MathML Cloud Overview (CC)

At Benetech we believe that all content that is born digital should also be born accessible. To that end we develop technology solutions that fill the gaps in access to digital content for students with print disabilities such as visual impairment. Math in ebooks presents a particular problem for students because math is often rendered as a picture for display purposes. When a screenreader comes across it, the student hears “image” with no means to access the content behind the image. To help solve this problem, Benetech, in partnership with Microsoft, the American Mathematical Society, and the developers behind Google’s ChromeVox, have developed MathML Cloud. Math ML Cloud takes an encoded mathematical equation and automatically generates a formatted image and the plain English description of the equation that can be spoken by a screen reader. Watch how quick and easy this is. In seconds, Math ML generates both the alt text and the rendered image using just the text as input. Publishers get both the display they need and the alt text students will need to read the book. MathML Cloud is open source, which means that it is free and easy for publishers to build into their existing workflows. And, because MathML Cloud automatically stores the original math equation in the cloud, the information can always be accessed again as new technologies and tools emerge. MathML Cloud is but one of many exciting initiatives under Benetech’s Global Literacy umbrella. To learn more, please visit us at bornaccessible.org .