Making STEM Content Usable for Diverse Learners WAPED April 2019 Krista Greear and Zach Lattin Zach

Introduction Zach Lattin Assistive Technology Specialist Clark College Zach and Krista Zach Lattin Assistive Technology Specialist Clark College Krista Greear Accessibility Strategist Blackboard Ally

Disclaimers You will not know how to convert every piece of content into accessible STEM by the end of this presentation. The process to making STEM content accessible is greatly dependent upon the source file. The technology is not there yet to provide 1 seamless, automated process that is usable for both the content creator (faculty, instructional designers, etc.), the consumer (student), and the content remediation expert (disability services). Zach

Objectives Discuss math accessibility in reference to the campuses accessibility policy. Understand the factors involved in making STEM content accessible. Understand the basics of MathML and LaTeX. Understand the basics of using tools like MathType and EquatIO to create accessible math content. Provide a short list of “do’s” and “don’ts” to faculty and disability services about making STEM content accessible. Zach

Policy 188 and Math What is Policy 188? How does it relate to math? Zach

Policy 188 – Money Quote From the beginning of Washington State OCIO Policy 188:​ "...people with disabilities have access to and use of information and data and be provided access to the same services and content that is available to persons without disabilities unless providing direct access is not possible due to technical or legal limitations."​ Since it is technically possible to provide accessible math, we should whenever possible.​

Policy 188 – Quote 2 “...Web sites, Web- based applications, software systems, and electronically published documents, should provide the substantially similar functionality to individuals with disabilities as it provides to others.”​ Zach

Inaccessible PDF with Math Content Demo​ Zach demo a PDF with math content with a screen reader. Zach

Basics of STEM Accessibility What are the factors involved? Krista

Factors Involved Krista. The purpose of this slide is to help you understand the factors people like Zach and myself need to consider as we provide recommendations and guidance. This also helps to demonstrate why there is not 1 simple solution that will meet the (a) needs of students who use various adaptive technologies to CONSUME and PRODUCE content, (b) the needs of DS who need to CONVERT or RETROFIT content in a short period of time, and (c) the needs of the faculty who CREATE and TEACH.  Location  Physical handouts Electronic docs (Word docs, PDFs, pptx, Google Docs, etc.) Websites Videos Online learning tools (i.e. MyMathLab) Whiteboards Library journals How Math Created Images Text LaTeX MathML AsciiMath OMML File Types HTML on web HTML in LMS Word documents (.docx) PowerPoint (.pptx) Google Doc (.gdoc) Google Slides (.gslides) Text (.txt) End User’s Tool Screen Reader: JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, ChromeVox Text-to-Speech: Central Access Reader, Read and Write, VoiceDream, Mac TTS Speech Recognition: Dragon Naturally Speaking, Dictation Web Browser (and version) Chrome Firefox Safari Internet Explorer Microsoft Edge Person’s Needs Hear it Enlarge it Feel it Change colors Only use a keyboard See and hear simultaneously

LaTeX and MathML Definition Example Comparison Krista and Zach

LaTeX A document preparation system for high-quality typesetting designed for the scientific and technical communities. ​ Designed for the print world. De facto standard for the communication and publication of mathematical scientific notation. ​ Written by humans Released 1983. Zach

$x=\frac{-b\pm\sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}$ LaTeX Example $x=\frac{-b\pm\sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}$ Zach

Math Mark Up Language (MathML) ​ Computer markup language. A low-level specification for mathematical and scientific content on the Web and beyond. ​ Designed for the digital world. ​ HTML5 and an ISO standard ISO/IEC DIS 40314 since 2015. Not meant to be constructed by hand due to length; generated with equation editor or other GUI interface. Released 1998. Krista

MathML Example Krista

Comparison of LaTeX and MathML Krista

An Example: Insert Math Equation in Different Browsers Firefox / NVDA and Math Player / Brailliant Braille Display Reads LaTeX source, then MathML which is navigable Internet Explorer / Jaws 18 / Brailliant Braille Display Graphic with image description LaTeX shows on Braille display Safari / VoiceOver on iPhone / APH Refreshable Braille Structurally navigate the MathML Zach

What’s Not Going to Work Demanding instructors to only use LaTeX. Demanding instructors to only use tools that produce MathML. Zach

Solution?? Encourage faculty to use a tool that works with both LaTeX and MathML. Zach

MathType Introduction Demo Demo with screen reader Pros/Cons Krista

MathType Intro A tool that will generate math content in both LaTeX and MathML. Relies on a graphical user interface (GUI) to construct content. Available as a standalone or Word and PowerPoint plug-in. Released 1987. ​ Available on Windows or Mac. Krista MathType - Switching between classic input and handwriting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmIga6BI1pA 

MathType Demo Krista demo MathType plug-in in Word. Zach demo LaTeX in MS Word with the Toggle Tex. Krista

Evaluation of Content Created with MathType Zach demo the output with a screen reader. Zach

MathType Pros/Cons Pros More likely to produce Nemeth Braille on a refreshable Braille display. Been around for decades so it’s trusted and well used (less bugs). Has a Toggle TeX button to switch between LaTeX and MathML. Less steps to turn LaTeX into MathML. Good plug-in for Word and PowerPoint. Has a free plug-in for Canvas. MathType Pros/Cons Cons Not the most user friendly: manual construction of each equation. learning keyboard shortcuts to enter elements of equations. knowing LaTeX. Doesn’t offer other features that may be super appealing to faculty (i.e. speak math, handwriting recognition*). *available in some editions of MathType Both

10 Min Break Krista

EquatIO Introduction Demo Demo with Screen Reader Pros/Cons Krista

EquatIO Intro A tool that will generate math content and allows multiple outputs. Can use graphical user interface (GUI), speak math option, or handwriting” to construct content. Standalone or Google Doc plug-in. Available on Windows or Mac. Krista Introducing EquatIO® - Make Math Digital. Make Math Together EquatIO® for Google: How to use Screenshot Reader

EquatIO Demo Krista demo EquatIO desktop version on Mac.  Krista

Evaluation of Content Created with EquatIO Zach demo the output with a screen reader. Zach

EquatIO Pros/Cons Cons Priority to make math digital first, accessible second. Focused on K-12 and Google. Default output is an image with alt text. Have to take extra steps to get to MathML. Not accessible to adaptive tech. May require premium license for the most appealing options (i.e. Screenshot Reader and Copy as MathML). Can’t produce Nemeth Braille.. EquatIO Pros/Cons Pros More options than MathType such as Copy LaTeX, Copy MathML, Copy Spoken Text, Copy HTML, Save SVG, and Save PNG. Side-by-side view of LaTeX and presentation MathML. Easy way to turn images of math into accessible content with Screenshot Reader and Copy MathML features. Both

Questions to Faculty Between using MathType or EquatIO, which are you more willing to use? Why? Zach

Summary Tool Using MathType is best for accessibility. Using EquatIO is second best for accessibility. File Format Using Canvas / html is good. Using Word documents is good. Using PDFs is never recommended. Zach

What Can Be Done? Faculty “Dos” and “Don’ts” Disability Services “Dos” and “Don’ts”

Faculty “Don’ts” Do not use images of mathematical notation (i.e. screenshot, image files). Avoid handwritten math content as PDF. Do not publish STEM content in PDF. Instead use: Canvas pages MathType in Word document EquatIO in Word document Assume that each student has the same needs or assistive technology. Use vendor products that haven’t been vetted for accessibility of the STEM content they produce. Zach

Faculty “Dos” Use tools to make MathML if in the digital environment. Keep LaTeX source files. Consider the needs of the specific student. Use Canvas pages and Word docs instead of PDFs. Understand how to make images accessible based on type and complexity. Diagram Center: Image Description Guidelines Use Ally, MS Accessibility Checker, Grackle Docs, etc. to check content. Zach

Disability Services “Don’ts” Assume 1 tool or 1 process will meet the needs of all your students. Assume 1 tool or 1 process will work for all your STEM faculty. Krista

Disability Services “Dos” Use terms appropriately: MathML, LaTeX, Screen Reader, Text-to-Speech. Help faculty understand the benefits of content in Canvas or Word vs PDF. Meet with the student and faculty member prior to start of STEM class to discuss specific needs and accommodations. Encourage IT to ensure that campus has the latest version of Microsoft Office available. Encourage campus to purchase site licenses for tools like MathType or EquatIO. Krista

Resources / Tools to Help Accessibility 101: STEM Edition Accessibility Checkers Diagram Center: Image Description Guidelines Krista

Accessibility 101: STEM Edition http://bit.ly/AccessSTEM101 Krista

Accessibility Checkers Krista

Diagram Center: Image Description Guidelines Drawings & Paintings Photographs Cartoons & Comics Chemical Element Comparing Objects Comparing Object, Complex Comparing Events Over Time Venn Diagrams Radial/Web Diagrams Hierarchy/Tree Diagrams Flow Charts Cycles Bar Graphs Line Graphs Pie Graphs Scatter Plots Geographic Maps Political Maps Math Diagrams Geometry Equations & Expressions Simple Tables Complex Tables Text Only Images Nutrition Labels Timelines Krista http://diagramcenter.org/table-of-contents-2.html

Questions? Both