This work was carried out as part of a HESTEM Mathematics Curriculum Innovation project. We have explored methods to produce flexible and accessible learning resources for mathematics with a focus on producing a guide for staff in HEI to enable them as individuals to create flexible resources efficiently and robustly.
This document does not describe methods by which to produce inputs for these processes. Please view the other outputs from the project at http://www.bath.ac.uk/study/mash/maths-access.
All of the below should be readily available via your package management system:
It is recommended that you also have:
TeX4ht transforms documents written in LATEX to other mark-up formats. TeX4ht uses styles and post-processors to manipulate output of the native LATEX compiler. In theory this allows TeX4ht to handle the widest range of LATEX features. However, the particular transformations we will use the system for are complex. TeX4ht is highly configurable. In addition to documenting features of LATEX documents which impede the transformation (see guide to writing documents) we also specify a particular configuration. This is the end point of careful iterative testing and improvement using assistive technology to assess the outputs.
We will be using TeX4ht to produce an XHTML and MathML format tested and suitable for use with text-to-speech and screenreading technology. We will also be using it to produce input for LibreOffice which can then be converted to a format for use with Microsoft Word.
If possible, it is advised that TeX4ht is installed via your package management system. TeX4ht is available for common varieties of Linux such as Ubuntu, Fedora and openSUSE. Ideally you should check that the installed version has already been upgraded as per http://tug.org/applications/tex4ht/mn-upgrade.html. For information about updates and the current status of TeX4ht see the main website.
One output of this project is proof of concept code which manipulates standard LATEX files produced as per our instructions to create a large print/small screen version of the same document. This method uses the LATEX package breqn.sty to line break equations. This cannot be used as the base LATEX format as the breqn equation environments cannot currently be transformed to the other required formats. The same code also produces a ’fix’ of the LATEX required for input to TeX4ht in order that a format LibreOffice can import is output. This is a short-term fix to overcome known bugs in the LibreOffice import of MathML.
The flowfix proof of concept code is written in Flex and requires both Flex and C to compile.
Installation: Download the file http://www.bath.ac.uk/~cspehj/maths-access/flowfix.zip.
Usage: To use this code your LATEX file (but none of the included images) needs to be copied to the flowfix directory. Edit the settings as per the instructions in settings-instructions. Different settings may be required depending on the purpose. If a hard copy print size of greater than 20pt is required this can be produced by reducing the page size but then printing to A4 paper.
This produces:
To create the XHTML + MathML format:
This command may take some time to complete.
To create the input format for LibreOffice (to be converted for Microsoft Word):
This command may take some time to complete.
PlasTeX is a second method of converting LATEX to other formats. PlasTeX differs from TeX4ht in that it builds a document model and supplies a collection of renderers. A document can therefore be rendered to multiple formats. However, PlasTeX is currently not able to produce a suitable format for a screenreader.
We will use PlasTeX to produce a HTML and MathJax format which, unlike the XHTML and MathML produced by TeX4ht can be viewed by any modern browser including Firefox, Chrome, Safari and many smartphone browsers. Again, unlike current TeX4ht output, MathJax permits reflow of equations and hence can be viewed on small screens or in large fonts. We do not rely on this method for large print as the hard-copy output is currently too poor. When using IE this format can also be used for speech output but the speech may not be fully correct hence it is recommended that anyone reliant on speech output does not use this format.
PlasTeX is likely to be available via your package management system however, during this project we have made additions to PlasTeX in order to produce a browser-independent output format which can be reflowed. This has been accomplished by providing a proof of concept MathJax renderer for PlasTeX. This has required some fixes to PlasTeX itself some of which are again, proof of concept only. Hence, we currently recommend that PlasTeX is installed and compiled from source. Our alterations can then be applied and PlasTeX recompiled.
Download PlasTeX from http://plastex.sourceforge.net/ then:
To update your version of PlasTeX:
LibreOffice is not considered an end point as it does not provide any specific access benefits over other formats. For users requiring a standard font editable format, who are able to use mouse and keyboard and to select standard sized icons in the display BaKoMa (using the standard LATEX file) is recommended, see section 3.5. For users who require an editable format which is more flexible Microsoft Word paired with MathType is recommended. LibreOffice is required to import the output of TeX4ht and then export a docx format.
LibreOffice should be downloaded from:
Given a standard LATEX file file.tex one output of the processed described in section 1.2 is a file ODTfile.odt in LibreOffice format. Microsoft Word can open this format but the equations and structure would be lost. Instead we use LibreOffice to transform the file. If the input file has a substantial number of equations each step below may take a long time to complete and it may appear that LibreOffice is not responding. It will eventually finish if left!
The final processing of the docx file is described in the MathType section 2.2.
MathType is an equation editor which works with Microsoft Word. It provides functionality to style equations to the requirements of the reader, can provide a larger print interface than the standard Word equation editor, can be used with keyboard alone, mouse alone and can provide larger target click areas for users who have mobility difficulties.
We use Word and MathType to transform the output from LibreOffice to a Word document which is flexible for the end user and can be edited in these modes.
We will also use MathType to enhance the accessibility of documents written directly in Word and to produce XHTML and MathML output from this format suitable for use with text-to-speech and screenreading technology.
MathType is available from http://www.dessci.com/en/products/mathtype/. Information regarding accessibility features can be found at http://www.dessci.com/en/support/mathplayer/tsn/tsn112.htm.
For Word 2010 the most recent version of MathType (6.8) is required for output of XHTML and MathML.
To import carry out the final step in the conversion from LATEX to Word and MathType format (see sections 1.2 and 2.1 for earlier steps in this process):
The same process can be used to convert equations in documents written using the Word equation editor.
To export an XHTML and MathML version of a document written in Word:
Word2TeX is a converter which enables Microsoft Word to save files in LATEX format. We will use this to produce LATEX output for direct use by students (see 3.5 and 3.7).
Word2TeX is available from http://www.chikrii.com/products/word2tex/. Installation and usage guidance can be found in the manual http://www.chikrii.com/dl/word2tex/word2tex.pdf.
to
and add in \usepackage[a4paper]{geometry}; finally, at the base of the preamble add
(See the instructions on producing LATEX files if interested).
to:
before \maketitle.
The resultant output should be suitable for use with BaKoMa (section 3.5), speech and Braille (section 3.7) and for transformation to large print (section 1.2.2).
Each section describes the installation of any software required to use the format.
This format can be produced from LATEX in the usual manner and from LATEX files produced by Word2TeX (section 2.3).
The standard print/screen size PDF can be opened with any PDF viewer and printed. It may also be sent to some e-readers including the Kindle and Sony readers. However, the print size is likely to be too small for many readers on a small screen and for some on a standard screen or in print. Although some PDF viewers are able to resize and reflow the English text this destroys equation structure, this format also cannot be edited or annotated with ease by the end user, read aloud or used to produce Braille output. See below for formats more suitable for these contexts.
This format can be produced from LATEX using the proof of concept flowfix (section 1.2.2). It may also be produced from LATEX produced by Word2TeX (section 2.3) assuming the correct output configuration has been selected.
The large print/small screen size PDF can be opened with any PDF viewer and printed. It may also be sent to some e-readers including the Kindle and Sony readers. Different settings in flowfix (section 1.2.2) may be required depending on the purpose. If a hard copy print size of greater than 20pt is required this can be produced by reducing the page size but then printing to A4 paper.
This format can be produced from LATEX via TeX4ht (section 1.2) and from Word via MathType (section 2.2). While it may display correctly on any given browser this is dependent on the browser MathML capability and the available fonts. This format is therefore not recommended for use with browsers other than IE. It is a recommended non-editable format for students who use a screenreader or text-to-speech assistive technology.
MathPlayer, a plugin to Internet Explorer (IE) is required for both visual display and speech mathematics. It is freely available and can be downloaded from http://www.dessci.com/en/products/mathplayer/download.htm. Basic tests with the preview release of MathPlayer 3.0 confirmed that there are problems with this version, IE9 and assistive technology hence that combination should not be used. There is a note to this effect on the MathPlayer page.
We tested resources using IE9 and MathPlayer 2.2. Testing was completed using JAWS 12.0 screenreader http://www.freedomscientific.com/products/fs/jaws-product-page.asp and TextHelp Read and Write Gold (10) literacy support software http://www.texthelp.com/UK/our-products/readwrite.
Information about using MathPlayer is available at http://www.dessci.com/en/products/mathplayer/tech/accessibility.htm and a full list of assistive technology compatible with MathPlayer is available from http://www.dessci.com/en/solutions/access/atsupport.htm#Reader_Tools.
This format can be produced by the version of PlasTeX described in this document (section 1.3). MathJax is an open source Javascript display engine for mathematics which works in all modern browsers including those on some smart phones and tablets. Mathematics can be rendered in a format appropriate for each browser and hence does not require the installation of fonts or additional software. A connection to the Internet is required.
Information about MathJax:
The MathJax user menu is accessed by right clicking on an equation, this allows users to control zoom and rendering. The mathematics in MathJax pages will scale with the font size of the surrounding text without user intervention but it may be zoomed further as required. If using the HTML-CSS renderer (this can be controlled by the user) equations will reflow as needed.
If the using IE and Mathplayer is available MathJax can use MathPlayer as the renderer and hence equations can be read aloud. The format produced by PlasTeX is likely to be suitable for use with text-to-speech but not for screenreader users as alt tags are not available for images and some mathematics symbols, while visually rendered correctly are not spoken with enough precision.
BaKoMa TeX is a LATEX implementation with a complete visual “what you see is what you get” editor. It is available from http://www.bakoma-tex.com/. A copy of the base LATEX source and any files to which it refers would need to be provided to the user. It is important to recall that the user will have access to the LATEX source and hence comments in the LATEX will be available to them.
This format is a flexible, editable format suitable for users who do not require large print or a specialist editing environment.
Steps to undertake for a better user experience:
BaKoMa includes a version of TeX4ht which is configured via a graphical interface. As a consequence it is possible for the user to produce speech enabled XHTML and MathML documents for use with text-to-speech in literacy support software. However, much of the configuration is lost so this format will not provide clear enough speech information to rely on speech alone.
BaKoMa is particularly suited to students who use text-to-speech software such as those with specific learning disabilities or conditions which affect concentration. It is suitable for users who need to edit or annotate documents and for those for whom producing handwritten mathematics is a difficulty. However, BaKoMa requires fluent keyboard and mouse use and text size cannot be increased substantially without difficulty. For more flexible editable formats see sections 3.6 and 3.7.
MathType is an equation editor which works with Microsoft Word. It provides functionality to style equations to the requirements of the reader, can provide a larger print interface than the standard Word equation editor, can be used with keyboard alone, mouse alone and can provide larger target click areas for users who have mobility difficulties. MathType can therefore enhance the accessibility of Word documents for students who wish to annotate an editable format but require large print or a use alternative input modes.
MathType also provides the option to output edited documents as XHTML+MathML (see section 2.2) and so students using text-to-speech will be able to listen to the edited resources.
Word and MathType not recommended for all users above BaKoMa (section 3.5) as the output format from LATEX is less pleasant to view than that in BaKoMa and may prove distracting.
MathType or MathType Lite is required to view all Word documents which have been created with MathType.
MathType is available from http://www.dessci.com/en/products/mathtype/. Information regarding accessibility features can be found at http://www.dessci.com/en/support/mathplayer/tsn/tsn112.htm. Information regarding MathType Lite is available from http://www.dessci.com/en/products/mathtype/faqs.htm#read.
None of the Braille translation methods tested could completely transform documents of any level of complexity. We therefore provide information on those which do not lose information, retaining the underlying LATEX. A copy of the base LATEX source and any files to which it refers would need to be provided to the user. It is important to recall that the user will have access to the LATEX source and hence comments in the LATEX will be available to them.
The LATEX-access project provides real time translation of a line of LATEX to Nemeth Braille (to be read on a refreshable Braille display) and speech. A matrix browser enables reading of larger matrices. Please note that only a limited set of symbols and structures are defined by the LATEX-access scripts however, there is support for user defined LATEX commands and users are able to add to the symbol and command lists more easily than in other software we tested. The LATEX-access scripts are available from http://latex-access.sourceforge.net/.
Some students may prefer to use a screenreader but to read the LATEX source directly in Braille rather than a Braille mathematics code. They may find the following useful:
Both of these pieces of software transformed all test files retaining the raw LATEX where no useful transformation was available. Thus, assuming the student can read LATEX none of the document is lost.