Ally is BCM’s new tool supporting inclusion and accessibility, which allows students to download course materials in alternative formats like audio, HTML, and electronic braille. Ally focuses on digital accessibility for students, seamlessly integrating with Blackboard courses. It also provides guidance and tips for lasting improvements to your content accessibility and automatically creates alternative versions of compatible files (check the list on Blackboard's website to see which of your files are compatible). This allows students to choose the type of file they want that best meets their needs. While you're in the process of improving files, students are still able to access alternative copies.
Students will be able to use Ally to generate alternative formats in your course without any effort on your part. However, not all course content will generate those formats well. Ally courses provide you with a dashboard to see how accessible your content is, and suggest ways of improving it. Please note that this dashboard is only visible to you, the course instructor, and not to students or colleagues; it is there for you to use if you wish.
Available to: Faculty | Students | Staff
Funding: Institution
Authentication: Single Sign-On (SSO)
Blackboard is also available via the phone app (iOS | Android) using the same credentials.
