Make Your Course Accessible

Math Accessibility Guide

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What is Accessible Math?

Accessible math is mathematical content that can be understood and navigated by everyone, especially those who use assistive technologies (AT) like screen readers and braille displays. The key is to convey the meaning and structure of the math, not just its visual appearance. A fully accessible equation is more than a static image; it is a structured data set that AT can interpret. This structured data set allows users to move freely through the equation, navigating from a numerator to a denominator, exploring subscripts, or jumping between different sides of an equal sign in an equation, for instance.

The two main formats that enable accessible math are MathML and Office MathML (OMML).

MathML and OMML

MathML (Mathematical Markup Language) is an XML-based format that explicitly defines the logical structure of an equation. It uses tags like <mfrac> for a fraction or <msup> for a superscript, providing a clear blueprint for AT to read and interpret the math.

OMML (Office MathML) is a structured format used by Microsoft Office applications like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote. It allows users to create equations directly using a plain-text syntax (called UnicodeMath) within the equation editor, which you can open with the shortcut Alt + = on a PC or CTRL + = on Macs. For example, typing x^2 followed by a space automatically formats the "2" as a superscript. The editor then stores this as an OMML object, which assistive technologies can use to provide an accessible experience. The editor also supports pasting in LaTeX, contains a graphical toolbar for those who prefer to "hunt and peck," and a conversion tool that allows users to convert back and forth between UnicodeMath and LaTeX.

Most importantly, in both MathML and OMML the structured data allows AT users to:

  • navigate freely through the equation
  • hear the equation spoken using AT like screen readers and related text-to-speech tools
  • translate the content into braille formats that allow users to perceive the spatial relationships in the equation (e.g., numerator and denominator, superscripts, etc.).

EquatIO

University of Illinois has a campus-wide license for EquatIO, a tool for converting multiple math input formats (speech, handwriting, screenshots of math images, and LaTeX) into multiple accessible output formats. EquatIO is available to U of I faculty, staff, and students for free (see the EquatIO Download page on the U of I Webstore). Here is a quick video demonstration of EquatIO's screenshot tool that shows how the tool allows users to select images of equations and output the equations in different formats like MathML (the standard for accessible math), HTML with alt text for the math, and LaTeX. Note: this video has no sound.

Major Workflows

The specific tools and resources for accessible math depend on where you are incorporating the math. The following are key workflows, along with recommended strategies and tools for making math accessible in each.

Note: The following sections will be changing as we add tool- and platform-specific tutorials.

Canvas LMS

Recommendation: Use the built-in Equation Editor which supports LaTeX syntax. When the page loads, MathJax converts it to accessible MathML which can also be rendered as Nemeth Braille for users with braille displays.

Tools and Resources

Microsoft Applications (Word, PowerPoint, OneNote, Excel)

Recommendation: Use the built-in Equation Editor, which uses UnicodeMath. It can also accept LaTeX input. Third-party tools like MathType can also be used, which can output to multiple formats including LaTeX, MathML, and UnicodeMath.

Tools and Resources

Jupyter Notebook

Recommendation: Use LaTeX syntax in the markdown cells. The Jupyter Notebook primarily uses markdown for text formatting, but for math it uses LaTeX (which is then rendered by MathJax). Enclose inline math with single dollar signs ($E=mc^2$) and display math with double dollar signs ($$x = ...$$). MathJax handles the rendering by generating both a visible graphic version of the equation (e.g., an .svg file) and a hidden MathML version of the equation embedded in the document for screen readers.

Pandoc is an incredibly useful tool, often called a "universal document converter." In the context of Jupyter Notebooks, it allows you to convert a notebook file (.ipynb) into many other formats.

Tools and Resources

HTML Web Page

Recommendation: Use MathML or a JavaScript rendering library like MathJax with LaTeX. MathML is an XML-based format that explicitly defines the logical structure of an equation and can also be rendered as Nemeth Braille. MathJax converts LaTeX into accessible MathML.

Tools and Resources

Other Learning Management Systems

Recommendation: Most modern LMSs have a built-in equation editor that supports LaTeX. When in doubt, always default to LaTeX and check the system's documentation for its specific rendering engine (e.g., MathJax, KaTeX). Third-party plugins like EquatIO may also be available.

Coursera, for instance, is integrated with the EquatIO Chrome browser extension, allowing users to add math and science formulas to Coursera pages by typing, handwriting, or using speech-to-text features within the EquatIO toolbar. You can use the EquatIO toolbar after clicking the "Math" button in the Coursera text editor to create and insert your math expressions directly into the course content.

Tools and Resources

Academic Journals and Publishing

Recommendation: LaTeX is the universal standard for academic publishing. It provides precise control over equation formatting and is required by most journals. To get your equations from other tools into LaTeX, use a conversion tool.

Tools and Resources

PDF Documents

PDF Math Accessibility is Not for the Faint of Heart!

Currently, creating truly accessible, interactive mathematical equations in a PDF document that meets modern standards like PDF/UA-2 is not generally recommended for most users and workflows. While technically possible, it is a complex and often non-portable solution.

The Challenge with PDF Math Accessibility

The gold standard for accessible math requires embedding MathML inside the PDF structure using a technical Associated File (AF) Link. Achieving this standard requires specialized authoring environments and tools or commercial PDF software development kits and libraries.

Standard PDF editing tools like those in Adobe Acrobat Pro cannot create the necessary internal AF link or automatically generate the complex structure required by the PDF/UA-2 specification. This is currently a limitation of the software and not the PDF format itself.

Recommendation: For simple, inline equations (e.g., a + b = c), you can use regular text in the PDF. However, direct interactive MathML within PDFs, where users can select and navigate parts of an equation, is currently not natively supported Adobe Acrobat.

Recommendation: For more complex equations, you can either convert to a structured format like HTML or use a standard PDF link to a separate HTML webpage containing the equation(s) in MathML format.

Using an External HTML Link

  1. Tag the Visual Equation: Leave the image of the equation in the PDF (tagged as a <Figure>).
  2. Create Accessible HTML: Place the MathML equation(s) in a separate HTML document on a web server.
  3. Provide a Clear Link: Immediately following the equaion image, add a standard text link (e.g., "Access Equation 1") that points to the web page containing the equation in MathML.

Tools and Resources