Accessibility for Users

Last updated: July 2026

SmartPAL is designed to work with common assistive technologies and keyboard-only navigation. This guide explains how students and instructors can access SmartPAL, what we support today, and how to report accessibility barriers. SmartPAL targets conformance with WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA for SmartPAL-controlled web interfaces.

1. Supported browsers and assistive technologies

SmartPAL runs in modern web browsers. It is most often launched from Canvas as an LTI tool. We test core workflows with the combinations below during internal accessibility reviews.

Platform Browser Assistive technology
Windows 10/11 Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (current version) NVDA (current stable release)
macOS (current version) Safari (current version) VoiceOver

Other browser and assistive technology combinations may work but are not routinely tested. If you use a different setup, please contact us so we can investigate.

2. Accessing SmartPAL from Canvas

  1. Sign in to your institution’s Canvas site with your usual credentials.
  2. Open the course where your instructor enabled SmartPAL.
  3. Select the SmartPAL link or navigation item provided by your instructor (often under Modules or course navigation).
  4. SmartPAL opens in the browser. You may be asked to sign in or link your account the first time.

The Canvas shell itself is operated by your institution’s learning management system vendor. For Canvas-specific accessibility questions, contact your campus disability services office or Canvas support.

General instructor setup and product overview: SmartPAL for instructors · How SmartPAL works

3. Keyboard navigation

You can reach most SmartPAL features using the keyboard alone. Common patterns include:

  • Tab and Shift + Tab — move forward and backward through links, buttons, and form fields.
  • Enter or Space — activate buttons and links; open menus and dropdowns where supported.
  • Arrow keys — move within menus, list boxes, and some custom controls after they are open.
  • Esc — close dialogs, menus, and dropdowns.

Skip to main content

When SmartPAL loads, press Tab once to reveal a Skip to main content link. Activate it to bypass repeated navigation and jump to the primary page content.

Forms, login, and settings

Login, signup, password reset, reflections, and settings forms use visible labels tied to their inputs. Required fields and validation errors are exposed in text. Password fields include a keyboard-accessible show/hide control.

Dropdowns and selectors

Course and reflection dropdowns support keyboard operation: open with Space, Enter, or arrow keys; navigate options with arrow keys; select with Enter or Space; close with Esc.

Chat

The AI chat interface is text-based. Tab to the message field, type your question, and submit with the send control or keyboard equivalent. Chat history and responses are readable as text.

4. Screen reader use

SmartPAL uses semantic HTML, labels, roles, and status messages so screen readers can announce page structure and control names.

  • Landmarks — Pages include banner, navigation, and main regions to help you orient quickly.
  • Controls — Buttons, links, and form fields have accessible names. Many controls announce their state (for example, expanded/collapsed menus).
  • Errors and status — Form errors and important status updates are communicated in text.
  • Dynamic content — AI chat replies appear as text in the conversation area and can be read sequentially.

Content from Canvas

Assignments, files, or media your instructor uploaded in Canvas may not include text alternatives unless the instructor or institution provided them. SmartPAL surfaces extracted text where available, but accessibility of third-party course files depends on how they were published in Canvas.

Video and audio

SmartPAL does not require users to interact through pre-recorded or live audio/video within the SmartPAL interface. Captions and transcripts for instructor-provided media in Canvas are the responsibility of the content publisher.

5. Visual display and magnification

  • SmartPAL supports browser zoom and text resizing without loss of core functionality at commonly used magnification levels.
  • Focus indicators are visible when navigating by keyboard.
  • SmartPAL does not rely on color alone to convey essential information.

6. Reporting an accessibility barrier

If you encounter a barrier using SmartPAL with assistive technology or keyboard-only navigation, please tell us. Include as much detail as you can so we can reproduce and fix the issue:

  • Your role (student, instructor, staff)
  • Institution and course (if applicable)
  • Browser, operating system, and assistive technology (including version)
  • Steps to reproduce the problem
  • What you expected vs. what happened

Accessibility contact: support@smartpal.org

We aim to respond within 1–2 business days. Accessibility reports are prioritized for investigation and remediation.

7. Technical accessibility documentation

For a detailed WCAG 2.1 conformance assessment of SmartPAL-controlled interfaces, see our Accessibility Conformance Report (VPAT):

8. Planned documentation

We are expanding this guide into additional topic-specific articles—for example, dedicated workflows for reflections, instructor dashboards, and specific screen reader configurations—as our user base grows. Check this page for updates or contact support@smartpal.org if you need guidance not yet published here.

9. Related policies