This document provides guidance on making documents and symbolic languages like math, chemistry equations, and music notation more accessible. It recommends including alt text for images, using proper headings, readable fonts, and structured formats. For symbolic languages, it suggests text alternatives when simple, using markup languages like MathML, chunking complex expressions, and teaching the accessible form. Producing this guidance is challenging due to its diverse audience, changing technologies, and dependencies on the OU context.

1. SeGA Guidance – Document
Accessibility / Accessible Maths
and other Symbolic Languages
Martyn Cooper (IET)
martyn.cooper@open.ac.uk

2. Rationale for SeGA Guidance
• To support Module Teams/LTS in producing
accessible learning resources
• To support Faculty Accessibility Specialists in
their role
• To provide up to date guidance given the
external environment and OU context
• To promote consistency for disabled students
in their interaction with learning resources

3. Document
Accessibility
• Documents delivered
over the web
• Word/PDF/XML (oXygen)
• What can authors do to
promote accessibility in
their documents?
• Electronic documents
have inherent
accessibility advantages
for some
• Key type of module
resource

4. Key Guidance – Document Accessibility
• Images
– Alt texts
– Scalable
• Tables
– Row/Column Titles
– Text in Cells
• Links
– Screenreaders give Lists of
Links
– Make link labels
meaningful (e.g. avoid
“click here”)
• Proper Use of Headings
– <Title>/<H1>/<H2>/ …
• Fonts
– Size/Style (sans serif)
– Line Spacing (minimum 1.5
lines)
• Technical Format
– Word (very accessible)
– PDF (handle with care)
– Use Structured Content
(oXygen)
• Justify (left or right)

5. Maths and other Symbolic Languages
• Maths, Music Notation, Chemistry
Equations, Computer Science Notation, …
• Distinct from text in that 2D position of
symbols significant
• Notation aids in language comprehension and
manipulation
• Key learning objective for the respective
disiplines

6. Key Guidance – Symbolic Languages
• Text alternatives
– Often only appropriate for
simple expressions
• Mark-up Languages
– MathML
– ChemML
– Not Supported by browsers
• Chuncking
– Way to deal with complex
expressions
• Need to teach the language
in its accessible form
– Graduateness
– Often not currently done
• Mathematicians often use
LaTeX
– Provide access to LaTeX
expression
– Cut and paste into
documents, forums and e-
mails
• Issue of what approach to
use at what level of study
– Text alternatives may be ok
for Level 1 modules but not
Level 3
• Alternative representations
– E.g. graphs of maths
expressions (with alt texts)

7. Accessible Music
• Music Braille
• Not many users
• MIDI Code

8. The Challenges of Producing
SeGA Guidance
• The audience
– Want brief “how to guidance”
– But the issues are often complex
• Changing external context
– E.g. browser developments (IE no longer supports
MathsML)
• Dependency on OU context
– E.g. VLE tools
• Issues at teaching and learning level not just the
language level
• Assessment consistent with teaching
– Alt txts can give answer away

9. Discussion and Questions