ABSTRACT

Mathematics Accessible to Visually Impaired Students (MAVIS) is an access project dedicated to ensuring that communication between mathematics faculty and their blind students is clear and meaningful. Two major problems exist when attempting to establish this communication. First, faculty cannot easily make their mathematics and science instructional and assessment materials accessible to these students. Second, blind students cannot independently communicate their course work with faculty in print, and few teachers will be proficient in Braille codes. The goal of the proposed research is to give better access to visually impaired students to the educational domains of science, engineering, mathematics and technology. The objectives of the MAVIS project are to:

1. ensure that tools and channels are available to instructors nationwide so that they may be able to give their students quality materials at the same time as their sighted peers,

2. Ensure that tools are available to visually impaired students so they can produce quality standard print technical documents for their instructors,

3. Ensure that in-class electronic devices are accessible,

4. Ensure that all of the above are not only usable, but also are intuitive to learn.

MAVIS proposes to support and conduct research and development projects in the following areas: (1) LaTex to Nemeth code translation filter, (2) Back-translation filter, (3) Math screen readers and equation browsers, and (4) Testing and evaluation of an accessible graphing calculator and other non-MAVIS access technology. MAVIS will also use its Braille and tactile image production lab for science, mathematics, Engineering, and technology (SMET) courses offered at New Mexico State University.

Arthur I. Karshmer, Ph.D., Principal Investigator
Department of Computer Science
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, NM 88003
Tel: 505-646-3724
E-mail: arthur@cs.nmsu.edu