New Developments in Image and Math Content Accessibility Gaeir Dietrich, Director, High Tech Center Training Unit Sue-Ann Ma, Product Manager, Benetech November 19, 2014

Page 2 Agenda ● Introductions ● Overview of Where Things Stand ● Tools for Creating Accessible Content ● Keeping Up with Updates ● Questions

Page 3 Benetech (the Bookshare folks) ● 325,000 trade titles, textbooks and periodicals ● 320,000 members ● 500 publishing partners ● 45 countries ● 7 million ebooks downloaded ●

Page 4 The DIAGRAM Center ● Digital Image and Graphics Resources for Accessible Materials ● Make it easier, cheaper, and faster to create and use accessible digital images ● Free open source tools globally ● Partnership: Benetech, NCAM at WGBH, US Fund for DAISY ●

Page 5 High Tech Center Training Unit ● Provides training and resources on Web accessibility, assistive technology and alternate media ● Funded by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office ● Many resources on Web site, including training materials ● Runs listserv devoted to alternate media and AT: Register at: > HTCTU Listservers > altmediahttp://

Page 6 Challenge: The Need 30 million Americans with print disabilities 15-20% in U.S. have language-based disability 285 million people with vision impairment worldwide

Page 7 Challenge: Everyone’s a Content Creator 300 million Potential authors & publishers in the US $1.76 billion in new edtech financing in ,500% more expensive to retrofit for accessibility from print (or print equivalents)

Page 8 STEM Content = Special Challenges

Page 9 New Technology Furthers Accessibility ● Image Descriptions ● Tactile Graphic ● 3D Objects ● Accessible Math ● Sonification ● Interactives/Widgets

Page 10 Accessible Image Sample Book ● Free online resource with examples of accessible images, in full-page context ● Includes commentary on treatments and sample code ● EPUB3 and DAISY ● Sample Book Webinar: ebinars.html#aisb ebinars.html#aisb ● Sample book: mplebook/titlepage.html mplebook/titlepage.html

Page 11 Sample Image: Heart & Lungs ● Image description: provides basic accessibility to an image ● Tactile Graphic (2D): provides more information about spatial and physical relationships

Page 12 Poet Image Describer Tool Poet:

Page 13 Image Description Hurdles Lack subject-matter expertise Not familiar with image accessibility (subjective) Variable levels of expertise across describers Expertise Time to find references Time to get trained up on best practices Time & cost required to produce content Cost-benefit: limited user reach when produced adhoc Time & Cost Guidelines for a broad range of image types Expert-generated descriptions (examples) User-centric resources (hard to understand) Lack of Training Content

Page 14 Training Module on Poet Image Description Training Module:

Page 15 When Words Are Not Enough ● Tactile graphics are tactile representations of graphics –Not exact copies; strip out extraneous details and focus on what is required to understand content –Needed a brief verbal description is insufficient ● Often needed for… –Charts –Diagrams and schematics –Maps ● Subjects most likely –STEM –Geography

Page 16 Guidance ● DIAGRAM Sample book has excellent examples ● BANA Tactile Graphics Guidelines – ● Tactile Graphics How-Tos: –

Page 17 Tactile Version: Heart & Lungs

Page 18 Sample Image: Carbon Atom

Page 19 3D Printing: tactile Graphics Revolution? ● Increasing prevalence of printers + appeal of universal design ● Challenges: access to files, printers, expertise ● Webinar on 3D: s.html#3D s.html#3D ● Final Report: content/uploads/2014/06/3D_Fi nalReport_SIU_3.docx content/uploads/2014/06/3D_Fi nalReport_SIU_3.docx

Page 20 Our Math Problem: Semantic math exists, but not all devices support it: pub_slides.pdf pub_slides.pdf “Image”

Page 21 Making Math Accessible MathML Cloud See “(y_2-y_1)/(x_2-x_1)=-10” Hear “start frac y sub 2 minus y sub 1 over x sub 2 minus x sub 1 end frac equals minus 10” Input: Outputs:

Page 22 MathML Cloud Project Download MathMLCloud cloud.cloudapp.net/ cloud.cloudapp.net/ Future-proofed (data stored in cloud)

Page 23 Sonification ● Uses non-speech audio to convey information and help perceptualize data ● MathTrax: application created by NASA that provides sonification for mathematical graphs ● /mathtrax/ /mathtrax/

Page 24 Making Interactives Accessible ● Simulations ● Interactive Number Lines ● Quizzes ● 3D models

Page 25 Accessible Interactive Content/Widgets Accessible Widget:

Page 26 What’s Left? ● Expanded Image Description Training Module ● End-to-end math solution ● Building an accessible content Repository/Registry ● More Interactive widgets & content ● Adoption of Accessibility Metadata to assist discovery ● And MORE!

Page 27 Top Tips for Creating Accessible EPUB 3 Files ● Top Tips: tips-for-creating-accessible-epub- 3-files.html tips-for-creating-accessible-epub- 3-files.html ● EPUB 3 Accessibility Guidelines: uidelines/ uidelines/ ● “EPUB 3 Best Practices,” Matt Garrish (O’Reilly) Accessibility Forum:

Page 28 Keeping Up with Updates ● Alt Media List Serve: ● Born Accessible: Bornaccessible.orgBornaccessible.org ● DIAGRAM Center: –Website: diagramcenter.orgdiagramcenter.org –Webinars: and-practices/training.htmlhttp:// and-practices/training.html –Blog: ● MathML Cloud: Mathmlcloud.orgMathmlcloud.org ● Poet:

Page 29 Questions? Gaeir Dietrich Sue-Ann Ma