SBIR Phase I: Development of an Auditory Browser for Understanding of Mathematical Expressions by Visually Impaired

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I research project develops an auditory browser for visually impaired individuals to help them understand and internalize mathematical expressions. Understanding and internalizing complex mathematical expressions is a difficult task for visually impaired students. The software system allows blind individuals to interactively browse complex mathematical expressions via audio. The architecture of the auditory browser is influenced by experiments performed earlier to study the perceptual and cognitive processes involved in reading mathematical expressions. The auditory browser is interactive and will facilitate aural navigation of mathematical expressions, and allow blind individuals (e.g., students) to move around within complex mathematical expressions at will to repeat certain sub-expressions and hear the skeleton of the expressions. The ability of a blind student to pursue careers in mathematics, engineering, science or technology is severely limited by the student's inability to manipulate and understand complex mathematical expressions. While there are exceptions to the rule, it has been difficult or impossible for blind members of our society to enter careers that involve mathematics, science or engineering. A major component of the problem lies with the difficulty in studying mathematics. This difficulty arises due to the inability of blind students to easily 'visualize' complex mathematical expressions. A tool that enables visually impaired students to internalize and 'visualize' mathematical expression will help them significantly in learning mathematics which is essential for pursuing STEM subjects.