Overview

It is advised not to create math in PDF format. It is possible to create accessible math in PDF, but it's highly complex and is limited to specific assistive technology. It is much easier to convert the PDF to a Word document and reinsert any of the STEM content as MathML.

In some cases, you may receive an accessible PDF with math properly embedded. If the student is comfortable with using NVDA, then keep the math as is.

Goal: After reviewing this page, participants will list which programs can properly read math in a formatted PDF.

Example Document

This PDF containing accessible math expressions can be used as a sample.

You will need NVDA & MathPlayer to interact with the document. Only NVDA+MathPlayer can read this document. No other screen reader or TTS product has incorporated math access within PDF. There are no automated conversion tools to produce an accessible PDF. A PDF export or “save as PDF” technique will convert math expressions to inaccessible images.

Suppose you have received a PDF that has math in it. It will be faster to recreate the document in Word using the tools and resources from this course.