"LaTeX Accessibility Is Impossible"
"LaTeX is central to many STEM workflows. How do we check that equations remain meaningful when converted for assistive technology?"
Evaluation question
"I need to keep working in LaTeX while checking that the published output preserves the equations and works with assistive technology."
Illustrative authoring concern, not a customer quote
LaTeX matters in many STEM authoring workflows. Plain-text source may be navigable for some authors, while compiled output and document structure still need testing with the reader's assistive technology and the original mathematical meaning.
Plan accessible math against your institution's applicable obligations
The Problem: LaTeX Is Invisible to Screen Readers
What Students See
\int_0^\infty e^{-x^2} dx = \frac√π{2}Screen reader output: "Backslash int underscore zero caret backslash infty..."
Completely unintelligible to blind students.
What Students Should Hear
"Integral from 0 to infinity of e to the negative x squared, dx, equals square root of pi over 2"
This requires MathML with ARIA labels, not raw LaTeX.
Why This Matters (By the Numbers)
Source
Start with the author's actual LaTeX files
Review
Test generated math with assistive technology and subject experts
Pilot
Measure coverage and unresolved issues on representative equations
Adoption figures are approximate and based on Aelira's internal estimates from publicly available information; actual results vary.
Important: LaTeX Source Is Already Accessible
Blind researchers can and do write LaTeX. LaTeX source code is plain text, which works perfectly with screen readers and terminal-based editors.
"I am using emacs and emacspeak... There I do text editing and coding in whatever programming language I want, writing and compiling latex to produce reports and papers."
Blind PhD in Astrophysics, r/accessibility
The real problem: Making LaTeX OUTPUT accessible
For Blind Authors (Already Solved)
- LaTeX source is plain text
- Works with screen readers
- Terminal-based editing (Emacs, Vim)
- CLI compilation workflows
- Blind researchers successfully publish papers
For Blind Readers (Unsolved)
- PDF output is inaccessible
- Raw LaTeX in web pages is gibberish
- Images of equations are useless
- Screen readers can't parse math notation
- Students can't consume STEM content
Aelira's Solution: Remediate the Source, Then Compile Accessible Output
We don't change how faculty write LaTeX (terminal workflows remain the same). Aelira remediates the .tex file itself — injecting the accessibility package, setting document language, adding figure alt text, and repairing heading, table, and equation-label structure — then compiles it to accessible HTML and PDF with MathML and ARIA labels. You get the fixed source back, plus screen-reader-ready output.
Benefits both blind authors (who can verify their output is accessible) and blind readers (who can consume STEM content)
Why You Can't Just Tell Faculty to Use Equation Editor
1. Decades of Existing Content
Faculty have thousands of LaTeX documents built over 10-20+ years. You can't ask them to manually re-enter every equation in Equation Editor.
Measure the number and complexity of your equations, conversion results and review time before planning the work.
2. Limited Functionality
Microsoft Equation Editor doesn't support:
- Advanced packages (amsmath, amssymb, physics)
- Custom macros and environments
- Chemical structures (ChemFig)
- Commutative diagrams (TikZ)
3. Faculty Workflow Disruption
STEM faculty write papers in LaTeX, collaborate in LaTeX, publish in LaTeX. Forcing them to switch tools for only teaching content creates friction.
"I'm considering removing all slide presentations and images from Canvas courses rather than jump through hoops."
Illustrative faculty concern, not a verified quotation
Evaluate Supported LaTeX Source Workflows
How It Works
Upload LaTeX Files
Bulk upload .tex files, PDFs with embedded LaTeX, or PowerPoint with equations
Source Remediation
Supported source workflows can propose or apply partial changes. Test package handling, language, figure descriptions, structure, and equation labels on your own files.
MathML + ARIA Labels
Conversion workflows are available for evaluation. Check supported packages, custom notation, mathematical meaning, and assistive-technology output before approval.
Review Available Saved Outputs
Some output paths may be unavailable. Inspect the actual saved files for content preservation and accessibility, record unresolved findings, and approve each artifact before publication. Generated HTML or PDF does not establish WCAG conformance.
Package and Notation Coverage to Test
- amsmath, amssymb, amsfonts
- physics package (Phase 2; verify current availability)
- ChemFig for chemistry (Phase 2; verify current availability)
- Custom macros (basic support)
- Inline and display equations
Faculty Benefits
- Evaluate a workflow that retains LaTeX authoring and adds output review
- Test batch size and supported notation on representative equation sets
- Measure conversion and review time on your own course files
- Track reviewed equations and unresolved barriers against your plan
- Review converted equations and resolve unsupported cases
Test LaTeX Source and Conversion Workflows
Aelira Core is beta. Evaluate supported partial source fixes and conversion workflows on your own .tex files, inspect the saved outputs that are available, and account for human review and unsupported cases before publication.
Ask about a bounded pilot · Scope agreed in writing
Get LaTeX Accessibility Demo
Evaluate supported LaTeX and MathML workflows, then review saved output and equation meaning. Join a bounded pilot to test supported workflows against your institution's obligations.