Skip to main content

Alternative Formats

The Download alternative formats window, listing Electronic braille, Audio, and Translated version options, with a Cancel and a Download button.

Many sites today are visited by people with diverse needs. Alternative formats provide greater opportunity for everyone to access the information they need in the way they need or want it.

Alternative formats aren't just for a select group of people. Alternative formats benefit everyone. For example, a visitor to your site may be prone to eye strain, or maybe they prefer to listen. They can listen to an audio format of your content instead. Or use the HTML or ePub formats for easier reading on a mobile device.

Administrators and content editors don’t need to do anything. Ally creates the alternative formats for you.

Find the available alternative formats

Ally creates alternative formats of website pages and files based on the originals. For example, if the original content is a PDF, Ally creates audio, electronic braille, and ePub formats of the same content. These formats are made available with the original content so everything is in one convenient location.

Note

The alternative formats created depend on the original content type. If you don't see an option to download alternative formats, Ally isn’t enabled for that website or the file is not a supported content type.

Look for the Download Alternative Formats icon. You'll find the icon on the right side or along the bottom of the page.

The Download Alternative Formats button is on the bottom right of the page, appearing as a letter A within a black box
The Download Alternative Formats button is on the bottom of the page, appearing within a black bar

Select a format for the whole page or for individual files on the page. A list of available formats appears to choose from.

Tip

If there are no files on the page, all you see is the available alternative formats for the page.

On the left, the Available alternative formats with a list of Files found on this page and an arrow pointing from the "An Ally for Inclusive Practice PDF" to the pane on the right. The pane on the right is the Download alternative formats window for the An Ally for Inclusive Practice PDF file with a list of the available alternative formats.

What alternative formats does Ally generate?

Ally provides alternative formats for these content types:

  • PDF files (custom encoded fonts are not supported)

  • Microsoft® Word files

  • Microsoft® Powerpoint® files

  • OpenOffice/LibreOffice files

  • Uploaded HTML files

  • Content created in the LMS course editor (WYSIWYG)

    Note

    Alternative formats for WYSIWYG content is currently only available for Blackboard LMS Ultra, Blackboard LMS Original, Instructure Canvas, D2L Brightspace, and Schoology.

These alternative formats can be generated:

  • OCR’d version (for scanned documents)

  • Tagged PDF (currently for Word, Powerpoint and OpenOffice/LibreOffice files)

  • Immersive Reader (LMS only)

  • Mobile-friendly HTML

  • Audio

  • ePub

  • Electronic Braille

  • BeeLine Reader

  • Translated Version

    • Translated Version is disabled by default. Administrators can submit a support case to have it enabled.