Accessibility statement for educational technology

This accessibility statement applies to the following platforms:

  • Canvas
  • Panopto
  • Turnitin
  • Vevox
  • Buddycheck

These learning platforms are run by the LJMU Teaching and Learning Academy. For other websites, tools and systems please see this LJMU general accessibility statement.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use these learning platforms. For example, that means you should be able to: 

  • Change colours, contrast levels and fonts 
  • Zoom in up to 300% on most of the content without the text spilling off the screen 
  • Navigate most of these using just a keyboard 
  • Navigate most of these using speech recognition software 
  • Listen to most of the content of these using most screen readers  

Need help?

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

  • Canvas
  • Panopto
  • Turnitin
  • Vevox
  • Buddycheck

These learning platforms are run by the LJMU Teaching and Learning Academy. For other websites, tools and systems please see this LJMU general accessibility statement.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use these learning platforms. For example, that means you should be able to: 

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts 
  • zoom in up to 300% on most of the content without the text spilling off the screen 
  • navigate most of these using just a keyboard 
  • navigate most of these using speech recognition software 
  • listen to most of the content of these using most screen readers  

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.  

How accessible are these platforms and websites?  

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of our learning platforms. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, please email TLAcademy@ljmu.ac.uk.

We know that these systems are accessible, however you may find that some user generated content is not fully accessible:  

Canvas

  • Some course items in PDF and Microsoft formats have not been designed for accessibility 
  • A few videos may not contain closed captions 
  • Some content embedded in your course may not reflow on a mobile device 
  • Course content may contain images without Alt Text 
  • Some content in your course may not have text alternatives. 
  • Courses may contain content without appropriate use of headings 
  • Colour content may be used to convey information 
  • Course content may be difficult to navigate by keyboard 
  • Courses content may use complex language 
  • Course content may have low colour ratios. 
  • Some tables may not contain headers to allow assistive technology to programmatically determine the relationships between the information presented. 
  • Some courses may contain duplicate links on the same page, hyperlinks containing long URLs or provide link text that does not identify the purpose of the link. 

Panopto

  • Audio Descriptions are not available  
  • Closed captions are not 100% accurate 
  • Some videos have content that is presented visually which is not available elsewhere. 

BuddyCheck 

You may encounter one of the following issues:  

  • You cannot change colours and fonts  
  • Navigation with just a keyboard still needs to be improved  
  • Navigation with screen reader still needs to be improved  

Turnitin

  • Supports Most text in Cloud Viewer reflows without requiring scrolling in two dimensions.  
  • With the application’s Screen Reader Mode ON, the expand/collapse buttons within the paper view are visually hidden and therefore, do not have a visual focus indicator.  

Feedback and contact information 

If you need information on this website or systems in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille please email TLAcademy@ljmu.ac.uk or write to: 

The Teaching and Learning Academy
2nd floor
Exchange Station
Tithebarn Street
L22QP 

We’ll consider your request and get back to you in three days.  

Reporting accessibility problems with our learning platforms  

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of these learning platforms.

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, the contact details are as follows:   

Canvas course resources  

If you encounter any issues in your Canvas course:

  • First instance, contact your Module Leader to determine whether resources can be provided to you in an alternative format.
  • If you need any further support accessing any particular elements of our learning platform please raise a ticket via the LJMU helpdesk so it can be addressed as quickly as possible.  

Panopto, Turnitin, Buddycheck and Vevox   

If you need information from these systems in a different format such as an accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please email TLAcademy@ljmu.ac.uk.

Enforcement procedure  

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

If you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).  

Technical information about these learning platform’s accessibility

LJMU is committed to making its platforms accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.  

Compliance status  

The compliance of these learning platforms are as follows:  

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons:  

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations 

Canvas 

Each course is different, and tutors are responsible for adding content. A recent audit reveals that you may encounter the following problems:  

  • A few videos may not contain closed captions. This fails WCAG 2.2 criteria Success Criterion 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded).  
  • Some content embedded in your course may not work effectively if re-orientated or reflow on a mobile device. This fails WCAG 2.2 criteria 1.3.4 Orientation. 
  • Some content in your course may not have text alternatives. This fails the WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.5 Images of Text. 
  • Course content may contain images without Alt Text. This fails the WCAG 2.2 Criterion 1.1.1 Non-text Content. 
  • Courses may contain content without appropriate use of headings. This fails WCAG criteria 2.1 2.4.6 Headings and Labels.  
  • Some courses may use colour to convey information. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.4.1 Use of Color. 
  • Course content may be difficult to navigate by keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.2 criterion 1.4.8 Visual Presentation and 2.1.1 Keyboard. 
  • Course content may use complex language. This fails WCAG 2.2 criterion 3.1.3: Unusual Words 
  • Course content may have low colour ratios. This fails WCAG 2.2 criteria 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) and 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast. 
  • Some tables may not contain headers to allow assistive technology to programmatically determine the relationships between the information presented. This fails WCAG 2.2 criteria 1.3.1: Info and Relationships. 
  • Some courses may contain duplicate links on the same page, hyperlinks containing long URLs or provide link text that does not identify the purpose of the link. This fails WCAG 2.2 criteria 2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context). 
  • Some documents may have line spacing lower than 1.5 times the font size. This fails WCAG 2.2 criteria 1.4.12 Text Spacing  

Planned fix date: By 31 Aug 2025, we plan to either fix these or provide accessible alternatives in line with WCAG 2.2 techniques. 

Vevox

  • All default imagery that appears in the app uses text alternatives. Custom images uploaded by users may not contain alternative text. This fails the WCAG 2.2 Criterion 1.1.1 Non-text Content. 
  • Vevox relies on real-time interaction and updating.  For example, the Q&A board feature will automatically update.  A moderated Q&A board can be used to update at specific times rather than automatically. This fails the WCAG 2.2 Criterion 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide (Level A) 
  • The default colour schemes support contrast requirements.  The presenter can adjust the colour scheme for greater (or worse) contrast. This fails the WCAG 2.2 Criterion 1.4.1 Use of Color (Level A) 
  • There are no pre-set time limits, however content such as live polls and surveys are only available for certain periods of time which is driven by the presenter of the session.  Adding a timer to polls is available and is at the presenter’s discretion whether to use it and to determine the length of time. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable.  

Planned fix date: By 31 Aug 2025, we plan to either fix these or provide accessible alternatives in line with WCAG 2.2 techniques. 

Turnitin

  • Supports Most text in Cloud Viewer reflows without requiring scrolling in two dimensions.  The paper view content does not resize properly and requires horizontal scrolling. This fails the WCAG success criterion 1.4.10 Reflow.  
  • With the application’s Screen Reader Mode ON, the expand/collapse buttons within the paper view are visually hidden and therefore do not have a visual focus indicator. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus  

Planned fix date: By 31 Aug 2025, we plan to either fix these or provide accessible alternatives in line with WCAG 2.2 techniques. 

BuddyCheck

Buddy check Accessibility Statement. You may encounter one of the following issues:  

  • You cannot resize the text. To increase the size, you will need to zoom into the page. Text can also be increased using the default font-size from within your browser settings. This fails WCAG 2.2 criterion 1.4.4 Resize text (Level AA)  
  • Navigation with just a keyboard still needs to be improved. This fails WCAG 2.2 criterion 2.1.1 Keyboard.  

Planned fix date: By 31 Aug 2025, we plan to either fix these or provide accessible alternatives in line with WCAG 2.2 techniques.  

Disproportionate Burden  

An assessment was carried out by the University in accordance with the Regulations. The report assessed the WCAG criteria listed in this section.

It established that the University is currently unable to meet these requirements:  

Canvas and Panopto 

Some videos have content that is presented visually which is not available elsewhere.

Many of the videos do not have an audio description.

This fails the WCAG success criteria:

  • 1.1.1 Non-text Content - (Level A) 
  • 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) 
  • 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) 
  • 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) - (Level AA) 

Closed captions are not 100% accurate.

This affects the following Success Criteria: 

  • Success Criterion 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) - (Level A) 
  • 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) 

What we’re doing to improve accessibility  

Our accessibility roadmap shows how and when we plan to improve accessibility on this website.

We also have a dedicated page for Learning Technology Accessibility Guidance.  

Preparation of this accessibility statement 

This statement was prepared on 13/07/2023.

It was last reviewed on 19/11/2024. 

These systems were last tested on [19/11/24] against the WCAG [2.2] AA standard.

Testing approach

Canvas  

We sampled approximately 10% of published courses on Canvas.  

Panopto  

We did not sample individual videos on Panopto, but we know that there are certain accessibility issues inherent in the system.  

Vevox 

We did not sample individual polls, but we know that there are certain accessibility issues inherent in the system.  

Buddycheck  

We did not sample individual assignments on Panopto, but we know that there are certain accessibility issues inherent in the system.  

Publication dates  

Date of publication: 29 February 2024 

Date of last update:17 October 2025

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