[BlindMath] Sourcing MathML textbooks for a blind student.

[nspohn0 at gmail.com]

Hi Michael, 

I am a first year Mechanical Engineering student. My disability office only has one disability coordinator. My coordinator was never aware of anyone that transcribes books in Math ML. I think he also had the same problems as you where the publishing companies do not recognize this as a format of need. Because my disability coordinator is the only one in his office, he hired students to help make things such as textbooks, guided notes sheets, powerpoints, quizzes, etc. accessible. Not sure if this helps or just adds to the frustration. 

I personally wish the NFB would take the initiative to make publishing companies provide their books in an accessible format for blind STEM students. It is more work for each individual disability office to replicate a book than having the publishing company do it once and just copy the files and send them to people.

Nick 


-----Original Message-----
From: BlindMath <blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Michael Evers via BlindMath
Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2021 3:09 PM
To: blindmath at nfbnet.org
Cc: Michael Evers <michaelevers at southalabama.edu>
Subject: [BlindMath] Sourcing MathML textbooks for a blind student.

Hello everyone,



              My name is Michael Evers and I am a member of the National Federation of The Blind and I work as an assistive technology specialist on a university campus.  Unfortunately the pandemic has created some unexpected challenges this semester when trying to get a student’s textbooks converted into MathML.

The student I am working with is a totally blind 4th year Engineering Major who prefers to have their textbooks transcribed into MathML, because they are able to use it to help them with understanding complex formulas,  mathematical equations and advanced technical concepts.  Until this semester, our office was able to contract with another university to perform transcription services by having this student’s textbooks converted into the MathML format.  Unfortunately, due to the current pandemic, they are unable to fulfill this task for us, because they do not have the on-site human resources available to perform this service for other colleges and universities needing these critical materials.  Sadly, I am unable to perform this task myself, because I do not possess the required technical knowledge to convert materials into the MathML format, even as a high functioning totally blind person.  So I am asking for help with finding the additional resources for getting this accomplished.

              When I have tried reaching out to the book publishers about this issue last semester, they acted as if they do not know what MathML is or even how to convert their materials into that format.  I feel terrible about this, because it is my job to solve these problems and I am running out of options.  The last thing that I want to do is to tell my students or my supervisor that I am sorry that I cannot help them, because I feel that it would simply be unacceptable for me to just give up on helping my employer fulfill their required obligations under the Americans With Disabilities Act.  The pandemic has made this process extremely difficult for a lot of universities to meet their accessibility requirements and it’s very frustrating for many ADA offices on college and university campuses.
This is a real problem, which requires a real solution and I need help.
So, can someone please help me figure this out?  Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you soon.  Have a great day.



Sincerely,

Michael Evers



Mike Evers MP.A.

Sensory Impaired Technology Coordinator
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