Blackboard Accessibility

Blackboard Ultra is William & Mary’s learning management system (LMS), used to deliver digital course content, assignments, tests, and communication tools. While the platform itself supports accessibility standards, faculty and staff play a critical role in ensuring that course materials are easy to navigate and usable by all students, including those using assistive technologies.

This guide outlines essential accessibility practices within Blackboard and introduces the tools available to help you create more inclusive learning environments. Visit the W&M IT Blackboard page for general help with Blackboard usage (such as creating assignments, managing grades, or navigating Ultra Courses).

Tips for Instructors
Blackboard Ally

Tips for Instructors

Designing your Blackboard Ultra course with accessibility in mind benefits all students, not just those with documented accommodations. The strategies below improve clarity, usability, and compatibility with assistive technologies like screen readers, screen magnifiers, and speech-to-text tools.

Create a "Start Here" or "Welcome" Section

First impressions are critical. A structured starting point helps reduce anxiety, especially for students with learning and cognitive impairments. Add a clearly labeled folder or module with essential course information.

In your Course Content area, click the plus sign → Create Folder.
Title it “Start Here” or “Welcome”.
Add a short course intro, tech requirements, syllabus link, and contact info.

Learn More: Create Content

Add a Welcome or Orientation Video (With Captions)

Videos provide a friendly introduction but must include captions and transcripts to be accessible to deaf or hard-of-hearing students. Record a short video explaining the course structure and how to navigate your Blackboard page.

Use Panopto, Kaltura, or Zoom to record.
Upload it to Blackboard.
In Panopto: Captions are autogenerated (edit for accuracy).
Also offer a downloadable transcript if possible.

Learn More: Add Content from External Sources

Use Proper Headings to Organize Content

Screen readers rely on headings to help users navigate. Without them, students may have to listen to your entire page without context. Structure your text using heading levels (e.g., Heading 2 for module titles, Heading 3 for subsections).

In the Blackboard text editor, select text → choose Title, Header, Subheader, or Paragraph from the formatting drop down.
Don’t simulate headings by bolding or increasing font size.

Add Descriptive Alternative Text to Images

Screen reader users rely on alt text to understand visual information. If the alt text is missing, the image is completely inaccessible. Provide brief, meaningful descriptions for all images (e.g., “Bar graph showing enrollment by year”).

When uploading an image in Blackboard, a field for “Alternative text” appears, fill this in.
If using Ally, click the red/orange gauge → it will prompt you to add/edit alt text.
Mark decorative images as such (if they don’t convey meaningful info).

Use Tables for Data Only, and Add Column Headers

Create simple data tables with clearly defined header rows. Assistive technology uses table markup to associate headers with data. Complex tables without headers can confuse or disorient users.

Use Blackboard’s table tool in the editor.
After inserting or creating a table, select any cell in the row or column you wish to make the header row and check the “Header Row” or “Header Column” boxes.
Avoid merged cells or tables used purely for layout.

Use Meaningful Link Text

Use descriptive phrases like “View the syllabus PDF” or “Read Chapter 1 summary.” Screen reader users may scan all links on a page. “Click here” or “More” is meaningless without context.

In Blackboard text editor, type out or select the text you want to link.
Click the link icon → paste your URL in the "Link URL field".
Confirm the text you want to display appears in the "Link text" field.

Tip: Don't paste raw URLs into the editor.

LEARN MORE: ADD LINKS IN BLACKBOARD

Ensure Good Color Contrast

Make sure there’s enough contrast between text and background (especially for custom highlights or colored text). Low contrast can make text unreadable for students with low vision, color blindness, or reading fatigue.

Use Blackboard’s default color schemes, which are designed to be accessible.
Use the WebAIM Contrast Checker to confirm color contrast schemes are accessible.
Avoid using color alone to convey meaning.

Hide Unused Tools & Links

Remove or hide course tools that aren’t relevant to your class. Too many options can overwhelm students and complicate navigation, particularly for those using screen readers or keyboard navigation.

Click the three-dot menu next to an item → Hidden from students.

Learn More: Tools

Use Built-in Lists

Use the bulleted or numbered list buttons in the editor. Screen readers announce lists properly only if they’re marked up semantically. Manually typing dashes or asterisks breaks that.

In the text editor, click the Paragraph icon.
Select the bullet (•) or number (#) list icon to create structured lists.

Be Consistent with Weekly Layouts

Use a consistent structure and naming scheme for each week/module. Predictability helps students stay organized, especially those with learning or cognitive disabilities.

Label folders like “Week 1: Introduction,” “Week 2: Case Studies”.
Use the same pattern for Readings, Assignments, and Discussions inside each folder.

Remove or Archive Old Content Outside of Blackboard

At the end of the semester, delete outdated materials or download them to your computer or cloud storage (like OneDrive or Google Drive). Avoid keeping unnecessary items inside your course, even if they’re hidden.

Blackboard Ally continues to scan all content in the course shell, even if it's not visible to students. This can drag down your accessibility score and clutter the instructor view.

Review the unused files in your course by selecting the three-dots menu at the top of the Course Content page → Unused Files.
Download content you'd like to save.
Then delete it from Blackboard Ultra using the three dot menu → Delete.
Copy over only the content and modules relevant to the current semester.
If you absolutely must retain older items, keep them outside of the course shell.

LEARN MORE: EDIT & MANAGE CONTENT

Ensure Equations and Math Content Are Accessible

Use proper math tools (not images) when adding equations to Blackboard or documents. Math presented as plain text or images cannot be interpreted by screen readers. Ally supports conversion of accessible equations into MathML, audio, or braille formats.

In Blackboard Ultra: Use the built-in Math Editor (∑ icon in the text toolbar).
In Word/PDFs: Use MathType or LaTeX-compatible tools.
Avoid pasting screenshots of equations unless accompanied by descriptive alt text.

Learn More: Math Editor

Visit our Accessible Documents guide for step-by-step instructions on creating accessible (link) PDFs, Word Docs, PowerPoints, and Google Docs.

Blackboard Ally

Blackboard Ally is built into all Blackboard Ultra courses at William & Mary and works in the background to help you identify and fix accessibility issues in your course materials. It also automatically generates alternative formats for students, supporting a range of access needs.

For detailed instructions on how to:

Check accessibility scores using Ally’s indicators
Open and interpret the Course Accessibility Report
Improve files directly through Ally’s feedback
Understand which alternative formats are available to students

Please visit the Blackboard Ally page on the W&M IT website. The page includes step-by-step guides, screenshots, frequently asked questions, and short video tutorials to help you get started.

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