The Raised Mathematics project is working to improve the accessibility of educational, technical, and research materials for people with limited vision. Specific targets include tactile and audible graphics; mathematics in Nemeth and UEB braille; intuitive navigation of diagrams and complicated formulas; and textbooks, research papers, and technical documents available in braille and in accessible online formats.
The core of Raised Mathematics is a collection of free and open source software tools:
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PreTeXt. An authoring platform for technical documents which converts to braille, to accessible HTML, and to essentially any other output format. PreTeXt incorporates all the other components of Raised Mathematics. Visit PreTeXt support forum to connect with people working on the project.
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MathJax A JavaScript library which renders math formulas in web pages, converts math to braille, and provides navigable and spoken versions of math formulas. MathJax incorporates the Speech Rule Engine.
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Speech Rule Engine Software which parses mathematical expressions and provides access to a semantic version of the expression, including a spoken description.
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ARIA Tree Walker A method for navigating complicated structures, including chemical formulas and mathematical equations.
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SenseMath An app which provides audible versions of graphs and formulas.
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New tools under preliminary development, including an easier way to author accessible graphs and diagrams, and an easier way to write mathematics.
On December 21, at 9:30am Pacific/12:30pm Eastern, Michael Cantino led an online seminar:
Alt text and long descriptions for scholarly materials
Participants learned the basics of describing figures, diagrams, and images, so that readers can understand the intent of the graphic even if they cannot see it.
Materials from the Raised Mathematics Project