Improving Course Accessibility with Blackboard Ally
Blackboard has a built-in tool that checks uploaded content to identify accessibility issues and guide faculty through a step-by-step process to fix identified problems.
Blackboard Ally gives each course an Accessibility Score (“grade”). Our first goal is for each course to have a score of 85% or higher. If your course is below this goal, please work diligently to increase the accessibility of your content.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: Course content must be accessible by April 26, 2027 to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II Digital Accessibility Regulation.
How to Use Blackboard Ally
Follow the steps below to get started with Blackboard Ally.
- Open the course in Blackboard, then navigate to the Books & Tools area under Detail & Actions on the right side of the course landing page.
- Select the View Course & Institution tools link to open a side panel with tools options.
- Select the Accessibility Report LTI 1.3 link to launch the Blackboard Ally course report.
- Review the list of issues beneath the dashboard. These are categorized by their level of impact on users. There should be no Critical issues in a course. Critical issues are indicated by a red exclamation mark icon in the course accessibility report as well as a red gauge next to affected content within the course itself.
- Select the “Fix Low Scoring Content” button in the dashboard area to work through issues in order of criticality.
- Select the first item in the list of low scoring content to open the Instructor Feedback panel. This will guide you through exactly what you need to do to address issues. Some issues you can address within Blackboard while others require you to do work in the original file. The Instructor Feedback Pane will let you know which option is required.
Need assistance working through issues in your course or questions about accessibility?
Contact accessibility@olemiss.edu or call 662-915-2476.