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Accessibility Toolkit for Open Educational Resources (OER): Brightspace (D2L)

Accessibility guide for creating OER

D2L Brightspace

A few key Brightspace accessibility points, features and tools:.

  • Use templates
  • Use built-in tools for creating headings, lists and tables
  • Write descriptive linked text
  • Include alternative text
  • Caption and transcribe media
  • Run the Accessibility Checker

Brightspace Statements on Accessibility

Accessibility is a requirement of all D2L projects. Brightspace products have equal and inclusive learning opportunities and comply with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility benchmarks... screen readers, braille outputs, screen magnifiers, color contrast plug-ins, and tools to support reading comprehension. D2L Project Management reviews and documents any exceptions, and shares those exceptions in the VPAT documentation.

 

Citation: Brightspace Tutorials (May 16, 2025) Bright Ideas - Accessibility for professional learners (18:17) D2L Brightspace https://youtu.be/DTOtILtkte4?si=fxhkjf_IEOZ2YXDM

Brightspace Accessibility

There are many accessibility tools integrated in Brightspace. The Brightspace editor (formerly known as the HTML editor) contains an accessibility checker that will detect issues within your text and images. In addition, there is an integrated tool called Anthology Ally that provides an accessibility score to files uploaded to your module topics and that also indicates what needs to be done in order to improve the accessibility of the file.- SUNY Suffolk

Accessibility Conformance Statement from Brightspace D2L

D2L is committed to reporting on product accessibility publicly and transparently. Every year we organize a third-party accessibility audit of Brightspace Core and related products. The most recent Accessibility Conformance Reports (ACR) of Brightspace Core, Creator+, D2L Lumi Pro, and Achievement+ are found on our site.

At D2L, we have a mature accessibility program. Our product process is closely guided by the most up-to-date accessibility standards. The accessible learning experiences we craft are founded on in-house technical expertise backed by lived experience of disability. We also involve a community of assistive technology users throughout our product process via our accessibility partner Fable. Our accessibility program is cross-functional, which means each team takes ownership for accessibility in their own work. Identified accessibility issues are raised as software defects with assigned priority levels based on severity of impact on users with disabilities. We take this approach because, at D2L, accessibility is a commitment to empower and engage individuals in their learning goals. If you are having problems using this website, please email accessibility@D2L.com for assistance.

Best Accessibility Practices for D2L Brightspace

  • Templates create a consistent formatting throughout your course.
  • Templates help to organize text elements and make it easier for students to process information.
  • Using the templates can save you time!
  • To use a document template:
    • Navigate to a module in your Brightspace course.
    • Select the “Upload/Create” button and create a file.
    • Next to the file name, choose “Select a Document Template” and choose a template from the list.
  • Edit the template to meet your needs

The best practice in Brightspace is to set font size to 20 px to make your text comfortable to read.

Step 1: Click on the Content tab in your course. 

screen grab showing where to select "content" on the Brightspace menu.

Step 2: Select the Settings option.

screen grab showing where to select "settings" on the Brightspace menu.

Step 3: Adjust the Default Font Settings to  20 px.

screen grab showing where to select "default font settings" on the Brightspace menu.

Step 4: Once your settings are adjusted, don't forget to click the Save button before leaving the page.

Attribution: Bryde, Lindsay. (n.d) Basic Brightspace Accessibility. Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) Stony Brook University https://www.stonybrook.edu/celt/design-teach/accessibility

When creating content in the Brightspace editor (formerly known as the HTML editor) organize it using hierarchical headings (h2, h3, h4, h5 etc.). This helps all users get an idea of your course structure and organization. Additionally, assistive technology, like screen readers, read aloud heading text only if it is coded as a header.

Showing how to add headings in Brightspace

  • Making images and graphics “visible” to all users is one of the first principles of accessibility. 
  • The way you make your image visible to everyone is by adding "alternative text" or "alt-text". 
  • Include alt text for all pictures, tables, graphs, charts and graphics. 
  • Adding alt-text to an image allows it to be discoverable and understood by users in a variety of ways.
  • Don't shy away from using colors but use color intelligently.  
  • Don’t use color as the only way to communicate information, always make sure meaning is conveyed in multiple ways.
  • Check to make sure colors have sufficient contrast.

Citation: BMCC CETLS (Mar 1, 2024) ABCs of Content (CUNY Brightspace training webinar) https://youtu.be/o27PxX0Xg8c?si=oRcu2FHt24oI7isT

Create bulleted and numbered lists using the formatting options in the Brightspace editor. Using the built-in formatting options ensures that screen reading software will read the content in the correct order and identify structured text from body text.

Video and Audio Notes can be used in several areas throughout Brightspace (Content, Discussions, Activity Feed, and even when grading and providing feedback to learners.).

Ensure that video or audio notes contain accurate captions.

  • Assistive technology allows users to pull up a list of links so links need to be meaningful out of context.
  • Since links are read aloud, don't repeat the same link text over and over on a single web page.
  • Meaningful link text provides a clear description of where users will go once they click on the link.
  • Links such as “Click Here” or “More” don’t provide any information to screen readers and are meaningless out of context.
  • Link text which is the actual url is bad for screen reader users, if you can, avoid using just the url.
  • Both MathType and LaTeX are integrated in the Brightspace editor.
  • Make sure to format mathematical equations and scientific notation using these tools.
  • If these tools are not used, screen reading software will not read equations and scientific notation using the correct terminology or order.
Citation: Brightspace Tutorials (Sep 6, 2018) Learning Environment - Making use of the Equation Editor - Instructor. https://youtu.be/GEZFjKjn9HA?si=pMmDACd9k6vjeMQL

Basics for Instructors: Course Content, Grading, Quizzes, and Discussions

Creating Web Pages in D2L Brightspace

Webpages are the most accessible document type in D2L Brightspace. While PDFs and Word/Google docs have their place in the online classroom, consider whether your document would be more suited as a web (HTML) page.

Digital Accessibility and BrightSpace/D2L


Citation: Associate Professor Michele Thornton for the SUNY Oswego CELT (Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching) (Jan 10, 2024) Session 20: Accessibility and Brightspace (36:26) https://youtu.be/uya4e6RIwuI?si=6_zbXecFc7hFLz-J

Accessibility Checker

FYI: There was a change in February 2025 to the icon used to represent the accessibility checker in Brightspace.

  • The accessibility checker used to be an eye with a check mark
  • Now it is a person with a circle around it.

Citation: Screen grab from  Brightspace Tutorials (May 16, 2025) Bright Ideas - Accessibility for professional learners (18:17) D2L Brightspace https://youtu.be/DTOtILtkte4?si=fxhkjf_IEOZ2YXDM

Demo Videos of Brightspace with Assistive Technology

Here are demo videos created by the D2L Brightspace Community in 2019 to show how to use Brightspace with various assistive technologies.

Pro Tips

  • Webpages are the most accessible document type in D2L Brightspace.

Creative Commons LicenseUnless otherwise noted, these accessibility guides were created by Accessibility Librarian Amy Wolfe for CUNY and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. If you re-use, remix or link to this guide, it would be appreciated if you could notify the creator Accessibility Librarian Amy Wolfe.