Blackboard Ally and Ally for Web

Blackboard Ally and Ally for Web automatically check content against Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 standards. While Blackboard Ally checks HuskyCT content, Ally for Web checks Aurora websites and their content.  

Blackboard Ally shows meters next to HTML and uploaded content describing its accessibility. This tool is available to all faculty and staff with instructor roles in HuskyCT courses.

Ally operates similarly to web accessibility checkers like WAVE; it analyzes accessibility and offers recommendations for making content more accessible. Ally reviews both content authored in HuskyCT and uploaded content and generates an accessibility score. Scores are based on a rubric drawn from the WCAG 2.0 AA guidelines, the standard to which UConn holds its websites. Different scores show different levels of inaccessibility; for example, a score of "High" (67-99%) shows that a file is accessible but can be improved.

Blackboard offers in-depth information about using Ally for instructors, students, and administrators. Visit the instructor page for more information about using Ally in your course. Blackboard has also produced a video tutorial on Ally.

To make your HuskyCT content more accessible, visit the HuskyCT Content section of the IT accessibility website, or look at the Documents and Media and Multimedia pages. Reach out to the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) for assistance in creating accessible HuskyCT content. CETL also has a post on using Ally to improve HuskyCT content's accessibility, as well as posts on formatting text elements for use with assistive technology and on color use.

Ally for Web works in a similar way to Blackboard Ally, checking both HTML and uploaded content. You can learn more about interpreting Ally for Web reports here. To make your website's content more accessible, visit the Websites section of the IT accessibility website, or look at the Documents and Media and Multimedia pages. 

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