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Teaching with Accessible Math

Math notation can be difficult to make accessible. Just reading the content aloud, without considering the order in which the parts of an expression need to be grouped, can cause confusion. Fortunately, text-to-speech technologies are becoming smarter and more capable of interpreting math notation accurately to support access and understanding. Many of the tools mentioned on this page also provide multiple options for creating math notation: you can type it, speak it, or even draw it. With these options, all of your learners can be successful at learning math.

EquatIO

EquatIO provides multiple ways for you to work with math notation: you can type, hand write or speak your math expressions into the EquatIO editor. When you’re done, insert the expression into the current document and EquatIO will add the alternative text and MathML code that is needed for the expression to be accessible.

EquatIO’s Screenshot Reader can help when you come across inaccessible math expressions. Draw a marquee around the expression and the Screenshot Reader will read it aloud with text-to-speech. You can also extract the MathML or LaTeX code and paste it into the EquatIO editor to do additional work on the expression before you insert it into your document.

Microsoft OneNote

Use the Immersive Reader feature built into Microsoft applications such as OneNote and Word to have math expressions read aloud to you. OneNote also features a Math Assistant. Use OneNote’s drawing tools to handwrite a math expression. Select the handwritten expression with the marquee tool and use the Math button to access options for converting the handwriting to text, solving the expression, and even seeing the steps required to arrive at a solution. Both the solution and the steps can be inserted into your OneNote document.