[Trainer-Talk] Access to Textbook materials in MathML

[mevers421 at gmail.com]

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

 

 

Michael Evers

 <mailto:Mevers421 at gmail.com> Mevers421 at gmail.com