Ally PDF Remediation Options


Table of Contents

ELMS-Canvas PDF remediation using Ally

Instructors can use the Ally accessibility tool to address several common PDF accessibility issues from within their ELMS-Canvas course. Quick fixes for PDF files include the ability to OCR a scanned PDF and to fix issues with missing title and missing language, all directly from within the Instructor Feedback panel.

Additionally, Ally can now auto-tag untagged PDFs from within the course. Please note that we recommend saving a copy or using the download feature before final approval if you still need an older untagged version of the content. Once the change is made, you cannot revert to the less accessible untagged PDF.

The Instructor Feedback panel displays one issue at a time, but instructors can see all PDF issues and choose where to begin remediation by selecting the All issues button in the feedback panel.

Untagged PDFs

Instructors can remediate PDFs that are not tagged by selecting the Auto-tag PDF button from within the Instructor Feedback panel. To auto-tag the PDF:

  1. Review details of what happens during the auto-tagging process and how to review generated tags in the What happens next panel.
  2. Select the Generate tags button.
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  3. Review the suggested tags from the side panel against the content in the PDF. The progress indicator lists how many tags you've reviewed.
  4. When you're satisfied with the tags, select Approve all. Ally will now apply these tags to the entire document. Once you finish reviewing and approving, Ally will save a new PDF and upload it back into your course.
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Refer to Key Facts about Auto-Tagging for more information.

PDF missing title

It’s important for PDFs to have a title so that users can navigate and search the document efficiently. Instructors can Set PDF Title using the input field and selecting Apply fix to save. PDF titles should not:

PDF missing language

It’s important to specify a language for your PDFs so that screen readers will read the text accurately. Instructors can select a language from the available languages dropdown to Add PDF Language, then select Apply fix to save.
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Scanned PDF

Scanned PDFs are not accessible to assistive technology such as screen readers. Instructors can select Preview and Apply from the Instructor Feedback panel to apply OCR (optical character recognition) to the scanned document and generate a new preview of the result, which will be accessible.

Before selecting Apply to save the changes, instructors can choose to download the original scanned PDF for later use.

Note: Ally recommends that you save a copy or leverage the download feature before applying the OCR quick fix if you still need an older scanned version of the content. Once the change is made, you cannot undo the process to go back to the inaccessible scanned PDF.
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