The following recommendations can help you provide accessible math instruction. Using accessible equation tools (rather than images), clearly explaining symbols and steps, describing visual elements like graphs/shapes, and ensuring compatibility with assistive technologies makes content usable for all learners.

Do not rely on screenshots or pictures of equations – these are very difficult for visually impaired students. Instead, use proper equation editors or markup that produce accessible math.

• Use MathML or tools like MathType to create structured, screen-reader-friendly equations instead of using images of formulas.

• ELMS-Canvas’ content editor supports LaTeX/MathML via tools like MathJax. Using MathML is considered a best practice for math accessibility because it scales nicely for magnification and allows semantic reading of complex structures.

For particularly complex formulas or matrices, include a written description. When writing these descriptions, focus on the structure (“a 2×3 matrix”) and key elements of the equation. This benefits students using screen readers as well as those who might struggle to parse notation.

Example:

$$A=\left(\begin{array}{ccc}1& 2& 2\\ 3& 2& 4\end{array}\right)$$

• Example description: "Matrix A equals a 2 by 3 matrix with row 1: 1, 2, 2, and row 2: 3, 2, 4"
• This description can accompany the matrix itself. This can be placed in alt text if brief or in surrounding text/long description if detailed.

Consider using tools like Desmos to support accessible math. These tools can be great “easy wins” for making math more interactive and accessible.

• Desmos, a free online graphing calculator, is designed with accessibility in mind, supporting screen reader navigation of graphs and offering audio tracing of graphs for blind/low-vision users. Incorporating sonification for graphing activities (in place of static images of graphs) allows students with visual impairments to explore mathematical graphs through sound and data points.

Math content often involves step-by-step problem solving. Ensure any instructional materials (handouts, PDF problem sets) are structured with headings for sections (e.g. “Example 1, Solution”) and use list formatting for sequential steps. If you provide problem solutions, consider writing them in a linear text form in addition to writing the math notation.

• For instance, alongside the equation-oriented solution, add a brief narrative: “First, we isolate x by subtracting 5 from both sides…” to help students with cognitive disabilities or those using text-to-speech follow the logic.

Treat graphs, charts, or geometric diagrams in math as images requiring alt text or longer descriptions.

• A quick win is to summarize the key insight of the graph or figure in the alt text (e.g. “Line graph showing a linear increase: y = 2x illustrates a straight line through the origin”). If the exact values or shape matter in detail (like a specific parabola vertex), provide those details in a caption or as a data table.
• Long descriptions can be provided for complex visuals – for example, you might include an appendix or separate page describing each step in a geometry diagram or listing the data points in a plotted chart. This ensures that a student who cannot see the visual can still interpret the information.
• Ensure any color-coding in graphs is also labeled with text or patterns, as color alone should not convey meaning (for color-blind accessibility).

• Read Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Describe numerators before denominators.
• Use Grouping Words: Use "open paren," "close paren," "the quantity," or "begin/end fraction" to clarify structure.
• Spell Out Symbols: Use "plus or minus" instead of ± , "square root" instead of √, and "sub" for subscripts
• Define Variables: If the expression is part of a text, define what letters represent (e.g., "where n is a natural number").