4.1 Utilize: Accessibility Checkers

In this activity, you will utilize Ally, an accessibility checker, to review a file in your course. After conducting the review, you will complete a short activity based on the report generated by Ally. This activity aims to familiarize you with using Ally, an essential tool for ensuring the accessibility of your course materials. Ally can efficiently examine a document to identify potential issues, but it's important to remember that it may not catch everything. Therefore, it's crucial to exercise due diligence when using Ally to review files in your courses.

Purpose

A key aspect of improving the speed of course remediation is becoming familiar with Ally and understanding its interaction with your course. This course emphasizes practicing with accessibility checkers, making it a crucial goal. By incorporating various checkers into your workflow while creating content both within and outside your courses, you can enhance the accessibility of your materials, ensuring they cater to the needs of all students.

Instructions

1. Choose a file in your welcome or week/section 1 content in your course. Picking a word document will be best but you can choose a PDF or another file type if you’d like. You will be making the suggested fix.
   • The file should be uploaded directly to Moodle and not linked.
   • It should have a colored Ally gauge as shown in our learning content for this week.
   • Don’t have either of these? Make a copy and download (File and Download in Google Docs) this provided file and temporarily upload it into your course as a file resource. Ally should analyze the accessibility of the file and a gauge should appear with an accessibility score of low.
2. Click on the Ally accessibility score gauge.
3. Take a screenshot of your first accessibility suggestion.
4. Complete the fix that Ally recommends.
5. Reupload the file and check the report again taking a screenshot of the after.
   1. The file does not need to be in the green at this time. You only need to apply 1 fix.
6. Reflect on the following questions (you will need to submit this).
   1. After viewing a report on your own file or the provided file, how can you use this in other areas of your course or other courses all together?
   2. Did you run into any issues when using Ally?
   3. Did you have any other thoughts, surprises, or successes when using Ally?
7. Make a final review of your screenshot and reflection.
   1. Make sure you know what is good:
      1. All reflection prompts answered.
      2. Before Screenshot of Ally report uploaded.
      3. After Screenshot of Ally report uploaded.
8. Make your submission of prompts and screenshots of reports. (See submission details below.)

Submission Details

• Text or file with answered prompts. 
  • Copy and Paste it in, link to them or upload a text document.
• Upload your screenshot into the file submission area.
  • Name both of your screenshots submission like this: (file name the report was done with) (Before and After) Ally Report.xxx. The file extension .xxx should be any image format (jpeg, jpg, png).
    • Example: File 1 = “Course Syllabus Before Ally Report.xxx” and File 2 = “Course Syllabus Before Ally Report.xxx”

Support Resources

• Submitting to Assignment in Moodle
• Sharing Google Files:  Be sure when sharing the file or link that you share with anyone at Lane Community College.
  • If you need help with sharing your link, reach out to your support at the ATC!
• Viewing a rubric for an assignment in Moodle