1. By:
Donna Taylor

2. Consider the following math
expression:
1 + 2ac
b
Normally a reader will read this as, “1
divided by b plus 2ac.” But this can also
be interpreted as
1___
b + 2ac

3. Test your screen reader:
How does it read
3 + x ?
7
Type in variations of this fraction to
see how your screen reader
responds.

4. Problems faced by people with
visual impairments:
1) Braille texts can take a long time to make, and
not everyone who has a visual impairment
can read Braille.
A decrease in Braille literacy is due to many
factors including lack of qualified teachers.

5. Problems faced by people with
visual impairments:
2)Enlarged texts can
be big and heavy,
making them
inconvenient to tote
around.
In addition to being heavy, enlarged
texts and Braille texts can also be
riddled with errors.

6. Problems faced by people with
visual impairments:
3) Texts on tape can be cumbersome
to deal with (going back or forward,
pacing issues, etc.) and can present
interpretation problems.

7. Problems faced by people with
visual impairments:
4) Texts may make references to
colored images that students
cannot see or that are in black
and white print.

8. Problems faced by people with
visual impairments:
5) Closed-circuit televisions can
be helpful, but if a student has
to push one from class to class,
they can be problematic.

9. Statistic
Surveys have found that as
much as 90% of instruction in
math classes is based on the
textbook (Bouck and Meyer, 2012).

10. A Solution:
eText
with mathematics mark up
language, MathML
(OpenMath, TeX, or LaTeX)

11. An eText is:
an electronic text.
It can be used with MathML
(mathematics markup
languages) to make the text
readable by various users.

12. How It Works
With a fraction like
1 + 2
c
An eText reader will say, “BEGIN
FRACTION, 1 divided by c, END
FRACTION, plus 2.”

13. Enhanced learning for all:
This not only helps students with visual
impairments but also those with
cognitive, learning and reading
disabilities. It can also be used by the general
population and will
be most useful to
students who are
auditory learners.
Making math texts more accessible will
enable more students to realize their
potential in this subject.

14. Resources
Information on slides:
Bouck, E.C.; Meyer, N.K. (2012) eText, Mathematics, and
Students with Visual Impairments. Teaching Exceptional
Children. Vol.45,Iss.2;p.42-49
Images (in order):
http://www.accesslinx.com/Braille.jpg
https://content1.animepaper.co/thumbnails/preview/24950
6/1/animepaper.net
http://www.hmheducation.com/gomath/images/sl4-go-
math.jpg
http://www.visualphotos.com/photo/2x6309893