Issue
The digital versions of academic papers and course documents are subject to the same accessibility requirements as websites. Many mathematical and scientific documents include notation and/or charts and graphs that aren’t readily accessible to tools like screen readers (for a variety of reasons).
What to do
If you can avoid using a PDF, do that. Use this PDF Decision Tree to guide yourself to a more accessible format.
If you need to make a PDF, as with all documents, you’ll want to pay attention to the document basics:
- Heading structure
- Alt text
- Meaningful link text
- Table accessibility
- List formatting
- Color contrast
If you’re drafting your document in LaTeX, use the LaTeX accessibility package to code these structures into your document before reproducing it as a PDF.
ITS Digital Accessibility Knowledge Base articles
- Improve Accessibility in Slide Presentations with Math
- Creating Accessible Math Content from LaTeX Editors
- Convert Format of Math Equations
- Math Accessibility in Canvas, with Equation Editor and Panorama
- Improve Accessibility of PDF with Math
- Optimal Screen Reader Setup for Accessible Math
If your content is going to be published on a website, the recommended practice is to convert it to html and Math Markup Language (Math ML).
Recommended tools
- Document Accessibility (Accessibility Basic Training Canvas course)
- Accessible Math Languages and Tools for Content Presentation– Matrix comparison of languages and tools
- MathType – plugin available for Word and Docs
- W3C Math home – Math Markup Language (MathML) resources
- Accessibility Checklist for LaTeX documents
Who’s affected
People who:
- Use screen readers (blind, low vision)
- Have cognitive disabilities