Department Dialogsystems
Department Dialogsystems
This page is also available in german
Project MATHS Mathematics is a international universal language of communication, applicable across many work areas. While visually disabled users are able to access and to manipulate textual mathematics, they are effectively precluded from the use of visualization and forms with spatial semantics usually employed for mathematical constructs. Therefore, a more or less simple equation is generally not accessible by a visually impaired user, as the information in this form of mathematical representation is based on a visual and spatial context.
In addition to an appropriate non-visual representation of mathematical material, mechanisms have to be developed and employed in order to give visually impaired people also the opportunity to manipulate mathematical formulas. Consequently, input and output methodologies and facilities for the interactive utilization of mathematics have to be designed and developed for this user group.
Project MATHS (Mathematical Access for Technology and Science for Visually Disabled Users) tries to tackle the provision of interactive manipulation of mathematics for visually impaired (blind and partially sighted) users by developing an interactive workstation which will be based on ordinary PC technology. The user group primarily focused by the project are students up to university level.
During the project the so-called MATHS Workstation will be developed. A visually impaired person will get access to mathematics through the MATHS Workstation through speech and non-speech audio, as well as output in Braille. Non-speech audio is used to give the user an overview of the mathematical structure of even long and complex formulas. A detailed presentation is offered by using speech and Braille output. Input of text and mathematical terms and formulas can be done via conventional PC keyboard, speech or Braille input.
At the first phase of the project a thorough user needs analysis was undertaken by the our project partners from Ireland and Belgium. A task analysis of both sighted and visually impaired students doing mathematics was carried out according to the Wizard of Oz technique. The outcomes of this analysis were evaluated to give guidelines on the design of the user interface. These guidelines pointed out to give in addition to input facilities via speech or Braille also input methods to transform equations (for example moving a term to the other side of the equal sign).
The actual editor used for access and manipulation of mathematical texts and formulas is based on a MS Windows SGML Editor with WYSIWYG presentation. The internal representation is based on the EUROMATH DTD and is therefore different from the DTD formerly proposed for HTML 3.0. The syntactical structures of the EUROMATH DTD can be converted also to LaTeX. The SGML Editor was extended with a DDE interface to make use of the internal SGML representation for Braille output as well as audio.
Mathematical texts and formulas are spoken automatically and the correct prosody is taken into account (currently only for English and Flemish speech output). To get an general outline of a possibly highly complex formula an overview mode was developed (called audio glance). With audio glance each class of terms is associated with particular MIDI music instruments. This method can save up to approx 60% of the time in comparison with speech output.
Braille is also used in addition to speech and non-speech audio. Output of both Flemish Braille notation and Stuttgart Braille notation (Stuttgarter Mathematikschrift) have been already created. Performance of Braille is better than audio output regarding interactive manipulation, as with modern Braille displays pointing is possible and therefore this method offers more direct interaction.
Implementation of the MATHS Workstation was nearly finalized at the end of 1995. The implementation phase of the project will be followed by an evaluation with end-users.
The project is supported by the EU in the framework of research program TIDE (Technology Initiative for Disabled and Elderly Persons).
F.H.Papenmeier GmbH & Co. KG
Impressum
Research Groups and Projects 
(GUIB)