FAQs

Different people have different accessibility needs so digital content (including mathematics) needs to be adaptable to these different needs. Ideally, content should:

• be able to be copied and pasted;

• have adaptable font and font colour;

• be easily converted to different document formats such as HTML, PDF, EPUB;

• look clear on different screen sizes and zoom levels (so should be reflowable);

• be navigable using only a keyboard;

• work with screen reading software.

If content works with screen reading software, then it is generally "machine-readable" and therefore generally accessible. 

Basic good accessability practice is still required with:

• Structured content with headings;

• Descriptive hyperlink;

• Labelled tables and images;

• Alternative text for images and diagrams.

From an accessible content creation perspective, mathematics is therefore difficult as all of this wider mathematical meaning needs to be accounted for, properly inputted and then correctly interrepted by (potentially) a series of software before the end user can access it. 

In the UK, the 2010 Equality Act requires that educational instititions make "reasonable adjustments for disabled students and staff" which includes making sure digital content is accessible. These requirements are more explicitly stated by the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations of 2018. There, all public sector organisations, including universities, must publish an accessibility statement and meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard. 

When content cannot be made fully accessible, accessible alternatives must be provided. Section 7 of the 2018 Accessibility Regulation states that when it is a "disproportionate burden" to fully meet this standard, an alternative should be provided and this should be highlighted in the accessibility statement. University accessibility statements do sometimes mention difficulties around mathematical content but you should always check with your institution. 

The EU and many other international legislation require the same WCAG 2.2 AA standard. 

PDFs (Portable Document Format)  were initially designed to preserve consistant presentation across print and different computer systems. Formatting and visual appearance is therefore prioritised over semantic structure meaning:

• content is not reflowable so does not adapt to different screen sizes or zoom levels;

• easily editable making note taking and editting, particularly with mathematical content, difficult;

• PDFs are not always accurately read by assistive technologies.

A tagged PDF includes more structure information (such as headings, paragraphs and lists etc.) which makes them easier to interpret to screen readers and other adaptive software. Tagging for mathematical content has very much improved recently but does still require active intervention on the authors part with additional input software such as MathType, or accessibility packages in LaTeX for example. Moreover, even with a well authored PDF, not all PDF readers can currently correctly process this information meaning screen readers may still struggle to accurately interpret mathematical content. 

It is worth remembering that most students still prefer to work with PDFs and they still have an important role to play in accessible educational content. 

LaTeX is a typesetting and document preparation programme, widely used in STEM content, linguistics and beyond. It allows for a wide range of symbols, including mathematical symbols, to be typed. It is a common way to input mathematical content including, for example, with the MS Equation Editor.

The accessibility issues with LaTeX mainly stem from the document preparation side. The system is designed to deal with output and formatting issues with minimal input from the author. However, these output standards have not (yet) been fully adapted to meet more complex accessibility needs as technologies have improved meaning documents produced with LaTeX may not be screen-readable. This is being actively worked on and more packages for improved accessibility are being developed. 

LaTeX is the standard used to type mathematics within the international mathematical community and beyond. It is widely taught to undergraduates on maths degrees and beyond. 

While not all mathematical content within higher education needs to (or indeed should) use LaTeX, there are areas of mathematics where it is essential. It is also the system that many academics have been using to create their own resources for years, and is the workflow they are familar with.