Science Focused Accessibility Resources

Science content can present unique challenges to ensuring the accessibility of materials. But there are many guidelines, tools and strategies that can help.

General

• Free Canvas Course: Public STEM Accessibility
• American Chemical Society Accessibility Style Guide - these are great general guidelines to follow as well, not only for chemistry-related content.
• Making Science Accessible to Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (PDF)
• Perkins School for the Blind: Making science accessible to all students
• NFS: Accommodating Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) - (PDF)
• NSTA: Disabilities Resources
• Making Science Accessible
• Accessibility in Science: How Can We Make Science More Accessible? 

Alt-Text Specific

• Binghamton's Image Tool - paste in an image, even complex diagrams and equations, to have the transcribed and described.
• Alt Text for Scientific Graphics: Balancing between Accessibility and Giving the Answers
• National Science Foundation MultiMedia Gallery - almost all images have helpful alt-text
• A conversation around “Writing Alt Text for a Scientific Figure” by Kristin Briney - DLF
• Writing Effective Alternative Text for Educational Content - presentation by Valerie Morrison of the Georgia Tech Center for Inclusive Design and Instruction

Creating Accessible Charts and Graphs

• Guide to Acceptable Use of Color in Figures - from the American Physical Society
• Making Charts and Graphs Accessible
• Charts and Accessibility
• Data Visualization for All: Accessible Color Choices

Nursing Specific

• Accessible Technology Course Design Practices for Inclusivity in Nursing Education
• A Universal Design for Success in Nursing Program (PDF)
• Coalition for Disability Access in Health Science Education

Accessibility in Labs

• DoIT: Making Science Labs Accessible to Students with Disabilities
• DoIT: Accessible Science Equipment
• Checklist for Making Science Labs Accessible for Students with Disabilities
• ACS Symposium: Accessibility in the Laboratory

Chemistry Specific

• Accessible Chemical Diagrams
• Audio Accessible Periodic Table
• NIH - National Library of Medicine: Periodic Table of Elements
• Accessible Periodic Tables round-up
• Teaching Chemistry to Students with Disabilities: A Manual For High Schools, Colleges, and Graduate Programs 
• My Experiences as a Blind Chemistry Student
• Alchemie - fully accessible chemistry interactives (2D and 3D modelers, VSEPR, Lewis structure, more)
• Chem4Word - open source chemistry add-in for MS Word

Accessible Equation and Notation Tools

• Binghamton's Image Tool - paste in an image, including even hand-written math, and the tool can transcribe and give you appropriate math code
• Mathpix - can convert handwritten notes - including chemical and atomic structures into accessible formats
• MathType / ChemType - integrates accessible equations into Office and other programs - Note: Use the built in Brightspace equation editor for math tools as the MathType tool adds alt-text 
• Equatio STEM Tools - Chemical formula writer, periodic table, molecular viewer etc…
• Mathkicker - free tool to convert complex math expressions and formulas, handwritten notes and images into Word or HTML 
• Mathcha.io - online maths editor. Hand draw diagrams and copy as LaTeX.

Accessible Graphing Calculators

• Desmos 
• Geogebra 
• Geogebra Vs Desmos: Which should I use? 

This list is largely based on the work of Heather Mariger, Digital Accessibility Advocate at Chemeketa Community College.

Please report broken links to Krista Poppe.