When an instructor uploads a document to Blackboard, Ally will analyze the document for its accessibility. Once analyzed, the document will show a gauge to indicate the level of accessibility to the student. The indicators are not visible to students, they are only visible to instructors.
At this time, Blackboard Ally will only check the accessibility of documents that have been uploaded to Blackboard by the instructor. Excel documents will not be checked nor have an indicator. Typed text within an item will be checked, but an indicator will not be present. You can view the accessibility score of the text in the Course Accessibility Report.
Blackboard Accessibility Indicators
Accessibility indicators will appear on any document uploaded across Blackboard. The indicators will reveal how accessible the corresponding document is.
| Accessibility Level |
Description |
Accessible Score (Percentage) |
| Low |
File is not accessible and requires immediate attention to correct accessibility issues. |
0-33% |
| Medium |
File is somewhat accessible. The file could be improved. |
34-66% |
| High |
File is accessible. There are non-critical issues to be improved. |
67-99% |
| Perfect |
File is accessible. No improvement needed. |
100% |
How to View Accessibility Issues
Once your document has been checked by Blackboard Ally and has an accessibility indicator, you can click on the indicator to view the accessibility issues. Ally will provide tips on how to resolve the issue(s).
- Click on the accessibility indicator next to the document name.
- The Instructor Feedback Panel will open on the right-hand side
- In the middle of the page, you'll see a preview of the document or file you've selected.
- At the top, you'll see the accessibility score.
- Beneath the score, you’ll see any issues the document has, along with an explanation of the issue, why it’s important, and how to fix it.
- Select fix to take action.
- At the bottom of the panel, you’ll see an area to re-upload a new document. This allows you to update the original document and rescan for accessibility corrections.
