New federal Title II requirements for digital accessibility took effect in June 2024 and will apply to all digital course content beginning April 24, 2026. To help instructors prepare, we've added Ally—an accessibility scanning tool integrated directly into CarmenCanvas.
Ally reviews the content in your courses, highlights accessibility issues, and offers clear, actionable guidance to help you make improvements. It can also automatically generate alternative formats for many materials, giving students more ways to access course content.
Instructors will see a new Ally navigation link and accessibility indicators in their Carmen courses. While no action is required for Autumn 2025, instructors should begin using Ally to evaluate and strengthen the accessibility of materials for Spring 2026 courses. Forums used for student or peer interaction must also meet accessibility requirements or be retired.
To make the most of Ally, we recommend building digital accessibility skills and becoming comfortable with the tool:
- Explore Ohio State resources in accessible content design. See the Digital Accessibility Services website for the 7 Core Skills, and explore Building Course Material for All Learners as found at the Teaching and Learning Resource Center.
- Register for training such as Using Ally to Improve Accessibility in Your Courses, which introduces Ally’s core features—reports, remediation guidance, and alternative student formats—and covers tool limitations and strategies for prioritizing your review.
Start by copying your content into Spring 2026 courses as you normally would, then use the Ally report to identify what needs adjustment. The report will update as you make changes, helping you track progress toward meeting accessibility requirements.
More information is available on the Digital Accessibility Services website, and additional guidance will be added as we learn more about how instructors are using Ally in their courses.