Tip! Ally Alternative Text for Image Files Copy to New Semester & Other Updates

There are some exciting updates in the accessibility tool called Ally:

Fixed: Alternative Text for Image Files Copy to New Semester

Alternative text added to image files in Canvas Files area through Ally’s Instructor Feedback will now copy over from semester to semester. Your Ally score will stay the same in the new course. Please note that the Ally score will take some time (up to an hour) to update in the new course due to the system conducting a new review.

Updates to Student Alternative Formats

New Feature: Handwritten Content Now Supported in Scanned PDF Files

Handwritten content within a scanned PDF should be converted to text using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for students downloading the Ally Alternative Formats. The availability of this format is dependent on the quality of the image and the handwriting. This is for English only at this time (does not support math or content in other languages).

An example of handwritten content that has been converted to text using OCR.
An example of handwritten content

Math Support: Word Documents Now Available in 3 New Alternative Formats for Students

Students can download three new alternative formats for math content within Microsoft Word Documents:

  • HTML Alternative Format converts Office Math to MathML in their browser (webpage).
  • Audio Alternative Format should read content from the Math Editor in an understandable way.
  • Immersive Reader Alternative Format allows students to access additional accessibility features including the MathJax contextual menu option.

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