Equatio: Pioneering accessible digital math for all
For years, Equatio has been the go-to product for creating digital, accessible math. It has transformed the way users interact with mathematical expressions, making the experience more seamless for all.
Unlike traditional pencil-and-paper methods, Equatio empowers students with multiple ways to input math, helping them to express their ideas more easily. Whether through prediction typing, Desmos graphing, handwriting recognition, speech-to-math conversion, or a whiteboard tool, Equatio provides a dynamic way to communicate math.
A commitment to accessibility
At Everway, we believe education is for everyone. Our goal is to support both teachers and students by creating accessible learning environments where everyone has access to the tools they need to succeed.
A little-known fact about Equatio is its essential role in supporting the blind and visually impaired (BVI) community. Every day, many BVI individuals use Equatio to fully participate in math classrooms.
The evolution of Equatio's accessibility features
Before I became the Product Manager for Equatio at Texthelp in August 2019, I had never considered the challenges that visually impaired students face in learning math. During my teaching career, I worked with hundreds of students, yet I had never been handed an Individualized Education Program (IEP) requiring me to make math accessible to those using screen readers like NVDA or JAWS.
Previously, Equatio for desktop added two types of content in the alt text field when inserting math: "spoken math" and "URL-encoded LaTeX." While spoken math helped users hear equations, the extra encoded LaTeX made things harder for BVI users, who had to manually disable unnecessary playback.
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A user-centered solution
Imagine navigating a math document without sight.
A user relying on a screen reader inserts a multi-line math problem, but upon reviewing it, they recognize an error. Instead of deleting and recreating the problem, Equatio allows them to edit the inserted math. This functionality relies on the URL-encoded LaTeX stored in the Alt Text field. For screen reader users, hearing this encoded text disrupts the experience.
Recognizing this, our developers created a solution that keeps the editing capabilities while removing unnecessary auditory clutter. This ensures a smoother, more effective experience for both screen reader users and those editing their math.
Looking ahead
At Everway, we’re always working to improve our products. Our latest updates to Equatio reflect our commitment to accessibility and personalized learning, ensuring everyone—regardless of ability—can engage with math in a meaningful way.
We’re proud to lead the charge in making math accessible for all. If you have feedback or suggestions, we’d love to hear how we can continue improving Equatio for every learner.