Students with visual impairments frequently encounter problems accessing materials produced in the teaching and learning context in MSOR. The solutions for converting LaTeX to Braille had limitations. BrlTex is an open source LaTeX-to-braille translator, which is designed to handle mathematics. The miniproject team hoped to develop BrlTex and create a modular document conversion system, with input formats to include LaTeX and MathML, and output formats such as Braille (in any number of flavours), MathML, speech, etc. Prior to this project, Michael Whapples had conducted development on BrlTex on a voluntary, ad hoc basis. Research for this project investigated the issues encountered by students with visual impairments in accessing regular mathematical materials and looked at the types of reasonable adjustments commonly made for such students.
This project had two components:
1. research into access to mathematical content by print impaired students in HE, by Emma and Peter Rowlett; and,
2. development on the BrlTex open source LaTeX conversion system by Michael Whapples.
Investigations were made and field research and interviews conducted into the processes of converting mathematics to Braille and the experience of print impaired students accessing mathematical content. Experts in the field of MSOR accessibility were consulted.
A period of intensive development on the BrlTex open source LaTeX conversion system was completed.
An original aim of this project was to produce an intermediate proof-reading format for BrlTex conversion. However, a generic intermediate for all possible output formats is found to not be possible without limiting the potential output formats, since different output formats require different arrangements of characters, syntax, etc. Further, an investigation of the Braille creation process used in practice in UK universities indicates that in many cases the operator would not be capable of checking such an intermediate format or correcting for errors. Moreover, those creating Braille are not likely to be able to operate BrlTex in its current command line-driven form. To address this, a graphical user interface will be added to the BrlTex system with error messages related to translation presented via this interface. Additionally, this investigation found a MathML input format was not required since existing MathML-to-speech/Braille systems exist so BrlTex development has concentrated on output formats.
BrlTex has been developed into a system which processes LaTeX files into various output formats. BrlTex uses translation tables to convert the LaTeX input into the output formats. New output formats can be added to the BrlTex system by the creation of new translation tables. Where the default BrlTex scripting process is not sufficient for a new output format, custom scripts can be written to supplement this. Previously, each new output format would have required a complete redesign of the BrlTex system. Translation tables and scripts have been written for British Braille and speech.