Kentucky Promotes Use of MathML in Textbook Adoption

It is always nice to be the bearer of good news. Well...I've got GREAT news today! The Kentucky Department of Education has announced that the state will grant preferential procurement status to math textbook titles submitted by publishers who use Mathematical Markup Language (MathML). That's right -- publishers who create digital math content using MathML will get a leg up in the competition over textbooks made the old fashioned way with graphic images. And the reason, of course, is accessibility. So, for all you advocates of math accessibility out there, here's a reason to celebrate!

Kentucky's move to promote math accessibility is something every state should put into place. So be sure to tell your state education leaders about Kentucky's progress on getting accessible math in the classroom. Will your state be next? With your help, it can be! Read more about this great development on our Accessibility News page.

Comments

[Peyton Stafford]

The move by Kentucky is excellent. Do you happen to know if MathML supports creation of tactile charts, perhaps via a Braille embosser?

[Steve Noble]

Although MathML will certainly make the creation of brailled math equations much more streamlined, MathML is not directly connected to the creation of charts or diagrams. For such graphical content, many see the use of Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) as an excellent accessibility format. DAISY has an SVG working group who are working on developing guidelines for incorporating SVG as the preferred format for DAISY graphical content. You may want to check out their website for more information on this: http://www.daisy.org/projects/svg/. Also, ViewPlus has developed an SVG-based graphics solution called IVEO. Check out their website for more details, http://www.viewplus.com/products/touch-audio-learning/IVEO/.

[Parker Owens]

Can you give an example of a textbook that provides digital math ml content? We would like to use it for an accessibility awareness presentation this summer. Thanks.

[Steve Noble]

Please take a look at our recently developed webpage, Resources for Math on the Web, at the link http://www.dessci.com/en/reference/webmath/resources.htm. This page includes links to several examples of online textbooks and other resources utilizing MathML to create accessible math content.