Expanding Student Choice in Course Content Formats: A Spotlight on SensusAccess

The Learning Tech blog continues its Tool Spotlights series by highlighting instructional technologies that support digital accessibility in teaching and learning. This post focuses on SensusAccess, a tool that helps students and instructors create alternative, more accessible versions of digital documents. SensusAccess converts  individual files into formats that support a wider range of learning needs and assistive technologies. Explore how SensusAccess can create  more flexible, inclusive, and accessible learning environments that support student choice.

What pedagogical challenge does this tool address?

Students interact with course materials in many different ways depending on their learning preferences, devices, environments, and accessibility needs. A scanned PDF may be unusable for a student wanting to search for key terms, while using a screen reader or mobile device. Similarly, long-form readings can create barriers for students who benefit from audio access, text reflow, or alternative formats.

SensusAccess helps address these challenges by allowing students or instructors to automatically convert documents into a variety of more accessible formats, including:

• Searchable PDFs
• Accessible Word documents
• MP3 audio files
• EPUB e-books
• Braille-ready formats
• Text-only versions of documents

These options not only support students who use assistive technologies, but also   benefit all learners who prefer flexible ways to engage with course content. For example, a student might listen to a reading while commuting, enlarge text on a mobile device, or navigate a structured document more efficiently with a screen reader.

Rather than identifying accessibility problems within an entire Canvas course, SensusAccess works at the document level by helping remediate or transform individual files into formats that are easier to use and navigate. This makes it especially useful for improving uploaded readings, scanned articles, handouts, and legacy course materials.

What are the tool’s key considerations or limitations?

While SensusAccess can significantly improve access to digital materials, the quality of the converted output depends heavily on the quality and structure of the original file. Poorly scanned PDFs, handwritten notes, or documents without proper heading structure may still require manual editing after conversion.

It is also important to remember that accessibility is not simply about file conversion. Effective accessible course design includes:

• Using meaningful heading structures
• Writing descriptive link text
• Providing alternative text for images
• Captioning multimedia content
• Designing materials with readability and navigation in mind

Automated tools like SensusAccess can help reduce barriers, but they work best when accessibility is considered from the beginning of the content creation process.

How does the tool integrate with UVACanvas and existing workflows?

SensusAccess appears in UVACanvas as a Course Navigation link, allowing students and instructors to stay within their Canvas course when converting documents. There is no need to create an external account or install outside applications.

Want to get started using SensusAccess?

Check out the UVA Library’s SensusAccess Document Converter resource to get started or the article How do I convert documents using SensusAccess? created by the UVACanvas team.