Math2Text: ferramenta tecnológica para acessibilidade de estudantes cegos a expressões matemáticas

Abstract

Technological advances make it possible to generate, every day, a huge amount of information and applications in the most diverse areas of knowledge. However, these information and applications do not reach all people in the same way, as in the case of people with disabilities and, in especially, the blind community. In this context, inclusive education seeking assistive technologies that assist the teacher in the inclusion of people with disabilities, mediating teaching, there are problems for the teaching of mathematics through the computer, such as the fragmented reading of mathematical notation on the part of screen readers, the difficulty for the blind student to interpret the information, the difficulty in developing a tool for this purpose, among others. These difficulties are related to interdisciplinarity, needing to have a contribution in the area of teaching and software engineering, understanding the essential function of the teacher in addition to the specifications of universal design, design, usability and accessibility, aiming to reach the maximum number of people possible, regardless of whether they have a declared disability or not. Thus, the objective of this research was to design an assistive tool that allows blind students to access mathematical language through the computer, associated with screen readers. For that, an applied nature research was carried out, with a qualitative approach, guided by Design Science Research (DSR), creating an artifact called Math2Text used for its development the premises of Software Engineering, through Model V with the stages of Analysis Requirements, System Design, Program Design, Coding and the respective tests. These steps occurred in conjunction with the User-Centered Design (DCU) steps, generating two development cycles with data collection and analysis. Through acceptance tests, with observation of tasks and informal interviews with users, focusing on its functionality and use as a mediating tool in the teaching of mathematics, applied in different moments, groups and institutions, one in each development cycle based on the DCU and DSR. The first cycle generated a tool for creating accessible digital material, enabling teachers to, through an interface, generate mathematical expressions in accessible format. The second cycle automated the process of identifying and interpreting mathematical expressions in MathML format from the browser with the aid of the screen reader. At the end of the research, Math2Text was made available as a free and open software, on an internet portal with all guidelines for access, collaboration, installation and use, through a public software repository and extension for the Google Chrome browser. Thus, the research made it possible to think about inclusive mathematics teaching as well as creating technologies, using software development models centered on users with mediation in teaching, thus creating a mediating assistive technology for teaching mathematics to people with visual impairments. We conclude that the presented problem was solved, as well as the achievement of its objectives.