Positioning Ally
Before you implement or re-introduce Ally to your institution, take some time to consider how you will talk about it. This isn’t so much about the communication method, but rather the words chosen to describe Ally and how it can help make stronger, more accessible learning environments for all students.
Let us approach the way we talk about Ally as the what, the who, and the why.
The what speaks to what Ally is. How would you define or describe Ally to others?
The who refers to who Ally serves and how (succinctly).
The why, perhaps the most important of all, addresses the big picture reason why we do any of this-to provide an accessible and inclusive learning environment that welcomes and supports all students.
The What
Use the following definition of Ally as a starting point in developing your own Ally “what.” Keep in mind that it will likely need to be tailored to different audiences, but it should be short and clear.
Example: Ally is a digital accessibility tool embedded in your Learning Management System (e.g. Blackboard, Canvas, D2L Brightspace, or Moodle), designed to help make digital course content more accessible and inclusive.
The Who
Use the brief summary below of Ally features based on user role.
Students: Ally automatically generated alternative formats of learning content (i.e. audio versions, translated versions, OCR’d PDFs, BeeLine Reader, Braille Ready File formats, etc.).
Instructors: to support accessible and inclusive pedagogy, instructors have the following features available to them:
Alternative formats: just like students, instructors also have access to the alternative formats for digital content.
Instructor Feedback: dynamic report that detects accessibility issues in individual content items (e.g. Word doc or PPT), and then provides the context and guidance needed to remediate them.
Course Accessibility Report: dynamic report that provides the overall accessibility score for an entire course in Blackboard, a content breakdown (# of PPTs or Word docs), and three guided remediation approaches.
Administrators: to assist administrators in ensuring their institution produces accessible digital content, the Institutional Report offers comprehensive usage data at the institutional level, with the intention of helping improve course content accessibility overall and understand how Ally is being used.
The Why
The why of Ally, and accessibility in general, is arguably the most important component. This speaks to why accessibility is so important and whom it benefits directly.
Ally is rooted in the principles of Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning so that it can benefit all students. The alternative formats, while designed with disabled students in mind, also benefit those without disabilities (universal design). Ally emphasizes autonomy, empowerment, inclusivity, and personal choice through each of its features, but particularly its alternative formats. By removing barriers to access, Ally helps create a more equitable educational environment where all students have the tools they need to succeed.
For instructors, digital accessibility is essential for creating inclusive learning environments where all students can fully participate and succeed. It ensures that digital content is usable by all students, including those with disabilities, and reflects an institution’s commitment to equity and universal design. Ally not only helps identify and fix accessibility issues in course materials—it also serves as an educational tool for instructors. By providing in-context guidance, explanations, and resources, Ally empowers instructors to understand the “why” behind accessibility and build lasting skills to create more inclusive content. This dual role—guided support and ongoing education—makes Ally a powerful driver of cultural change toward more accessible and equitable education.
For administrators, the big picture of Ally goes beyond fixing individual documents; it’s about transforming institutional culture to prioritize inclusion and accessibility. By embedding accessibility into everyday teaching practices and providing actionable insights at every level, Ally helps institutions move from a reactive approach to content remediation and digital accessibility to one of proactive empowerment. This shift not only supports legal and ethical responsibilities but also drives innovation in teaching and learning, creating a more flexible, responsive, and human-centered educational experience for all learners.