Canva

Canva is an application that makes it easy to create different layouts for images, documents, and other uses. Regardless of use, the essentials of accessibility apply. If you are creating for social media and the end result is an image, please note the Canva essentials below. If your end result is PDF, you will want to follow the essentials and the Canva document guidelines.

Canva provides a number of templates to jump-start your work. If an existing template is chosen, be sure to test for and fix any accessibility issues. Once you have verified that a design is accessible, use that as a template for other work.

Essentials

Accessibility Checker

Canva includes a tool for checking the basic accessibility characteristics of your document. From the Canva menu ribbon, select File > Accessibility > Check design accessibility. A panel will display accessibility facets and any issues that need to be fixed.

Color

Check colors for proper color contrast. Manually check color contrast ratios using tools like the WebAIM Color Contrast Checker or the WCAG Contrast Checker prior to adding them to the palette in Canva. The Accessibility Checker in Canva will also verify color usage or point out where an issue exists. See color contrast requirements.

Images

Images must have ALT text to describe then to users of assistive technology. If the image includes text, the text must be included in the ALT. If the image doesn't add any value or meaning to the document, mark it as decorative. To set the ALT text:

1. Select the image.
2. From the menu that appears above the image, select the elipses (three dots) option. You can also access the dropdown menu via a right click on the image.
3. From the dropdown menu, select Alternative text
4. Enter the appropriate text or select the Mark as decorative option.
5. Save.

Note: If your end result is an image, ALT Text assigned in Canva is not included. You will need to make sure that ALT Text is added in the application where the image is used.

Documents

Reading Order

Be careful when creating a new document. The reading order of the content objects within your document will be based on the order in which they were added. The only way to correct the reading order is to use Adobe Acrobat which will not update the original Canva document. This is why it is even more important to begin with a well-formed and tested template

Title

The title of your document should be formatted as an H1. Your document should have only one H1. If your document begins with a title, the it will automatically be added as the document title. If you change the title, you will need to update the document title. Use the field in the menu ribbon to update the document title.

Headings

Use the H2 style to format the section titles. Other visual headings can be created manually, but they will not be tagged as headings when a PDF is created.

Lists

When a list is needed, determine whether you need an ordered list (sequence or steps) or an unordered list (bullets). Use Quick actions to quickly select the one you want; press the slash key or click the plus icon in the left margin. This will bring up a menu from which you can select the list object to insert.

Tables

Text in table can be tricky. Screen readers will tend to read from left to right, row by row. Depending on your design, it may be necessary to fix the reading order. This can only be done using Adobe Acrobat.

Avoid using tables for layout purposes. Use the columns object where you can.

Creating a PDF

From the Canva menu ribbon, select File > Download. Select PDF Standard and the appropriate size, and Save to your local drive.