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Equations, MS Word 2007, PDFs, and alt text

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From: Cliff Tyllick
Date: Sep 24, 2010 6:12PM

Our agency has recently moved from MS Word 2003 to MS Word 2007. A few of our publications, produced in MS Word and published as PDFs created with Acrobat Professional 9.0, include equations that are complex enough to require the Equation Editor. Generally, the documents that include equations include *a lot* of equations.

In MS Word 2003, we were able to attach alt text to each of these equations so people who use screen readers could understand the content.

But in MS Word 2007, we find no way to attach alt text to an equation -- as well as absolutely no documentation as to whether we need to do anything to make these equations accessible!

It occurs to me that it's possible that the version of the Equation Editor in MS Word 2007 might produce equations that screen readers can read directly. (Perhaps MathML is embedded?) In other words, perhaps we don't have to do anything to make these equations accessible.

Does anyone know if that's the case? And, if not, how *do* we create accessible equations in MS Word 2007?

Oh, and if possible, let's not have a debate about what an accessible equation is -- at least, not in this thread. ;-)

Thanks!

- Cliff


Cliff Tyllick
Usability assessment and Web development coordinator
Agency Communications Division
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
512-239-4516
<EMAIL REMOVED>