[BlindMath] Equations and Braille Output in Word

[Bert Van Landeghem]

Hello,

equations in Microsoft Word have long been inaccessible with screen
readers. I know that a plug-in called Mathplayer was sometimes recommended,
but we were lucky that there was something such as LaTeX. Since recently
however, JAWS is able to read equations in Microsoft Word without any
additional plug-ins. This can be very handy as some people could send you a
Word document with equations to read and/or comment on. There is also
Braille output, even though this will only work if you are in contracted
Braille. I therefore have a few questions for you.



Contracted Braille is different for each language, and I never learned
contracted Braille for the English language. Maybe this might also be less
relevant than in the past, when Braille was printed, even though I can
imagine that being proficient in contracted Braille can speed up reading
and writing. Would you recommend making the effort to learn contracted
Braille? And if yes, where can I find the most appropriate manual to do so?
Are they working on making the maths output accessible in uncontracted
braille as well?



Also, the maths output is in Nemeth. Again, Braille maths did not have a
universal standard, and I learned a different code. Is there a way to have
the Braille output appear in (simplified) LaTeX rather than Nemeth? Is
there a guide which you could point me to which is appropriate for self
studying Nemeth?



Many thanks,

Bert