STEM Accessibility

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Use this resource your way.

If a refresher is needed, feel free to select any of the topics below. This course covers information on how to create accessible math in Canvas pages and MS Word. There is an overview of software and tools that can help with this process. More information will be added over time as we develop this course to include additional best practices.

If learning about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Accessibility for the first time, please follow the directions below.

Accessible STEM begins with proper encoding.

Ready, Set, Go!

Please begin with STEM Overview to learn the essentials of STEM accessibility.

Alternatively, if you are using this resource as a reference, please select any topics below.

STEM Introduction

Instructional Barriers describe some common instructional materials.
Assessment Barriers describe some common assessment materials.
Recommended Software provides a list of programs that can aid in creating accessible STEM content.

STEM in Canvas

Math in Canvas Pages is now accessible!
Chemistry in Canvas Pages

STEM in MS Word

Create accessible math content in Word.
Learn more about the Word to HTML workflow.
Learn more about the Word to ePub workflow.

Scenario Workflows

The following are some common scenarios when creating accessible instructional content. Note: more content will be added to this section over time.

A file that is a scanned PDF or has hand-written notes. If you need to convert a PDF with math into another format, this scenario will guide you through at least one workflow. PDFs will need to be reformatted to a Word document using MathML.
STEM in PDF can be extremely challenging to format properly. If you have math documents in PDF, test them using NVDA to ensure the math is properly embedded.
Instructional Videos should be captioned and include a Word document created with MathML that lists the math problems covered in the video.
STEM in MS PowerPoint will need to be properly embedded to work with student's assistive technology.
Alternate Text for STEM can be very complex. We have listed out real-world examples with information on how to provide accurate alternate text solutions.
Custom HTML pages with math embedded.
Embed STEM into Pages or Keynote (MAC / iOS).
Accessible STEM Textbooks are available with open educational resources (OER).

Accessibility Links to an external site.

Creative Commons License
Canvas Accessibility Course is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Links to an external site..
Contact the Accessibility Center Links to an external site. to learn more about permissions beyond the scope of this license.

This course content is offered under a CC Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike Links to an external site. license. Content in this course can be considered under this license unless otherwise noted.