Hoping those familiar with #LaTeX can give me some advice here. I've started using it to create my assignments for school. I'm not writing technical papers yet, but I find using LaTeX with #Zotero in #VSCode more #accessible with a #ScreenReader than most other setups I've tried.
Since my discussion posts have to follow #APA style, I’m using LaTeX for those as well as full papers. That part is going well—but I’m running into trouble when I need to actually post what I’ve written.
My school uses Brightspace, which allows discussion posts in either rich text or #HTML. I have #Pandoc installed, so I tried converting my LaTeX source to HTML and pasting the code. But Pandoc didn’t include my references section in the output.
I also tried copying from the PDF, but that stripped all formatting.
Does anyone know how I can get a clean HTML version of my work—with references included—that I can paste into Brightspace?
Here’s the command I’ve been using:
pandoc main.tex \
--bibliography=references. Bib \
--csl=apa.csl \
--standalone \
-o main.html
It creates the HTML file, but the references section is missing.
Any tips?
#Accessibility #AssistiveTech #Pandoc #APAstyle #Brightspace #EdTech #AcademicWriting #InclusiveTech #BlindTech #HigherEd #CitationTools #OpenSource #WritingWorkflow

Returning #Blind #CS #Student – Seeking Advice on LaTeX & #Accessible #Math Tools

Hi everyone! I’m a blind student returning to college to pursue a B.S. in Computer Science through Colorado Christian University Online. This is my third attempt at college due to chronic illness, but I’m excited to be back and determined to make it work.

I’m looking for advice on two fronts:

1. LaTeX on #Windows

I’ve recently started learning LaTeX and find it a more accessible way to write papers—especially when paired with Zotero for citations. My main machine is a Windows 11 Pro mini PC, and I also have a Raspberry Pi running Arch Linux ARM.

So far, I’ve tried:

• Overleaf – nice interface, but the PDF viewer isn’t very screen reader-friendly and the editor has some issues too (JAWS/NVDA repeat lines).
• VS Code with LaTeX Workshop – most accessible option I've tried
• TeXnicCenter – only briefly.

Question: What LaTeX editors or workflows do you use on #Windows, and how accessible have you found them?

2. Relearning College-Level Math

I’ll be starting with calculus early next year. It’s been a long time since high school, and chronic illness has affected my memory and cognition. I used to use a Perkins Brailler for math, but arthritis/lupus (still being diagnosed) makes that painful now.

Question: Can anyone recommend accessible resources for relearning math—especially for someone doing everything online?

Any tips for doing math, science, or programming fully online as a blind student would be incredibly appreciated.

Thanks in advance! I’m happy to share what I learn along the way.

Feel free to boost or tag others who might have insights.

#BlindTech #Accessibility #LaTeX #STEM #DisabilityInSTEM #MathAccessibility #JAWS #NVDA ##ScreenReader Zotero #ChronicIllness #OnlineLearning @mastoblind @main

#WearRed on Wednesday, May 28!
The #EasterSeals #RedShirtDay of Action for #Accessibility and #Inclusion is a day when people across #Canada come together and wear red to create a visible display of #solidarity : to show their support for #PeopleWithDisabilities and their families, celebrate the achievements of #Canadians living with #disabilities , and to pledge their commitment to help create a fully #accessible and #inclusive society.

More info:
https://redshirtday.org/

Please boost to help me spread the word

I just found that the latest #linuxMint installer is #accessible with #orca. I was using the #MATE spin. Someone at the Mint team clearly checked this; love to see it. Please don't break it.

1) fabulous long chat with friends today, filling my heart with joy

2) some house plans to make things easier for me are moving forward #accessible #disability

3) enjoying a lovely glass of whiskey this evening speyside Craigellachie yum

Is there a good reference manager that is #accessible that will work with windows 11 with nvda?

Today is Global #accessibility awareness day and I think I speak for a lot of people in the community when I say I'm tired. Particularly over the last few months, the overall climate towards accessibility and #diversity hasn't been super welcoming and while I have a good support network that can remind me that I am, in fact, human and worth existing, many do not. If you receive a request to make something #accessible, from anyone, keep in mind that may very well be the 5th, 10th or even 100th attempt this person has made today at screaming into the void hoping to be seen as a person rather than a potential drain on resources. Rather tna big companies showing off #AI gizmos that mean we've offloaded a problem we didn't want to deal with onto a fallible set of algorithms, maybe #gaad should be about being aware of how ridiculous it is that accessibility professionals and consumers need to fight to even be seen as human these days, because make no mistake, we do.

It's almost time for Global Accessibility Awareness Day and I can finally share my thesis in an accessible format

Due to the mandatory template used, the thesis PDF is not accessible. So there was no way I was going to share it with the world. It took a year, but I managed to create a website with an #accessible #version of the 160-pages thesis on #AccessibilityOverlays, and some additional content!

You can find it here: https://overlays.dnikub.dev

If you are looking for something positive you can do right now for the #environment (that is also #antiFascist), because #ClimateChange and land use (habitat loss) are two sides of the same coin, find a 'Friends of _____' group and start to learn about #RestorationEcology. It's hard to see and interact with climate, but its very possible to develop relationships with the landscape, no matter where we live.

Restoration is a lovely, impactful way to build community around local natural spaces. The idea is to create and support (diverse) refuge areas that are resistant to human pressures. Patches of wilderness that can serve as a bridge between larger conservancies. Imagine a pit stop for #bees, #plants, #fungi, and #birds. Urban or rural. No matter how small. There are many approaches and no right one. It combines seamlessly with #NatureEducation and appreciation. Search for conservancies, natural areas, land trusts, state, county, or city parks. It doesnt have to be swanky: it can be the drainage way behind your neighborhood (the more local, the better).

There are also many many different roles to get involved in that can make it #accessible! Nature education and land use planning are severely under-utilized areas, as is citizen wildlife monitoring. You can grow plants for restoration in your garden or in your window. (Responsibly) collect native seed from areas of abundance and scatter it in bare places. If you dont know where to start, just learning plant names and their relationships is hugely rewarding, because you will start to see patterns in the landscape that will allow you to interpret and share with others (*chills*).

I know people are stretched really thin right now, but #nature is so restorative and #EcologicalRestoration connects me to my neighbors. It provides an easy platform for broader community organizing, which seems relevant right now. We aren't separate from nature: we are a part of it. It always gives back more than we put in

"We care about your privacy", claims #Spotify upon presenting me with their cookie notice for what must be the fifth time this week. It's a shame the buttons have #accessible names of "tertiaryCta", "primaryCta", "primaryCta", "tertiaryCta", and "tertiaryCtaDismiss", respectively. Maybe this time I'll get lucky and press the magic one that makes it go away for more than a few days? #accessibility

#Blind Users' Negative Attitudes Towards Paid Apps: Mindsets and the Struggles of Sustainable Development - #Accessible #Android https://accessibleandroid.com/blind-users-negative-attitudes-towards-paid-apps-mindsets-and-the-struggles-of-sustainable-development/
This could also apply to #iOS apps as well.

Yesterday I had to get #accessible front-close bras (magnetic!) and I was helped by a #trans woman who could not have been kinder.

WHAT A WORLD.

I'm getting teary eyed thinking about it.

(Yes I do have PMS shut up or I will CRY ON YOU.)

Despite all the effort I put into making #accessible websites, I think this is the first time an accessibility tool has actually given me a 100% (and did not try nitpicking some minor issue that doesn't actually affect users).

Can anyone recommend a screen-reader-accessible, self-hosted package that provides a web interface that communicates the status of multiple machines? UP, down, maintenance, etc? I think UptimeKuma can do this, so will check that out. But also very interested in any recommendations. Please boost for reach. Much appreciated.
#Linux #OpenSource #Self-Hosted #StatusReporting #WebInterface #ScreenReader #Accessible #A11Y

To other #blind #students, what tools have you used to help you format your papers with #APA styling and #citations? My #university provides #Perrla for free to students, but it doesn't seem to be the most #accessible with #ScreenReaders, at least not the online version. I haven't tried the add-on for #MicrosoftWord. With the online version, though, I don't see any keyboard shortcuts, and when you move into the edit box to start writing a paper, focus gets trapped there and it's hard to get out, so I don't think it's the best tool for me. The only other tool I know of is the reference manager built into Microsoft Word, but it seems to have fewer features and doesn't really help you format your paper like Perrla does, something I was looking forward to since all the APA rules for styling seem hard to remember.
#College #CollegeStudent #accessibility #JAWS #ScreenReaders #writing
@mastoblind @main