Improving Digital Accessibility in STEM: Implementing Alternative Text for Mathematical Content to Support Visually Impaired Learners

This study addresses the pervasive inaccessibility of digital Mathematics text-books for blind secondary-school students by embedding descriptive alternative text directly into LATEX source. Automated, format-agnostic compilations driven by simple command-line instructions were developed to insert and render alternative text. After a pilot test on a teaching module on Natural Numbers, the method was scaled to cover the complete Number Sets and Calculus modules. The workflow leverages the LATEX markup language and various software programs (MathJax, LAMBDA, and TeX4ht) to generate outputs compatible with screen readers and Braille displays. Detailed alternate text has been authored and tested for formulas, images, complex tables, and function graphs, with the detail adjusted to learner needs. T eX4ht scripts automate multiformat compilation without altering the original content structure. Successful integration of TeX4ht code into LATEX enabled seamless inclusion of alternate text across output formats. Blind students are thus able to continue studying the Number Sets and Calculus modules independently, on par with sighted peers. Embedding alternate text in LATEXmarkedlyenhancesmathematicsaccessibilityforblindlearners.Theapproachintroducesinnovativeteachingmodels,promotesinclusiveSTEMcurricula,andpavesthewayforbarrier-freematheducationthatisextendabletootherscientificdisciplines.