Accessibility of Mathematical Equations with Screenreader

I have previously blogged about Mathematical Equations in Moodle where I showed how to use MathJax Filter to display mathematical equations in a Moodle page. However, testing equations with screenreader we found that even when we had used MathJax it was not correctly read out.

You can see the page we have tested here:

Our testing showed that:

• Windows Narrator worked well with Edge browser
• NVDA did not work with Chrome, Firefox or IE

After some desk research I found that MathPlayer free software allows NVDA to read math equations. Read the article How to Read Math Expressions with a Screen Reader on a Windows Computer to find out more.

This is how the page section with the equation was read by NVDA on Firefox before installing MathPlayer. Basically the screenreader did not “see” the equation. It did read half that was in the page though.

After installing MathPlayer it was read as:

I am not 100% sure this is what is expected by a screen reader user as there seems to be too many “times” than how I would have read the equation. After installing MathPlayer, I could get NVDA to read equations on Chrome, Firefox and IE.
However, Perkins School for the Blind eLearning recommends Firefox browser use. If you have been able to get screenreaders to work well with math equations please let us know. We are keen to learn.

Tharindu Liyanagunawardena

I am a Learning Technology Researcher and the Chair of the Online Learning Research Centre at the University College of Estate Management. My principle research interests lie in the area of social implications of information and communication technologies, especially eLearning.

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