Headings are the primary method of navigation for a screen reader user. Clear heading order allows people with vision impairments who use screen readers to get key information on a page quickly. Luckily, with a small amount of effort, headings can dramatically increase the accessibility of a Canvas course. Sighted users also use headings in order to quickly scan a page, so proper use of headings make a page more easy for all readers.

Since headings form hierarchy within our content, it is also important to not skip heading levels for aesthetic purposes. There are other methods to increase the size of text while still keeping semantic value for screen reader users.

Please note: In Canvas, page titles are automatically generated as a “Heading 1” or “h1”, so you will not see the Heading 1 option in the Rich Content Editor (RCE)