In math and statistics classes, instructors often provide students with a formula sheet that contains equations, tables, and other helpful definitions that students can refer to during assignments and exams. As a student with low vision that primarily accesses information visually, a lot of these instructor-provided formula sheets or “cheat sheets” are impossible for me to read since they often contain small symbols, low-contrast visual elements, blurry tables, and multi-column layouts that stack information side-by-side. Until I started college, I had no idea what options were available for creating an accessible formula sheet for low vision, and I rarely used formula sheets in middle school and high school (which definitely contributed to higher levels of stress from having to memorize everything and lower scores on exams).
When I first wrote about how to create an accessible formula sheet in 2019, I primarily focused on options for making fixed layout formula sheets easier to enlarge because that was what was often provided to me. However, I discovered that I vastly prefer having an accessible formula sheet in a responsive/reflowable layout, which is easier to enlarge and modify for low vision accessibility. Here is an updated list of tips and strategies for how to create an accessible formula sheet for low vision students in math and statistics classes, with an emphasis on visual access and visual accessibility (large print, color-coding, magnification, etc.). Many of these strategies are also useful for students with neurological visual impairment, also known as cortical visual impairment, cerebral visual impairment, or CVI.
Accessible formula sheet: fixed layout vs responsive layout
What is the difference between a fixed layout and responsive layout/reflowable layout? Learning about accessible formula sheets that have a reflowable layout made me question why I had been straining my eyes for so many years to read text that was barely large enough for me to see, but some of my friends with low vision still prefer fixed layouts if they have visual field deficits or don’t necessarily need large print. Here is a comparison of the two formats:
Fixed layout for formula sheets
Fixed formats (fixed layouts) are designed to mimic physical pages as much as possible, with preset font styles, line spacing, text alignment, and font sizes determined based on the size of the user’s screen. The appearance of the page cannot be changed, and users will have to use pinch-to-zoom or screen magnification and horizontal scrolling to enlarge text. Many fixed layout documents (but not all) are inaccessible for screen readers or text-to-speech. A PDF is an example of a file with a fixed layout/fixed format, and the majority of formula sheets for students are provided in this format.
Reflowable layout for formula sheets
Reflowable layouts (also known as a responsive layout) allow for display customizations that can be configured by the user, such as adjustable font sizes, page colors, options to choose different font styles or text alignments, adjustable line spacing, and additional features such as hyperlinks and options to view images in a new tab. If a user zooms in on a reflowable document, the content will automatically adjust to fit their screen, with no horizontal scrolling required. Reflowable file formats are also more likely to support text-to-speech, read aloud, or screen readers, though this is not guaranteed. A Word document, EPUB, or HTML page is an example of a file with a reflowable layout/reflowable format.
Which is better— fixed layout or reflowable layout?
As a student with low vision that accesses large print, I prefer reflowable/responsive layouts because I can adjust the font size more easily or increase the line spacing. It is also easier for me to read reflowable layouts on both my computer and tablet— I find fixed formats more challenging to read on my computer due to the horizontal scrolling involved. That said, some students prefer fixed layouts because they closely mimic the physical page or formula sheet shared by the instructor, or they might use a fixed layout formula sheet that has been modified for their own accessibility needs.
Related links
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
- Ten Questions To Ask When Buying Digital Textbooks
- File Formats For Low Vision and Print Disabilities
- How I Read Research Sources With Assistive Technology
Decreasing visual complexity of accessible formula sheets
One of the major components of my low vision condition is double vision, which makes it challenging to read pages with multi-column layouts, small characters, and similar-looking symbols— one example that comes to mind from middle school is that I would confuse a square root sign and the division symbol used for long division in textbooks/notes. Here are some strategies for decreasing the visual complexity of formula sheets for low vision students:
Use a single-column layout
Instead of creating two or more columns to show formulas on a page, consider using a single-column layout that shows one formula per line. This can be especially helpful when using zoom settings such as “fit to width”, which can aid in accessing formula sheets with large print or screen magnification.
Add document headings
Document headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.) can be used to group formulas into categories— for example, a H1 heading in a document could be used to label descriptive statistics, while an H2 heading could be used to organize descriptive statistics formulas into smaller sub-categories. This is also helpful for page navigation and can be used to collapse/hide sections when not in use.
Use plain English instead of symbols/labels
Instead of sharing ambiguous, similar-looking symbols or relying on someone reading the formulas out loud, consider incorporating plain English/plain language descriptions of formulas into the formula sheet, either in lieu of or in addition to formulas with symbols. This can help tremendously with reducing visual clutter and making it easier to identify subscripts, superscripts, or exponents that are inherently small, as well as Greek letters.
For example, the formula to calculate a z-score based on sample mean would be written as “sample mean minus the population mean, all divided by the standard error of the sample mean.” The standard error of the sample mean could be written as “the population standard deviation divided by the square root of the sample size (n).”
To learn more about writing math and statistics formulas in plain English/plain language, I strongly recommend checking out resources for blind mathematics, reading mathematics with a screen reader, and spoken mathematics that can provide more specific guidance.
Increase spacing or display fewer formulas per page
Another strategy that can help with line tracking or decreasing visual complexity is to increase the amount of spacing between formulas and/or display fewer formulas on each page, which can make it easier to locate items on a page. This was helpful for one of the students I worked with who preferred to have three or four formulas per page printed on a horizontal page layout. This particular student also preferred to use a paper copy of the formula sheet instead of looking at the screen, so a binder with color-coded tabs was used to help them navigate to different areas of interest.
Related links
- Adapting Page Layouts: Math Problems and Low Vision
- Adapting Digital Equations: Math Problems and Low Vision
- Purposes of Media Descriptions for Visual Impairment
- How To Write Alt Text For Educational Content
- Using PicsArt To Simulate Low Vision
Add color to accessible formula sheets
I largely use color as a labeling tool in my day-to-day life, and discovering ways to use color-coding for accessible formula sheets was a game changer for my own learning! This can also help with reducing visual complexity, or for making visual content easier to see. However, make sure to discuss color preferences with the student before incorporating any of these strategies, as some students may have color deficiencies, colorblindness, or have specific preferred colors.
Highlight symbols or notation
To help with identifying similar-looking symbols, one strategy that helps a lot is underlining or highlighting symbols or math notation to make it easier to see. This can include highlighting all symbols in the same color (which would require someone to still identify the symbol visually) or using different colors as a labeling tool. If using color as a labeling tool, I recommend having a “style guide” or key with the formula sheet that identifies what colors are associated with different components.
Use colors for subscripts or superscripts
There are a few ways to use color for making subscripts or superscripts easier to see, including writing them on a new line above/below content in a larger font size and highlighting them in a different color to prompt someone to zoom in or use magnification. Another possible option for low vision accessibility is to have these values highlighted in a different color or underlined next to the number (e.g. 22 to show 2^2). This would not be appropriate for screen reader/text-to-speech users who would not know if a number was a different color.
Write out letters or symbols in different colors
For students that prefer content on a dark/black background or that use dark mode, changing the font color can be used as an alternative to highlighting or underlining text. Colored text on a white background may not provide sufficient contrast, and tools like invert colors may change the appearance of colors on the page (which is where having the style guide or visual key with colors can be helpful).
Related links
- Highlighting Information With Low Vision
- High Contrast and Low Vision
- How To Use Invert Colors With Low Vision
- Paper Colors And Low Vision
- Adapting Math Symbols: Math Problems and Low Vision
Create an accessible formula sheet in Microsoft Word
Many of the formula sheets that students receive in digital formats are scans of a printed copy or that don’t offer options for increasing the font size outside of zoom/magnification. This can also present challenges for students that use screen readers or text-to-speech. One option for providing accessible formula sheets for blind and low vision students is to create an accessible formula sheet in Microsoft Word, which can be done by inserting equations with the equation editor (Insert > Equation).
Microsoft Word supports inserting equations with the following formats:
- Ink equation (handwriting)
- Unicode
- LaTeX
- MathML— this is done outside of equation editor. To import MathML in Word, copy the MathML code and use the “keep text only” option when pasting into Word (right-click and press t on the keyboard). MathML equations can be edited in equation editor.
While the above options are useful for creating an accessible formula sheet for blind students or nonvisual access, there are several options for improving low vision accessibility for formula sheets in Microsoft Word. These include:
- Increase or decrease the font size by selecting an equation/formula and using the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + Shift + < (decrease font size) or Ctrl + Shift + > (increase font size)
- Highlight individual characters or symbols and change the font color
- Use the Web Layout option to view content with a reflowable/responsive layout with no horizontal scrolling required. Read Mode can also be used, but may not display magnified tables as well as Web Layout does.
- Change the page color or set the Office theme to a dark mode to decrease glare
- Convert to a single-column layout by selecting Layout > Columns > One
- Adjust line spacing or text alignment
- Headings can be added to aid with page navigation, and tools like Navigation (Ctrl + F) can be used to locate areas of interest.
Another helpful feature for accessible formula sheets in Microsoft Word is Immersive Reader, which offers options for changing the spacing, page color, and font size of a document without editing the original file. Other helpful features for accessing formula sheets with Immersive Reader include:
- Line guide that displays one, three, or five lines at a time. Users can scroll to move to the next line(s), which is helpful for blocking out surrounding text
- Read Aloud text-to-speech for listening to equations read out loud
- Syllables can be used to create additional spacing in equations
Older files or formula sheets posted online may be opened in Compatibility Mode— these files will need to be “upgraded” to the latest version of Word by selecting File > Info > Compatibility Mode > Convert.
Related links
- Adapting Digital Equations: Math Problems and Low Vision
- Secret Microsoft Office Accessibility Features I Use Every Day
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
- Reading Bookshare Titles With Microsoft Word
- How I Use Microsoft Immersive Reader With Low Vision
Share tables as a spreadsheet, CSV, or HTML document
Formula sheets for subjects like statistics, chemistry, and trigonometry often have tables that students are expected to reference to locate specific values— some examples that come to mind are z-tables, Periodic tables, and radian/degree measurements of angles. These often contain lots of small print and low-resolution images that can be challenging to enlarge with magnification or read visually. They can also be confusing to navigate with a screen reader or text-to-speech.
A better option for low vision access is to share tables in a responsive format such as a spreadsheet, CSV, or HTML document that a student can open on their own and enlarge with magnification, browser zoom, or large print. Tools like Ctrl + F search can also be used to find values of interest on the page. Before remediating an existing file, search online to find out if someone else has already created this file or if it can be requested through an accessible materials provider.
Related links
- Adapting Accessible Z-Tables: Math Problems and Low Vision
- Free Accessible Periodic Tables For Low Vision
- Receiving Accessible Educational Materials With NIMAC and AIM-VA
- How To Request Accessible Textbooks In College
- How To Run Effective Web Searches
Export or share cheat sheets as HTML
A lot of my data science classes would offer formula sheets or “cheat sheets” for common functions used in programming languages or packages/add-ons. Reading a handwritten formula sheet or cheat sheet in low resolution or attempting to zoom in on a single-page document with lots of small text in close proximity is difficult or impossible for students with low vision, so it is helpful to export or share cheat sheets in a responsive file format such as a web page or HTML document, which does not have the same space constraints as a single page would. HTML pages can be saved for offline viewing if needed, though many of my data science exams were “open internet” and I was permitted to use online versions of cheat sheets/formula sheets.
Examples of sources for cheat sheets for data science that I used in my classes include:
- DataCamp
- R-Graph-Gallery
- From Data to Viz
- Documentation for programming languages (e.g. Python)
- Rmarkdown files exported as HTML (provided by professor in lieu of PDF)
While these aren’t technically HTML, I have also had positive experiences enlarging Jupyter Notebook content in the web browser with browser zoom or screen magnification.
Related links
- Accessible Python IDEs For Low Vision
- How I Document Accessibility Preferences With Low Vision
- How To Create High Resolution Images For Low Vision
Turn a formula sheet into a slideshow
Need to display a single formula at a time when creating an accessible formula sheet? A better option may be to create a formula “slideshow” by placing one formula per slide in a slide deck using PowerPoint or similar. To aid with navigation, users can group slides into sections by selecting slide(s), right-clicking, and selecting Add Section to place slides in a specific category.
Users can copy and paste equations created in Word into PowerPoint, or use the equation editor to write out formulas. However, some functionalities like pasting MathML code as plain text will not work in PowerPoint for inserting equations— this would need to be done in Word first.
Using Microsoft Sway for formula sheets
My favorite PowerPoint alternative is Microsoft Sway, which is an online tool that displays one-page documents. I have created formula sheets in Microsoft Sway for my own personal use by inserting high resolution images of formulas/equations into Sway, typing formulas in plain English below the image. I have also used Sway to organize multiple embedded Word documents on one page so they are easier to locate, which is helpful when I am away from my primary devices.
Sway does not have an equation editor, so any equations copied from Microsoft Word or MathML will either paste as images or as code. If using Microsoft Sway to display a formula sheet, take a screenshot of the equation from another program and add alt text.
Related links
- How I Access PowerPoints with Microsoft Sway
- How To Create Accessible PowerPoints
- How To Make Music Accessible With Microsoft PowerPoint
- How To Create Accessible Assignments With Microsoft Sway
- How To Use Microsoft Sway With Assistive Technology
Read a formula sheet from a tablet or external monitor
When reading a formula sheet, students with low vision can benefit from having the formula sheet displayed on a tablet or second monitor so that they don’t have to keep switching between windows/tabs to access the information they need. A tablet may be easier to see or adjust compared to a computer screen as the angle of the display can be adjusted and touch screen gestures like pinch-to-zoom may be more comfortable for some students to use. Alternatively, an external monitor can be connected to a computer and used as a second monitor, used in conjunction with a video magnifier, or connect to a separate computer/device.
If the student is using an iPad, Guided Access can be enabled to prevent the student from accessing outside applications or other programs while a formula sheet or other application is displayed. The formula sheet can be displayed in Files, Pages, in a web browser, or with a third-party app like Word or Notability.
Related links
- How To Organize Apps On iPad With Low Vision
- How To Make iPad Accessible for Low Vision
- How To Use Guided Access For Testing And Exams
- Notability and Low Vision
Handwriting an accessible formula sheet
For students that find typeset materials or text difficult or impossible to read, one potential solution is to create a handwritten formula sheet, which can incorporate color, large letter/symbol sizes, or even tactile elements when writing on paper. Some of my must-have tools when creating handwritten accessible formula sheets for low vision include:
- Single-sided pages to prevent double-sided text from showing up on the other side of the page
- High-contrast markers, as pencil lead on white paper provides poor contrast
- Cardstock— I have 8.5-inch by 11-inch pages that don’t have marker bleed through
- Ruler or line guide for writing in a straight line
- Dry-erase board to practice writing equations before copying them on paper
- Page numbers for keeping track of pages/help with ordering
I have dysgraphia, so my handwriting is not particularly neat or easy to read. I prefer to write with a stylus or use a slanted surface when writing to make my handwriting more legible and ensure that it is large enough to see. For some of my classes, instructors will tell students that their formula sheet has to be a single page or that it needs to fit on an index card, but I am exempt from this size requirement so that I can access information in large print— instead, my instructors would approve my formula sheet in advance or give me a limit on how many equations could be included.
Related links
- Digital Rulers For Dysgraphia and Low Vision
- How I Show Work For Math With Low Vision and Dysgraphia
- Assistive Technology For Dysgraphia
- Ten Spooky Inaccessible Assignments For Low Vision Students
- Common Classroom Accommodations For Low Vision
Convert a formula sheet into an Alexa skill
While a voice-controlled formula sheet was not permitted during proctored exams, I created a custom Alexa skill that contained equations from the formula sheet converted into plain language/plain English. For example, if I asked Alexa for the standard error of the sample mean, it would respond “the formula for the standard error of the sample mean is the population standard deviation divided by the square root of the sample size (n).”
The easiest way to create a formula sheet with Amazon Alexa is to set up Custom Q&A as part of Alexa Skill Blueprints (which is free to use). This will provide custom answers when users ask a specific question, using the same consistent answer each time.
Related links
- Custom Q&A: Alexa Skill Blueprints
- Creating Custom Flashcards With Amazon Alexa
- The Best Study Tips For Auditory Learners
More tips for how to create an accessible formula sheet
- Tools like video magnifiers can be used to enlarge physical copies of formula sheets, and provide options for adjusting the display colors and zoom level. Learn more about video magnifiers and other types of assistive technology in A to Z of Assistive Technology For Low Vision
- Accessible formula sheets for standardized tests may require additional approvals or accommodations for use. I share more examples of math accommodations in Math Test Accommodations For Low Vision
- Adaptive learning systems like ALEKS, WebAssign, and MyLab Math may have built-in formula sheets, but these may be unavailable when accessibility settings are enabled. Learn more about these programs in ALEKS Accessibility For Visual Impairment, How I Use WebAssign With Low Vision, and MyLab Math Accessibility and Low Vision
Published July 10, 2025. Updated July 2025