a menu or dialog. Also returns you to the editor area
- TAB/Arrows: Navigate through the menu or toolbar
- Additional shortcuts: TinyMCE Keyboard shortcuts | TinyMCE Documentation
Assignments index page keyboard shortcuts
- j: Focus on the next assignment or group
- k: Focus on the previous assignment or group
- e: Edit the current assignment or group
- d: Delete the current assignment or group
- a: Add an assignment to selected group
- f: Show full preview of the selected assignment
Media player keyboard shortcuts
- Space: Play/Pause media
- Up Arrow: Raise Volume by 5% increment
- Down Arrow: Lower Volume by 5% increment
- Left Arrow: Jump backwards by 5% increment
- Right Arrow: Skip forwards by 5% increment
- f: Activate/deactivate Fullscreen
- m: Mute/Unmute playback audio
Modules index page keyboard shortcuts:
- Up Arrow: Select next module or module item
- Down Arrow: Select previous module or module item
- j: Next module or module item
- k: Previous module or module item
- Enter: Open module item
- Tab: Select module item or open Alternative formats menu
Related links
Enable email notification 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 is unavailable for reading discussion board 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. I typically use screen magnification, text-to-speech, or other strategies to enlarge text.
Related links
- How I Use Microsoft Immersive Reader With Low Vision
- Customize Microsoft Edge Accessibility For Low Vision
- Simplified Reading Displays and Low Vision
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.
- 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
Converting course content to accessible formats with Ally
For students, Anthology Ally is an automatic file conversion tool that provides students with the option to access text-based content and assignments in alternative formats designed for use with assistive technology such as large print, screen magnification, screen readers, braille displays, and simplified reading displays. This provides students with more flexibility in how they access course content and read materials both online and offline, and students can download the same file in multiple formats if they choose. Due to the automated conversion process, files converted with Anthology Ally are not 100% perfect, but they are still a helpful resource to have for students with print disabilities.
For students, the Anthology Ally icon will appear next to supported content, such as attachments, course modules, and text-based content. This icon looks like a person inside a circle, and is labeled Alternative Formats on Canvas and Blackboard. To access Anthology Ally as a student:
- Open an individual page or document, such as a file, page, attachment, assignment, etc.
- Select the Anthology Ally icon, which is labeled as Alternative Formats
- Once selected, a menu will appear with a list of file formats that users can download. While only one file format can be selected at a time, the same file can be downloaded multiple times in different formats.
- Select download, generate, or view when prompted.
The options for alternative formats will vary depending on the type of file selected and the course settings; some professors turn off Anthology Ally for student access. For students that are approved for receiving alternative formats as part of their disability accommodations, I strongly recommend reaching out to Disability Services or an assistive technology specialist for further resources or for requesting manual remediation for accessible documents (especially braille).
Related links
- Using Anthology Ally With Low Vision
- File Formats For Low Vision and Print Disabilities
- How To Request Accessible Textbooks In College
- What To Know About College Assistive Technology Specialists
Taking quizzes and tests with Canvas as a low vision student
My experience taking quizzes and tests with Canvas on my computer has ranged from being mildly frustrating to completely inaccessible, and there are a few different workarounds that students can try that I have used successfully in my own classes:
- Using browser zoom to enlarge Canvas quizzes and tests (Ctrl + +) enlarges all of the surrounding content, not just the text. This means that the display elements gradually hide questions and other quiz/test content at high levels of zoom. Instead of browser zoom on a computer, use screen magnification software (which may need to be manually approved for proctored exams, depending on how the professor configures their course)
- Instead of using browser zoom keyboard shortcuts, another strategy for enlarging Canvas quizzes is to use pinch-to-zoom on a tablet in the Canvas web application, not the Canvas mobile application.
- When using screen readers like VoiceOver and Narrator, I have noticed that Canvas sometimes skips over answer choices or does not read them. In these instances, students may need to complete quizzes or tests in a separate application like Microsoft Word and submit content for manual grading to their professor.
- Tools like Immersive Reader and Anthology Ally are not available for quizzes and tests. That said, I have used my web browser’s built-in text-to-speech (Read Aloud) tools to listen to content read out loud, or used Speak Text on my iPad.
- There is a ReadSpeaker plugin function available at some institutions for reading text out loud in proctored tests and quizzes, but my university does not offer this tool, so I have no experience with it.
- To enlarge images or graphs, I typically right-click or long-press on an image to open it in a new tab.
I receive extended time accommodations for quizzes and tests, so my professors manually configure timing accommodations by opening the assessment and selecting Moderate This Quiz > Change Extensions > Enter extra time > Save.
Related links
- How I Receive Accessible Quizzes and Tests in the Classroom
- Extended Time Accommodations For Low Vision
- How I Use Blackboard With Low Vision
- How I Use Moodle With Low Vision
More resources on how I use Canvas 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
- While this wasn’t the case with Canvas, I once ran into a temporary issue where I could not access an online class with low vision or use assistive technology with the course website. Read more about how this was handled in Implementing Shared Folders For Online Classes
- Wondering how I keep track of assignments? Read How I Keep Track of Assignments With Low Vision
- Getting ready to take an online class? I strongly recommend reading Must-Have Tech Skills For Online Classes
Published September 3, 2020. Updated February 2026