Accessibility in Blackboard

Blackboard is fully committed to delivering product experiences that conform to the highest levels of global accessibility standards. Towson University’s Blackboard support team knows that accessibility is imperative, not an afterthought.

Tuesday, Nov. 18

Fix Your Content Day 2025

Join TU’s Blackboard team and FACET for the annual global Fix Your Content Day on Tuesday, Nov. 18. We've structured the day with three flexible options to help you enhance the digital accessibility of your course materials using Blackboard's built-in tool, Ally.

Virtual session with TU’s Blackboard team: drop in for focused time and expert help with your course content.

When: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Where: Zoom (no registration needed)
What: hourly 15-minute mini-trainings on using Ally to find and fix accessibility issues, plus one-on-one accessibility help. For general Blackboard questions, please use this consultation form to request support.

In-person with FACET: stop by to collaborate with instructional designers on making small, impactful course improvements.

When: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Stay for 15 minutes or an hour!
Where: Cook Library, Room 404B
What: hands-on support for working with Blackboard's Ally make your course more accessible. Bonus: stay for a complimentary lunch and great conversation while you work!

By request: if you can't make it on Nov. 18, you can still participate! Complete and submit this form and the Blackboard team will fix common issues (like adding Alt Text or adjusting headings) directly in your course throughout the week (Nov. 18–21).

Let's work together to make learning more inclusive! If you have questions, contact blackboard AT_TOWSON.

All Blackboard products are designed and developed with international Web Content Accessibility (WCAG) Guidelines 2.1 Level AA and domestic Section 508 standards. Anthology Blackboard, Inc. is committed to becoming more accessible and underscores the importance of accessibility in education.

TU Blackboard environment has current list of optional third party integrations, including their descriptions, support contacts and accessibility info. If you have questions, please contact TU Blackboard Support.

Blackboard Accessibility Tool

Ally is the accessibility checker integrated within Blackboard. This tool gauges the accessibility of uploaded documents/files, provides feedback on how to improve issues and identifies alternative content formats for students. Using an accessibility checker supports diverse student needs at TU through inclusive design and learner preferences.

Do your Blackboard courses meet accessibility standards? Here’s how to check.

Check a course's accessibility using Anthology Blackboard’s Ally tool. If it’s in the green (100% accessible), you’re good to go, and no actions are needed. If it’s not, you’ll need to make it accessible, and the Blackboard team is here to help with two options:

Attend a scheduled session. TU Blackboard Administrators are holding hour-long sessions offering support. These sessions will start with an overview, then dive into how to use Ally. See session date/times and locations on Blackboard’s org site.
Request an Ally roadshow session for your department. Email us at blackboard AT_TOWSON and we'll set it up!

Recommendation: use the Blackboard Anthology AI Design Assistant when creating courses and they'll be accessible by default.

Resources for Instructors

Watch this video on Blackboard accessibility and follow this checklist for course accessibility. Learn how to support diverse student needs through inclusive design and learner preferences in the demo hosted by Ally's product manager (video).

Using the Blackboard Accessibility Tool (Ally)

Tips for Making Your Course Accessible

Learn how to write accessible content
Use descriptive headings and apply heading formatting.
Avoid using font styles, color, bold, italics, underline or strikethrough to emphasize content.
Use purposeful images and include alternative text to those images.
Make descriptive links when linking outside your course.
Use lists instead of tables whenever possible.
Properly list content using bullet points or numbered lists.
All videos should be captioned.
Format your files and documents to be accessible.
Provide students with clear expectations, instructions and directions for all assignments and tests.