Real-time Online Two-way Braille-to-Print Mathematical Communication Sam Dooley, Pearson Susan Osterhaus, TSBVI Dan Brown, Pearson Edgar Lozano, Pearson Su Park, Pearson

Braille math is hard! Blind students need: A level playing field for STEM instruction To read and write online braille math To interact with sighted instructors and peers To participate in online activities

Braille math should be math! Math concepts are independent of notation Braille math codes capture all math notation Math software can be independent of notation Blind students only have full access if their math is treated the same as printed math.

Normalizing Braille Math Online equation editor software component Real-time, two-way braille math translation Accessible to both sighted and blind users Content MathML Nemeth Braille

Braille Math Demo Blind user can create math for a sighted user Sighted user can create math for a blind user Instantaneous interactions with math content

Content MathML Presentation encodes signs/symbols Content encodes functional structure Content markup is harder to create Content markup is easier to process

Equation Editor WYSIWYG entry for math expressions Keyboard input into Content MathML Content MathML to Presentation MathML Display MathML in a browser (MathJax)

Math into Braille Starting from content (functional) markup Braille becomes just another output format Display as print and braille simultaneously From the exact same content markup

Braille into Math Input to create content (functional) markup Braille becomes just another key event Input from QWERTY or braille interchangeably To create the exact same content markup

Braille math is math! Blind students can read the same math Blind students can create the same math The math can be shared the same way The math can be scored the same way Blind students now have full access since their math is the same as printed math.

User Interface Issues Incomplete expressions Input position indicator Keyboard navigation Expression selection Cut/copy/paste/delete

Further work Combining text and math content Additional math symbols (limit, diff, int) Braille math usability Braille math discoverability Spatial arrangements Tactile graphics

Applications Electronic textbooks Classroom lecture notes Homework submission Grading (online/offline) Online high-stakes assessment Real-time classroom translation Nemeth Braille curriculum

Braille Hints Demo Math palettes and buttons Button descriptions as text labels Button descriptions with braille dots Users can be reminded of the braille Users can learn the braille by using the tool

Can I use it? http://accessibility.pearson.com/mathex-app/ Web-based accessible equation editor Stand-alone desktop version (in progress) Chrome, Firefox, NVDA (for now) Try it online, give us feedback

To Be Continued … A Comparison of Nemeth Braille and UEB Math for Online Math Software Sam Dooley, Susan Osterhaus, Corey Fauble http://accessibility.pearson.com/mathex-app/