Accessibility in Brightspace
CUNY strongly recommends that instructors upload their course materials in the University-supported LMS (Brightspace) for each class, regardless of the course modality. This will help instructors identify accessibility issues using Ally, a tool within Brightspace. Ally generates alternative formats, including audio files and digital Braille files that enable students to choose how to engage with the course’s digital content.
Consider creating your syllabus directly in Brightspace using a document template. They are pre-formatted for accessibility. In addition, you can update the syllabus directly in Brightspace, so there’s no need to upload a new file when you make changes.
Resources
CUNY Digital Accessibility Initiative
D2L’s Brightspace: Document Templates (Cuyahoga Community College, 2024)
D2L’s Use the accessibility checker on html content in Brightspace
Ally Course Report (1:10) (Blackboard Co, 2023)
Ally Alternative Formats (Ally for LMS Help Center, 2026)