Accessibility Options for Handwritten Notes
Handwritten notes may include
- scans of notes written on paper
- notes written on a tablet
- annotations of documents written on a tablet
- pictures of board writing
Such notes are usually not machine-readable, which can severely limit their accessibility features. Handwritten notes should be avoided whenever possible, but can be used in some circumstances. As of February 2026 the Center for Teaching Excellence FAQ on Accessibility Essentials states
“instructors can continue to provide “as-is” images/PDFs of handwritten notes, but only under certain circumstances.” Specifically, the allowed circumstance is when all the following are met: the class is an in-person class, the materials in the handwritten notes are covered in other course resources, and the notes are provided only as a record of what was discussed in class. The CTE also states that they are “working to find further legal guidance on this question to ensure we provide the most accurate information possible.”
Conversion to Accessible Documents via AI Tools
AI tools can be used to convert handwritten notes into accessible documents. For math documents the most likely workflow is to use AI to convert the notes into a LaTeX file, and then use the techniques in Generating Accessible PDFs from LaTeX to generate an accessible PDF file.
Some useful AI tools for converting handwritten notes into LaTeX (or other formats such as Word and Markdown) are:
The first two options are paid. You can access ChatGPT Edu through the university and ask it to convert your handwritten notes into LaTeX files. The university version is usually better than the free version, especially when the "Thinking" option is used.
See also Yao-Yuan Mao's page on handwritten notes for more information and ideas.