[Blindmath] JAWS reading Math equations element by element

Tue Apr 19 21:04:02 UTC 2016

Hi Karen,

At the time being there are a variety of methods, none being fully complete or without some limitations. Indeed, you have mentioned many of them, including Pearson's accessible equation editor which is not yet fully developed or readily available. But hear are a few additional angles to consider in addition to the ones you mentioned. 

One method is to use MathType set to accept LaTeX math expressions entered from the keyboard and then use MathType's toggle-tex command to convert the expression to a MathType equation which NVDA plus MathPlayer can read. That method can also be an aid to the blind student learning LaTeX, as he/she will be able to quickly hear what was written in standard math speech, and then toggle back to tex to further edit or correct the expression. I suspect that process would be far from foolproof, but it may be a serviceable method.

Another possibility would be to use the gh product called MathHear: https://www.gh-accessibility.com/software/mathhear. It is designed so that math teachers can create worksheets, quizzes and tests and blind students (well...any student for that matter) can enter their work, save the document and send it back. 

Yet another angle to consider is the WIRIS equation editor. http://www.wiris.com/en/ It is accessible, though I have not had any direct feedback from blind individuals who have tried using it to do math in an educational setting. Theoretically, it could be hooked up to a Learning Management System, and their website specifically mentions Canvas, Moodle, Sakai and others, but I have no feedback from those who have done this.

--Steve Noble
steve.noble at louisville.edu
502-969-3088
http://louisville.academia.edu/SteveNoble

________________________________________
From: Blindmath [blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] on behalf of Karen Sorensen via Blindmath [blindmath at nfbnet.org]
Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2016 10:17 AM
To: blindmath at nfbnet.org
Cc: Karen Sorensen
Subject: [Blindmath] JAWS reading Math equations element by element

Hi Steve and Khaleel,
Steve, great explanation of what combination of AT, browser and add-on is
necessary to read math.
So what do you suggest the student use to write math? This is an issue that
has confounded us. MathType isn't accessible for a screen reader user to
write math with.
Here are some ideas we have compiled (some from this listserv), but none
are ideal:

   - Talking graphing calculator - does it output what's written with the
   calculator to the computer? Is it a complete solution? Probably not.
   - Excel may be a viable solution in some cases, at least in Stats.
   - ASCII code, but instructor has to agree to the code choices. An agreed
   upon ASCII set would need to be defined.
   - Braille display or Perkins brailler, but will probably need to be
   converted to math that's readable by a sighted instructor
   - LaTeX, but learning LaTeX is a commitment (you can also write LaTeX in
   MathType, and therefore only have to write the math portion of LaTeX, not
   the layout. It also is in a popular word doc format, but is difficult to
   avoid errors (from John Gardner's post on math listserv. John is a former
   physics instructor at Oregon State and the owner of ViewPlus in Corvallis,
   OR)
      - Other recommendations by John Gardner in Blindmath listserv post on
      3-16-16 (words are John's not mine):
         - "Use MathType and compose equations in LEAN. LEAN is something I
         wrote myself, and it works extremely well in audio, but the
current version
         has bugs in the braille output. Write me if you'd like to
join the beta
         list and use it in audio. Much more compact than Latex - I
find I can write
         math faster than any sighted person using any computer
application (but not
         as fast as a person using a pencil yet. LEAN is free for blind users.
         - Use ChattyInfty. Available from the Japanese Infty group at
         their commercial web site:
         https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.sciaccess.net&d=AwICAg&c=SgMrq23dbjbGX6e0ZsSHgEZX6A4IAf1SO3AJ2bNrHlk&r=4WMck1ZVLo4tV0IVllcBNKXCSGU6lUERtx_4HD4DqmE&m=IL0NQJ4lPeiLZdAxV3VZ_lPXuzkSv3mv4JtZzsQ0e-g&s=6SA8XAieeHsIl1Tq3IfZVOHiWOe4kqhkNa_xHw2CNAg&e=
         Chatty works well and can output in several formats including MS
         Word. But it is expensive."
      - Pearson's accessible braille editor
   <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__accessibility.pearson.com_mathex-2Dapp_&d=AwICAg&c=SgMrq23dbjbGX6e0ZsSHgEZX6A4IAf1SO3AJ2bNrHlk&r=4WMck1ZVLo4tV0IVllcBNKXCSGU6lUERtx_4HD4DqmE&m=IL0NQJ4lPeiLZdAxV3VZ_lPXuzkSv3mv4JtZzsQ0e-g&s=2ZgepD_TSQga1kacI6_UnM5a7UKjUSAyCKIX-aN0bZ4&e= >   tested with a
   refreshable braille display and found it promising. There were some issues
   with the display not refreshing until we navigated away from the page and
   returned.

Have any other ideas?
Thank you!
Karen
Karen M. Sorensen
Accessibility Advocate for Online Courses
www.pcc.edu/access
Portland Community College
971-722-4720
Twitter: @ksorensun
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