Hyperlink Color Contrast

(7)

The default color for hyperlinks is not compliant in terms of accessibility and WCAG 2.0 AA.

I understand users can use High Contrast mode, but I think accessibility should be the default, not the exception.

The Canvas Accessibility Checker flags color contrast errors for content creators. Why shouldn't the default Canvas styles be held to the same standards?  

32 Comments
padoughe
Community Explorer

Stunning this conversation started in 2018 and has not been corrected. Minimum contrast requirements are essential for people with low vision. Please correct ASAP!!! This is an inclusion issue, as well as legal compliance issue.

kmallen
Community Contributor

We just added Ally to our Canvas instance, and the Accessibility Report flagged almost all of the screenshots in our How-to Canvas training course due to contrast issues. That's how I found out the link color isn't accessible!

I agree with the above comments—the burden should not be on students to make the LMS environment work for them. Please prioritize this request and do not rely on institutional workarounds. Thanks!

huffmanro
Community Member

Please prioritize fixing this issue!

nkirschn
Community Member

Various accessiblity checking tools are telling me that my Canvas pages with links have poor color contrast, but the link color is a default color set by Canvas. Can you darken the default color for links to meet color contrast best practices for smaller fonts? 

christopher_phi
Community Champion

Just adding my voice to the chorus that this is really something that should be fixed from Instructure so that we don't have to rely on workarounds. 

Even the built-in Canvas accessibility checker flags default links as in accessible: 

link-color-error.png

And prompts them to change the link color to a color with a higher contrast. 

If Instructure is unwilling to address this at a product level, is there any possibility for an understanding of why a decision has been made to make the default color for all links inaccessible. Requiring people to turn on a "high contrast mode" (which is really just 'adequate contrast') is entirely insufficient and sends a loud message that accessibility is not important, especially where this issue that has been open for so long. 

dlyons
Instructure Alumni
Instructure Alumni

Hello! I'm sorry there hasn't been any response to this thread in the past. I do have good news though, as we're currently in the process of making updating our default colors, along with some other improvements we think will help make contrast compliance the default path in other parts of Canvas. I don't have an exact time the changes will be implemented but the work is happening currently.

Even after these improvements are implemented high-contrast mode will still have a place in Canvas because it overrides institution branding. And as long as Jazzercise University (Go fightin' leg warmers!) uses neon pink and electric yellow as their school colors some users will still need high-contrast mode. We're also looking into ways of letting an institution know their branding may have issues so they can make informed decisions too.

Thank you all for your continuing to share your passion for accessibility.

christopher_phi
Community Champion

Thank you so much for the response @dlyons - it is great to hear that this is being worked on. 

That makes sense to continue to have a high contrast mode to override the Jazzercisers out there. 

christopher_phi
Community Champion

Hey @dlyons , thanks again for your work and the update on this. now that the accessibility checker is putting up proactive notifications about accessibility issues, our teachers are much more aware of this showing up any time they add a link to any page: 

accessibility-checker.pngTo get around this we are going to go ahead and change this in our institutional theme. Do you perchance have any insight into what the new default color will be for Canvas that we could implement on our own in our theme? 

dlyons
Instructure Alumni
Instructure Alumni

@christopher_phi, this is some secret insider knowledge you're asking for here! 😉 The new default link color is planned to be #0374B5. 

christopher_phi
Community Champion

Thanks so much @dlyons !

Stef_retired
Instructure Alumni
Instructure Alumni

Thanks to everyone participating in this thread. Here's an update from David:  More Accessible Default Theme Colors.

KristinL
Community Team
Community Team
Status changed to: Archived

Thank you for sharing this idea with the Instructure Community!

The Product Team reviewed all feature proposals recently, and unfortunately, this thread was identified as one that they would not be able to include in their current or future plans. While we appreciate your proposal, we also want to be transparent about the likelihood of something like this making it to production.

Thank you for collaborating, and we hope that you submit another idea in the future!