Learn about Ally

Rise Up 'Runners with Blackboard Ally!

Why Do We have the Rise up 'Runners Campaign?

At UTSA, our philosophy regarding accessibility is derived from the social model of disability.  With this framework, we recognize the need to increase awareness of issues of accessibility and provide tools and training needed to address them.  This shifts the focus from a strictly accommodation model to a much more proactive approach.
 
As of Summer 2022, 61 faculty members have enabled Ally – this number contains
courses taught by instructors who participated in our pilot program or
who have been involved with our office for course design/development.
Rise up runners with Blackboard Ally logo

What is Ally?

Ally is an automated accessibility checker that provides feedback about the accessibility of content within Blackboard.  It provides guided instructions for addressing common accessibility barriers while giving instructors an overview of the accessibility of their course.  Ally also provides students with the ability to access available alternative formats for some content. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How can Ally help me with accessibility?

Ally addresses the following concerns:

    1. The time it takes to make content accessible
    2. Knowing what is inaccessible
    3. Knowing how to fix inaccessible content

Through the accessibility indicator gauges, Ally will alert you if a common accessibility barrier is present in your course. Select the accessibility indicator gauge to receive information about this barrier and how to correct it.

*Note: There are certain elements that Ally may flag as inaccessible, but information for correcting this error may not be available. Email the Digital Accessibility team for additional assistance.

Is there a course accessibility score requirement?

No. Our goal with Ally is to create a more accessible learning environment at UTSA. We know that accessibility is new to some instructors.

Not sure where to start? We have the Ally Mini-course section dedicated to giving you some helpful tips about how you can start to improve your Course Accessibility Score in minutes!

How is UTSA doing overall?

Academic Year Overall Accessibility Score

  • 2019 – 2020 score | Based on 20,048 courses | 63.8%
  • 2020 – 2021 score | Based on 22,195 courses | 69.5%

Semester Overall Accessibility Score

  • Fall 2021 | Based on 7,212 courses | 66.5%
  • Spring 2022 | Based on 6,633 courses | 64.8%

Top Accessibility Issues at UTSA

  • Inaccessible digital documents
  • Images missing alternative text

Where Can I Go For Help?

Do you still have questions? Click the button below to email our Digital Accessibility Team.