Summary
Use accessibility checker tools whenever you create or revise digital content.
Overview
Accessibility checkers highlight areas in your document that might be problematic for people with disabilities, as well as for anyone using assistive technology. UMN-supported accessibility checker tools are built in to Canvas and Drupal websites, and can be used for checking other websites as well. Some tools are also available for content created with other digital technologies.
However, these tools cannot find all accessibility issues, and they won't be able to tell you whether your content makes sense or is out-of-date. Accessibility checkers, manual assessments and tests, and critical thinking must work in tandem.
Course Sites
Two accessibility checking tools are built into the University's learning management system, Canvas.
| Tool | Description | Resources |
|---|---|---|
| Rich Content Editor (RCE) | The RCE includes an accessibility tool that detects common accessibility errors in content created within the RCE. | How do I use the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor? |
| Universal Design Online Content Inspection Tool (UDoIT) | UDOIT scans content within a specific course site and creates a report that identifies possible accessibility issues. Additionally, the included U FIX IT tool provides guidance on how to repair the issues. | UDoIT UMN self-help resources |
Digital Documents
Accessibility checking features are built in to Microsoft Word, which is available systemwide (see the Microsoft Office page). The feature can be used to check both Word documents and Google Docs. Accessibility checkers for content created in other tools exist but are not supported by UMN.
| Tool | Description | Resources |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Word accessibility tool | An accessibility checker is built in to Microsoft Word that works with any version released after 2010. | Consult the list of rules for Microsoft's Accessibility Checker. |
| Google Docs | At present, Google Docs does not have a built-in accessibility checker, but you can use the accessibility checker built into Microsoft Word (row above) or the GrackleDocs extension (row below). |
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| GrackleDocs | GrackleDocs is an add-on within Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides that is available to UMN Google Drive users as of 3/18/25. It walks users through accessibility fixes for content created in some Google Apps. | See Google Drive: Use GrackleDocs Accessibility Checker for installation instructions. |
Websites
An accessibility checker is built into UMN Drupal websites, and another can be used on all websites, including those built in Drupal.
| Tool | Description | Resources |
|---|---|---|
| Editoria11y | Content contributors can use the Editoria11y module to identify accessibility issues on each page in Drupal Lite and Drupal Enterprise websites. | Drupal: Find Content Accessibility Issues with Editoria11y |
| Pope Tech | Website owners and their delegates can use Pope Tech to scan a website or single web page for accessibility issues and see a report of specific errors along with their exact locations. | Pope Tech UMN self-help resources |