In January, we plan to release a more comprehensive solution that details current best practices for creating and accessing digital mathematics.
Please refer students to us for onboarding sessions
Many students with accommodation needs arrive at college without training in assistive tools or software. Students require accommodations for many reasons, and those needs can emerge at different points in their lives. The good news is that with targeted onboarding, we can address the gap and these potential barriers don't have to derail student success.
In K-12, learners who are blind or have low vision are often taught with braille and are supported by teachers accustomed to that mode of instruction. When these students reach college, they typically encounter new software for accessing course materials and digital math notations. The challenge, however, is that configuration and use of assistive technologies for math access are far from intuitive.
If your course includes mathematical concepts, we recommend that you encourage learners who require screen readers to attend an onboarding session with the ATAC. Even students who have used assistive tools before may not have experience with software that reads mathematical notation or with equation editors.
This matters because different screen readers' text-to-speech (TTS) functions use different speech grammars for math, which means they "speak" equations in distinct ways. ATAC helps students identify which tools are best and how to navigate them effectively. Hands-on training at the start of the term can increase students' confidence with these tools and promote equitable access to learning materials.
Math accessibility—and STEAM accessibility in general—is a complex and highly nuanced topic for both faculty and students (including those without documented accommodations). For the most up-to-date guidance, request an ATAC consultation. And please accept our invitations to collaborate and to help onboard your students. We're all in this together.
