ULEARN Accessibility Guide Document Reading Direction Not Found

Changes in text direction within inline content should be indicated using an HTML element, such as with a dir attribute that specifies left-to-right (ltr) or right-to-left (rtl) direction. For example, a Hebrew phrase within an English paragraph should have its own text direction specified.

User Experience

What You May Experience

You may see text in Hebrew or Arabic and instinctively adjust how you read it, since you recognize that those languages are read from right to left. If the reading direction isn’t set in the document, it might not affect you because visual cues help you naturally change your reading pattern.

What Students May Experience

Transcript

Why this Matters

Specifying a document’s reading direction ensures that all students, including those using screen readers or other assistive technologies, receive content in the correct logical order.

When the direction is not defined, and the text switches from a left-to-right language (like English) to a right-to-left language (like Hebrew or Arabic), screen readers have no way of knowing they need to change direction. This results in text being read backward, preventing students from comprehending the content and disrupting their learning experience.

How to Fix It

When embedding text in Arabic, Hebrew, or another right-to-left language, specify both the language and reading direction in the HTML. For example:

هذا نص من اليمين إلى اليسار.

זהו טקסט מימין לשמאל.

If you are mixing languages, be sure to mark only the specific phrase or sentence that needs a different direction. Example:

This course includes readings in العربية and English.

Fix in Canvas: Toggle to the HTML Editor and locate the section of content that requires a reading direction. Next to the lang attribute, add the direction attribute: dir="rtl" (right to left) or dir="ltr" (left to right).
Fix with DesignPLUS: Select the portion of text that needs a reading direction in the RCE, then, in the sidebar, find the Advanced Editor in the Advanced Tools tab. Add the direction attribute: dir="rtl" or dir="ltr" .
Fix in UDOIT: This issue cannot be fixed from the UDOIT interface. Whenever you come across a "Document Reading Direction Not Found" suggestion, select it and, below the issue description, find the link that will quickly take you to your content so you can fix it with the Canvas RCE or the DesignPLUS sidebar. When you return to UDOIT, select Scan Now on the top right-hand side to stop the issue from surfacing.

Last Updated: Oct 24, 2025, 5:11 PM

Created with DesignPLUS

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User Experience

What You May Experience

What Students May Experience

Audio Transcript

Why this Matters

How to Fix It