Introduction

Wilson College has added a new technology tool as part of Canvas that will help students access their learning content. It is called Ally. You will begin to notice an A with a down arrow Ally Logo (A with a down arrow) next to content, particularly files, in Canvas. If you click on that button you will be able to download that file or piece of content in various alternative formats. These formats are particularly helpful for students with various disabilities. However, you may find that they are useful to you even if you do not have a disability. For example, the BeeLine Reader format is very helpful when reading text on a screen. It changes the color of the font and adds spacing to make digital reading easier on your eyes. Please note that nobody will ever know that you used the alternative files and downloading these alternative files does not in any way affect your professor's original file.

Alternative Formats Available

Ally will automatically create alternative formats for the following file types:

PDF Files
Word Files
Powerpoint Files
Open Office/Libre Office Files
Uploaded HTML Files
Content created within Canvas using the text editor

Ally will turn those pieces of content into the following alternative file types:

OCR'd version (for scanned documents)
Tagged PDF (for Word, Powerpoint, and OpenOffice/LibreOffice files)
Mobile-friendly HTML
Audio
ePub
Electronic Braille
BeeLine Reader

Please contact the Academic Success Center if you have questions about accessibility in general.

Screenshots

See the screenshots below for examples of how to get alternative formats.

This screenshot shows how Canvas users can click on "Alternative Formats" to access the menu of files provided by Ally.

Screenshot detailing how to download alternative formats in Canvas

Screenshot of Ally logo placed in Canvas with alternative formats available.