Considerations for Accessibility of GIFs and Animations
From the Quick Access series
April 2026 marks the federal deadline for digital accessibility under ADA Title II. At UC Davis, our commitment to accessibility will honor both the mandate and our Principles of Community as we remove barriers for all learners. Part of a series to be published during the fall of 2025, this post explores what accessibility means in practice and ways we can all contribute. Find all the posts in this series by clicking the yellow "Quick Access" label at the end of the post.
For more on campus compliance with this law, see UC Davis Digital Accessibility Program Manager Brad Starkey-Owens’ conversation on digital accessibility with Dr. Andy Jones and check the campus Accessibility site. Also consider joining the UC Accessibility Project or registering for the Universal Design for Learning Institute this fall (held each Friday this fall at 10:30AM on Zoom) for additional accessibility support.
GIFs can add motion and personality to a Canvas page. They can highlight a concept, add humor, or grab attention in ways that static images sometimes cannot. Yet, the same qualities that make GIFs appealing can also create barriers for students. For learners with visual, cognitive, or vestibular disabilities, continuous movement can be distracting, overwhelming, or even physically harmful. Instructors should use GIFs thoughtfully and sparingly.
Accessibility concerns with GIFs (WCAG 2.2.2) fall into three main areas. First, many GIFs loop for more than five seconds, making it hard for a viewer to maintain focus. Second, rapid motion or flashing content may trigger dizziness or seizures, and can be difficult to visually track for low-vision users without supporting text. Third, a GIF with no alt text or description is inaccessible to screen reader users.
Instructors don’t need to remove GIFs—students simply need control and context. Adding alt text, offering explanations in plain text, and including a static frame of the animation can keep content accessible. In Canvas, the Display Text Link option opens the GIF in a new window, allowing students to choose when to view it. To learn to enable Display Text Link, see the Display Image Options section in the linked Canvas Community article.
Did You Know (Canvas Edition)?
In Canvas, place an animation inside a collapsible accordion to allow students to view it and then minimize it without leaving the page. For instructions on how to set up an accordion, see the Accordion and Details tag discussion in the linked Canvas Community article.
For support applying these practices, please contact [email protected].