Most accessibility guidance stops at alt text, and STEM content is where people often have more questions. A quadratic equation, a scatter plot, a chemical structure, an anatomy diagram, and a geographic map each fail disabled users in a different way, and each one needs a different tool to fix it. No single platform covers all of them yet, so making STEM content accessible means assembling a set of tools.

This session walks through the accessibility barriers that come up most often in science, technology, engineering, and math content, then pairs each barrier with the tools that address it: MathML and MathJax for equations and notation, accessible charting libraries such as Highcharts for graphs and data visualizations, Audiom for maps and spatial diagrams, and the current options for chemical structures and reaction equations. For each tool we will cover what it does well, what it costs in staff time, and where it falls short.

Public institutions are also working against a deadline. ADA Title II requires state and local government web content, including the materials produced by public schools, colleges, and universities, to meet WCAG 2.1 AA by April 26, 2027 for entities serving 50,000 or more people and April 26, 2028 for smaller entities and special district governments. Attendees will leave with a working list of tools and the questions to ask before adopting any of them.

Real-time captioning via Zoom and Stream Text will be available.

Individuals may submit questions for the speakers consideration in advance during the registration process.