Math Accessibility Resource List

Information, Articles, and Papers:

• Papers from the International Workshop on “Digitization and E-Inclusion in Mathematics and Science 2012″:

• Developing Accessible, Mobile-Friendly, Applications and Content in Support of Students with Print Disabilities in Grades 4-9 With an emphasis on Mathematics

• Accessible STEM Information
  This page points to accessible STEM books and other information. The editors are grateful to Ms. Roopakshi Pathania for much of the information on this page.

• Accessibility-Specific Topics in STEM
  This page has articles and links to topics specific to accessibility of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

• Math Languages
  This page points to accessible information on the Latex and MathML computer languages in common use for math.

• Accessible EPUB 3: Best Practices for Creating Universally Usable Content 

• Papers from the International Workshop on “Digitization and E-Inclusion in Mathematics and Science 2012″

• Accessible STEM Content
  This resource has links to accessible, mostly mainstream, free books, articles, tutorials, and other STEM content.
• Accessibility-Specific Information
  This resource has articles on accessible techniques for reading and authoring math, reading math on the web, and converting documents to web files. There are articles on braille math, on accessing graphics, and on embossing methods. And there are links to sites with information about educational and professional services and activities for people with disabilities.
• Math Languages
  This resource has articles, tables of symbols, and links to information about MathML and Latex, the two predominant computer languages for math today.

Projects:

• The Smith-Kettlewell Video Description Research and Development Center (VDRDC)
  investigates innovative technologies and techniques for making online video more accessible to blind and visually-impaired students and consumers. Through collaboration with a broad array of partners and stakeholders in the Description Leadership Network, we are developing advanced video annotation methods for use in a wide variety of educational settings, as well as helping educators and other description providers make better use of the tools already available.
• Georgia Tech Sonification lab
  an interdisciplinary research group based in the School of Psychology and the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech. Under the direction of Prof. Bruce Walker, the Sonification Lab focuses on the development and evaluation of auditory and multimodal interfaces, and the cognitive, psychophysical and practical aspects of auditory displays, paying particular attention to sonification. Special consideration is paid to Human Factors in the display of information in "complex task environments," such as the human-computer interfaces in cockpits, nuclear powerplants, in-vehicle infotainment displays, and in the space program.
• Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) for Wireless Technologies
  has become a recognized leader on issues and solutions related to the accessibility and usability of mobile wireless products and services by people with disabilities. The Wireless RERC's mission is to promote equitable access to and use of wireless technologies by people with disabilities and encourage the adoption of Universal Design in future generations of wireless devices and applications.

• Diagram
  At the present time, print disabled students are at a disadvantage compared to their sighted peers because textbooks often lack descriptions of the images they contain, or if descriptions exist, they may not be as helpful to understand the material as they could be. The goal the DIAGRAM Center is to help alleviate these situations.

• Mathematics eText Research Center
  investigates how digital textbooks might increase access and enhance the learning of mathematics by students with Learning Disabilities and Visual Impairments. MeTRC is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education. The mission of the Mathematics eText Research Center is to investigate how the printed materials used by teachers and students in mathematics classrooms can be converted into electronic forms, and how the increased capabilities of such digital textbooks might increase access to mathematics and improve the learning and achievement of students with Learning Disabilities and Visual Impairments. MeTRC is funded by the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education.

Web-Based Resources:

• MultiModal Graph Technology
  by The Georgia Tech Sonification Lab in collaboration with NASA Learning Technologies and IDEAL Group, Inc.

• Auditory Graphs and Education Research
  GNIE, which allows blind and low vision middle school students *create* (not just "view"!) number lines and graphs, thereby completing nearly all these kinds of problems in the Common Core Standards for Math. This is being very successfully validated in schools for the blind now--really groundbreaking!

• Sonification Sandbox
  Sonification Sandbox software to make auditory and multimodal graphs. This is a remarkably powerful and flexible software engine that has been in use by students, researchers, scientists, and even artists/musicians for several years. (Note that it has all the functionality of MathTrax and much more.

• The Accessible Aquarium Project
  Accessible Aquarium Project, which is a major effort to make dynamic exhibits at zoos, aquariums, and science museums accessible to blind visitors

  • aquarium with music

  • The GT Accessible Aquarium Project

  • Laurie Anderson - Accessible Aquarium Project

• Advanced Auditory Menus
  Advanced Auditory Menu Enhancements including spearcons, spindex, and auditory scroll bars that make TTS systems more accessible and effective for people with disabilities

• NASA's Math Description Engine
  NASA's Math Description Engine (MDE) Software Development Kit can be used by software developers to make computer-rendered graphs more accessible to blind and visually-impaired users. It has a simple API that lets you easily add alternative text and sound descriptions to your graphs. Version 1 of the MDE SDK generates text descriptions for 2D graphs commonly seen in math and science curriculum (and practice). The mathematically rich text descriptions can also serve as a virtual math and science assistant for blind and sighted users, making graphs more accessible for everyone. A BIG Thank You to Terry Hodgson, the author of NASA’s MDE!

Standards:

• International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF)
  The International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) is the global trade and standards organization dedicated to the development and promotion of electronic publishing and content consumption. The work of the IDPF promotes the development of electronic publishing applications and products that will benefit creators of content, makers of reading systems, and consumers.  The IDPF develops and maintains the EPUB content publication standard that enables the creation and transport of reflowable digital books and other types of content as digital publications that are interoperable between disparate EPUB-compliant reading devices and applications.

Obtaining Scientific Books in Accessible Formats:

• Braille Books:

  • ATPC

  • Louis Database

• Electronic files in DAISY or BRF Format:

  • Bookshare

• XHTML and/or MathML:

  • Tutorials, textbooks, etc.

  • Online Mathematics Textbooks

Converting Mainstream Math Documents to Accessible Format:

• Infty Reader: InftyReader is an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) application that recognizes and translates scientific documents. InftyReader can import files of the following types: TIF, BMP, GIF, PNG and PDF. InftyReader can translate files into IML (proprietary format), LaTeX, XHTML (MathML) and MS Word 2007 (XML). InftyReader can recognize tables including math expressions in the cells so long as the ruled lines are not broken. InftyReader incorporates the use of three OCR engines. The first is InftyReader’s own OCR engine which has been designed to recognize scientific and mathematical symbols in formulae. The second and third OCR engines are from the Toshiba Corporation (ExpressReaderPro) and MediaDrive Corporation (WinReader).  The ExpressReaderPro and WinReader OCR engines operate simultaneously in order to improve the recognition results of characters appearing in ordinary text areas.

  • BMP image of math equations -> being converted, automatically, into a LaTeX file

  • BMP image of math equations -> being converted, automatically, into a MathML file

  • PNG image of math equations -> being converted, automatically, into a LaTeX file

  • PNG image of math equations -> being converted, automatically, into a MathML file

  • TIF image of math equations -> being converted, automatically, into a LaTeX file

  • TIF image of math equations -> being converted, automatically, into a MathML File

• MS Word:

• MathType: exports as XHTML+MathML

• Tiger Software Suite: translates to Braille with Nemeth, UK, French, or Marburg math Braille or DotsPlus)

• Duxbury Braille Translator: translates from Word or Scientific Notebook to Braille with Nemeth math Braille

Reading Math:

• XHTML+MathML MathPlayer: Makes MathML audio—readable by screen readers in documents displayed in Internet Explorer)

• MS Word MathType: The hot key ALT-\ converts MathType equations to Latex, which is readable by screen readers)

• ChattyInfty: a talking math editor. It can export files into the following formats: LaTeX, HTML, MathML, Human Readable TeX (HrTeX), Word 2007, Spoken Text (entire document, current paragraph and selected text), and Word XML. Can Import files of the following types: LaTeX, image file (TIF, BMP, GIF, and PNG), Scanner, and PDF file. ChattyInfty is an extended version of InftyEditor with a plug-in speech interface to output in voice the content of editing data by InftyEditor including math expressions, accordingly to the cursor movement. It is an editor of math documents with voice output, usable by people with visually impairments.

• DAISY books:

  • EasyReader: reads math in audio and links to IVEO Viewer for accessing DAISY SVG graphics

  • gh Player DAISY Reader: Reads math in audio or Braille and links to IVEO Viewer for accessing DAISY SVG graphics)

  • Read Hear: by gh for Macintosh

  • Bright Line Reading Guide: AFB www.aph.org (Colored overlay to help with reading. Works for some low vision and LD students)

  • Magnetic squares for Nemeth math, algebra, geometry: MathWindow

Writing Math:

• ChattyInfty: a talking math editor. It can export files into the following formats: LaTeX, HTML, MathML, Human Readable TeX (HrTeX), Word 2007, Spoken Text (entire document, current paragraph and selected text), and Word XML. Can Import files of the following types: LaTeX, image file (TIF, BMP, GIF, and PNG), Scanner, and PDF file. ChattyInfty is an extended version of InftyEditor with a plug-in speech interface to output in voice the content of editing data by InftyEditor including math expressions, accordingly to the cursor movement. It is an editor of math documents with voice output, usable by people with visually impairments. See: Beta Speech Recognition (SR) Interface to ChattyInfty

• Scientific Notebook: MathTalk+Dragon Naturally Speaking (voice input)

• MS Word: MathType: LaTeX equations convert to MathType with hot key ALT-\)

• Latex (mainstream layout language with ASCII source code)

  • Windows

  • Windows

  • Macintosh

  • Unix, Linux, Windows

• Nemeth math Braille to print back-translators

  • Nemetex Nemeth Back-Translator

  • Alpha Text

Calculating:

• Handheld calculators. A number with different capabilities are available from:

  • MaxiAids

  • ILA

  • LS&S

  • American Printing House for the Blind: Orion TI-36X, works for algebra I & II, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, calculus, computer science, biology, chemistry, physics, or engineering

• Audio graphing calculator Windows software application:

  • GC: audio tone graph and embossed output

  • MathTrax

• Accessible mainstream computational applications:

  • Maple

  • Matlab

• Low tech hand tools APH—Louis database www.aph.org (follow the shop APH link)

  • Cranmer abacus (non-slip)

  • Braille ruler, protractor, compass

  • Brannan Cubarithm (braille math-cube board)

  • Graphic aids for mathematics

• Tactile system for solving algebraic word problems: Hands-on Equations

Graphics:

• High resolution embossed tactile graphics: ViewPlus embossers (Tactile copy embossed from any Windows’ application)

• Capsule paper graphics: PIAF

Audio-tactile graphics:

• IVEO Creator: Creates/converts graphics to accessible DAISY SVG.  Audio-tactile access with a touchpad and tactile copy – that may be created by printing the file to a ViewPlus embosser

• IVEO Viewer: free viewer for accessible SVG permits audio/tactile access to DAISY SVG using touchpad and tactile copy – that may be created by printing file to a ViewPlus embosser)

• Algebra assessing, learning, graphing: ALEKS

• Nemeth Braille and tactile graphics: Alternate Text Production Center (ATPC)

• Raised Line Drawing Kit: MaxiAids: The Geometric Set is good; search on keyword “Geometry”

• Peel and stick color-coded tactile patterns: Tactile Colour Communication Society

• Stick-on lines: Wikki Stix

Math Learning Tools:

• Video tutorials for basic math and algebra: ModuMath Tutorials

• Algebra2go videos for math: MuchoMath

• Math tips and Nemeth cheat sheets: Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired

• ALEKS assessment and learning tool, algebra and graphing