LaTeX

Bridge to Accessible Mathematical Presentation


Presentation by Ameena Ghoston

Our Needs

  • Accessible, general mechanism to communicate mathematical work in print
  • A tool allowing users to focus on content and not presentation
  • A tool that works with screen readers, Braille output devices and notetakers
  • Low or zero cost
  • Platform independent

How does LaTeX Help the Blind?

  • Content not presentation
  • What you type is what you get
  • Does the formatting for you
  • Doesn't need a fancy tool
  • No accessibility concerns
  • It's free!

Being Fair : Drawbacks of LaTeX

  • Needs to be processed
  • Learning curve
  • Still needs some sighted review

Examples: Basic Math

 Print representation of the math problem translated below

$$\frac{-b\pm\sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}$$

 Examples : Words with Math

 Print representation of the math problem translated below

Let $\mathbf{u}$,$\mathbf{v}$ and $\mathbf{w}$ be three vectors in ${\mathbf R}^3$. The volume~$V$ of the parallelepiped with corners at the points $\mathbf{0}$, $\mathbf{u}$, $\mathbf{v}$, $\mathbf{w}$, $\mathbf{u}+\mathbf{v}$, $\mathbf{u}+\mathbf{w}$, $\mathbf{v}+\mathbf{w}$ and $\mathbf{u}+\mathbf{v}+\mathbf{w}$ is given by the formula \[ V = (\mathbf{u} \times \mathbf{v}) \cdot \mathbf{w}.\]

Examples : Higher Math

 Print representation of the math problem translated below


$$ \left(\sum a_i^2\right)^{1/2} $$

 Print representation of the math problem translated below


\[
\Theta(s) = \int_0^\infty \theta(t)e^{-st}\,dt
= \mathcal{L} \{\theta(t)\}
\]

Considerations: When To LaTeX

  • What hardware is available?
  • What accessibility tools are available?
  • Ability and Readiness of the user.