Creation of an Accessible Version of A Dissertation (or similar document)

This web page contains information I created for a 7 April 2026 UL Lafayette Graduate School Webinar concerning the creation of an accessible version of a PhD dissertation. This information is also relevant for those wishing to convert a similar complex document containing mathematical content.

Our starting point is a document created using LaTeX. We will use the LaTeXML program created by some people at NIST to convert the individual parts of the document (chapters and such) to html incorporating MathML code. Because we are on a tight deadline for the Spring 2026 graduates, I will discuss a method which is reasonably straightforward and avoids the need to install new software on your computer by using the online LaTeXML converter.

The conversions of draft versions of PhD dissertations posted on these web pages are copyrighted by their respective authors. Please respect their rights and do not misuse them! I have left some errors in these conversions to allow me to discuss them in the Webinar.

If you are at UL Lafayette, you may access some additional related material by following this link to the Math Dept Accessibility Info Moodle Page and self-enrolling (opens in a new window)

UL Lafayette Dissertation Related Templates

Links to the various UL Lafayette Dissertation templets are provided below.

When you follow a link to an html template it will open in your browser. To save the source file, you may either right click on the document and choose “save page as” or click file in the menu then choose “save page as.” If you right click on the document and choose “view page source” you can view the source file in your browser.

The Preliminaries Template

The (non-accessible) LaTeX source file which is used as the basis for the conversion to the accessible html template can be accessed by following the first link in the list below. Following the second link will lead you to the Accessible template itself.