Pressbooks is a Canvas learning technology integration that allows users to publish textbook and other content as well as include quizzes. For more Pressbooks information and resources, refer to the Learn@UW KnowledgeBase.

Get help

• Contact the DoIT Help Desk to report additional accessibility and usability barriers, or to request general assistance with using Pressbooks.

• Students with disabilities who are experiencing difficulties navigating online course content should contact their instructor as well as the McBurney Disability Resource Center to explore reasonable student accommodation options.

• The Learn@UW-Madison team hosts a Pressbooks user group. You can join the email list for the user group by sending a blank email to pressbooksusers+subscribe@g-groups.wisc.edu

• If you are course creator and would like to improve the digital accessibility of your course materials, review the Course material accessibility guide for tips and best practices. You may also reach out for free consultation to discuss your course content with the Center for User Experience: https://go.wisc.edu/a11yofficehours.

Accessibility and usability barriers and recommendations

During our September 2025 evaluation, no barriers were found in testing several flows in the product Pressbooks (the content frame). 

It is worth noting that some of the applications and content embedded within Pressbooks, such as YouTube and H5P, have accessibility barriers. 

Since Pressbooks is a content creation system, for content within it to be accessible, instructors must build content using best accessibility practices, such as properly nesting headings and using alt text.

Include Alternate Text 

Pressbooks doesn't prompt authors to include alternative text when they are entering images and graphics. When creating Pressbooks content, be sure to add alternative text for every image or graphic. This will allow users who are blind or have low vision to use a screen reader to read the description of the image and its relationship to the content. 

Contrast errors

Image descriptions throughout the publication are in italics, which is harder for users to read. It also fails color contrast accessibility, as the light blue text is too low contrast compared to the white background of the page. This can be a problem for users who have low vision or are colorblind. Instead of using the image descriptions text style, consider using regular paragraph text and identifying images by a figure number in the text description, alt text, and heading of the image. 

Use normal paragraph text for any text that looks too light to your eye as a Pressbooks content author.

Ensure videos have captions, and audio clips have transcripts

Pressbooks doesn't prompt authors to include captions or transcripts when audio or video multimedia is embedded in the content. 

When embedding audio/video in Pressbooks content, make sure to include captions and transcripts for video and audio content, so users who are deaf or hard of hearing can have equal access to your content.

For more information on how to add captions and transcripts, refer to Captioning, transcripts, and audio descriptions - Getting Started (UW-Madison). 

Pressbooks buttons may be missing accessible labels

Some Pressbooks buttons in the reader/viewer interface may be missing accessible labels for screen reader users. This can impact users who are blind or have low vision and are using a screen reader to navigate textbook content in Pressbooks. 

Buttons with missing labels could make it difficult or impossible for screen reader users to annotate in Pressbooks or in a Canvas embedded document. Be sure to have your textbook accessibility tested by the Center for User Experience (for free) to ensure textbook functionality and content is screen readable. 

Pressbooks embedded slideshow may not load

The Pressbooks slideshow in Canvas may not load very well, especially on low broadband internet connections. As a result, the Pressbooks embedded slideshow may not be the most accessible format for course content from a universal design perspective. This may be especially true during periods when students are away from campus.