As part of KU Medical Center’s continued commitment to digital accessibility, we are introducing SensusAccess as an additional tool within Blackboard. This new plugin complements our existing use of Blackboard Ally and provides students, faculty and staff with more flexibility in generating alternative file formats from documents uploaded within the learning management system.

What is Blackboard Ally?

Blackboard Ally is fully integrated into the medical center’s learning management system (Blackboard). It automatically scans course documents uploaded by instructors and offers three primary features:

• Generates alternative formats (like audio, ePub, HTML or tagged PDFs) for students.
• Provides accessibility scores for uploaded content (visible only to instructors).
• Offers step-by-step feedback to help instructors make their content more accessible.

Ally’s alternative formats are accessed directly in the course interface, with an icon next to each file. Note: Ally only works with content that has been uploaded to a Blackboard course. It is designed specifically for course content and cannot be used to convert personal files or documents outside of Blackboard.

Great for: Improving and scoring accessibility of course content within Blackboard.

What is the SensusAccess Plugin in Blackboard?

The SensusAccess plugin, now available inside Blackboard (under Books & Tools), allows users to convert documents that are already uploaded to a course into a variety of alternative formats.

Supported formats include:
• MP3 (audio)
• ePub (for e-readers)
• Tagged PDF (for screen readers but may not be WCAG 2.1 compliant)
• Braille
• Simplified text

SensusAccess can only convert files that are uploaded within a Blackboard course. It cannot directly convert personal files or documents that are not uploaded to a course in Blackboard.

For converting personal files or documents not uploaded to Blackboard, use the standalone SensusAccess web interface.

How to Use These Tools Effectively

• Instructors: Use Blackboard Ally to evaluate the accessibility of your course materials and make improvements directly in your course. For additional conversion needs — especially for materials already uploaded to the course — use the SensusAccess plugin within Blackboard.
• Students: Access Ally icons within your course files to download alternative formats. If you have your own files that need to be converted but are not part of a course, use the standalone SensusAccess web interface site.
• Staff: Use the SensusAccess plugin in Blackboard to convert documents related to teaching, training or administrative functions — but remember that only documents uploaded to a course can be converted. For other documents, use the standalone SensusAccess web interface site.

SENSUSACCESS WEB INTERFACE