Accessibility and AMS Online Content

The mission of the AMS is to connect the global mathematical community. An important aspect is disseminating mathematical research as widely as possible. Simply making the content widely available, however, does not mean it is widely accessible by all readers. There are particular challenges to displaying mathematics content online. The AMS has undertaken several initiatives to meet these challenges, and works continuously to adapt to new standards, technologies, and expectations.

Website Accessibility Statement

The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is committed to achieving the highest level of user satisfaction for all aspects of its website. As part of this effort, the AMS is dedicated to providing an online environment that is accessible to everyone.

The AMS is committed to website design, development, and operation in substantial conformance with generally-recognized and accepted guidelines for website accessibility. While these standards may change and/or evolve over time, they are currently the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 at Levels A and AA ("WCAG 2.1").

We continuously assess the website from both an engineering and user-experience basis. These assessments include the use of assistive technology (such as screen readers and screen magnifiers), and the use of automated accessibility testing tools.

Using MathJax to enhance mathematics on the web

Historically, mathematics has been difficult to present online in a way that is accessible for readers with certain disabilities. To improve the presentation, we employ MathJax throughout the website and in our digital content to display mathematics. The MathJax project of which the AMS is a sponsor and co-founder is working to improve the accessibility of complex mathematics in a high-quality typeset environment.

Accessibility and AMS Publications

The AMS is committed to providing optimal online content for all our readers. This means that we strive to adhere as closely as possible to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines of the World Wide Web Consortium. These efforts help us to fulfill our mission of connecting the global mathematics community and maximizing the reach of our content.

MathViewer — A Responsive and Accessible Reading Experience for Journals

AMS MathViewer provides an option for viewing journal articles directly in a browser, offering an interactive and accessible alternative to PDF and print reading. AMS MathViewer is built around the principles of simplicity, semantic markup, and progressive enhancement. MathViewer articles are HTML with robust semantic markup. Equations are accessible and feature accurate, explorable descriptions. MathViewer is built with the Digital Publishing WAI-ARIA Module, which provides semantic metadata to help users of assistive technologies navigate through articles more easily. MathViewer is currently available on six AMS research journals, with additional publications pending.

AMS eBooks

The AMS works with university disability coordinators and librarians to provide accessible electronic files and other alternative formats of our books for students and researchers who need them. We are also building on the technology underlying MathViewer to expand our offerings of eBooks in the ePub file format. Please contact alt-format-request@ams.org to learn more or request an alternate format of an AMS title.

AMS Voluntary Product Accessibility Template Documents

Under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, federal agencies are required to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a document that evaluates how accessible a particular product is according to the Section 508 Standards. Vendors complete VPAT forms to disclose the accessibility of a product according to Section 508 requirements. Below are completed VPATs for AMS products MathSciNet®, eBooks and electronic journals.

Accessibility is an ongoing effort

Our accessibility efforts are ongoing and are coordinated through our AMS Accessibility Working Group. If at any time you have any specific questions, feedback, or concerns about the accessibility of any of our publications or particular pages on ams.org, please contact us below. If you encounter an accessibility issue, please specify the webpage/URL in your message, and we will make all reasonable efforts to address your concern(s).

Contact the AMS with accessibility questions or feedback.


Your thoughts