Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Blind and visually impaired (BVI) students in Nigeria face significant barriers in accessing mathematics and science education due to the visual nature of equations, symbols, and scientific notations. Existing assistive tools, such as Braille and tactile graphics, often fail to adequately convey complex mathematical structures, limiting inclusion in STEM learning. This study presents the design and development of an equation converter software that transforms mathematical equations from Word documents into ASCII formats compatible with screen readers and Braille displays. Developed using C# within the .NET Framework, the system incorporates an equation parser, a custom text replacement engine, and a Unicode-to-ASCII converter to replace mathematical symbols with accessible text equivalents. The software addresses infrastructural challenges in Nigerian schools while promoting independence and equitable participation for BVI students, by enabling real-time, offline conversion. The findings highlight the potential of low-cost, context-specific assistive technologies to bridge the STEM accessibility gap, with implications for inclusive education policy and the scaling of locally relevant solutions.
Institution: Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo
Language: English
Subfield: Human Factors and Ergonomics
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4413287513