Accessibility Features and Updates in Canvas

by | Oct 17, 2025 | Accessibility, Canvas, How-tos

Close up of man's hands typing on computer keyboard

Canvas has introduced new accessibility features designed to make the platform more inclusive, user-friendly, and equitable for everyone—especially those using assistive technologies. These updates include a new dyslexia-friendly font option as well as improvements to enhance visual clarity, structural organization, error feedback, and keyboard navigation.

These improvements reflect Canvas’s ongoing commitment to meeting WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards.

Dyslexia-Friendly Font Option

Canvas now includes a toggle-able dyslexia-friendly font that users can enable on their own accounts. When turned on, it applies to most system and user-generated text within Canvas (such as announcements, discussions, assignments, and pages).

Note that text within external tools (such as third-party integrations, embedded apps, or videos) may not switch to this font. Once enabled, the setting persists across sessions.

High Contrast UI

To reduce visual clutter and make interactive elements easier to identify, Canvas includes a High Contrast UI option. When enabled, the color contrast of text, buttons, and other elements are more distinct and easier to identify in Canvas. UChicago branding is disabled when this option is turned on.

How to Enable These Options

  1. Go to the Account menu in Canvas.
  2. Toggle “Use a Dyslexia Friendly Font” and “Use High Contrast UI” to on. 

A screenshot of a user's account settings page in UChicago Canvas. A vertical navigation menu on the left shows links like Account, Admin, Dashboard, Courses, and more. The main content area lists account options, including links to Notifications, Profile, Files, Settings, and others. A red box highlights two accessibility toggle switches at the bottom of the page. The first is "Use High Contrast UI" which is toggled on. The second is "Use a Dyslexia Friendly Font" which is also toggled on. Text beneath each toggle explains, "Reload the page or navigate to a new page for this change to take effect."

  1. Reload the page to see the effect applied.

Accessibility Updates to Canvas

Recent updates bring Canvas closer to full WCAG 2.1 compliance, reducing barriers for all users. These include:

Enhanced Structural Clarity

Canvas’s internal markup—headers, landmarks, and regions—has been reorganized to create a clearer logical structure. This allows screen readers and assistive tools to interpret and navigate content more reliably. Students and instructors should notice more predictable navigation across pages, assignments, and modules.

Improved Error Feedback & Focus Handling

Error messages now provide clearer descriptions and guidance, helping users understand what went wrong and how to fix it. Focus indicators have been refined so keyboard users can easily track where they are on the page, even during dynamic updates or transitions.

Streamlined Navigation & Keyboard Accessibility

Navigation flows are now optimized so all key actions and UI elements are reachable via keyboard alone, requiring fewer steps. This supports users who can’t—or prefer not to—use a mouse, enabling smoother, cursor-free navigation throughout Canvas.

For more information on these changes, see Advancing Accessibility in Canvas.

Further Resources

Subscribe to ATS’ blog and newsletter for updates on new resources to support you in using these tools. For individual assistance, you can visit our office hours, book a consultation with an instructional designer, or email academictech@uchicago.edu. For a list of our upcoming ATS workshops, please visit our workshop schedule for events that fit your schedule