{"id":11734,"date":"2026-08-14T15:35:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T15:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/?p=11734"},"modified":"2026-08-14T15:35:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T15:35:27","slug":"purdue-launches-new-accessibility-app-that-converts-handwritten-text-to-compliant-html","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/purdue-launches-new-accessibility-app-that-converts-handwritten-text-to-compliant-html\/","title":{"rendered":"Purdue launches new accessibility app that converts handwritten text to compliant HTML"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This semester, faculty and instructors at Purdue University West Lafayette and Purdue University in Indianapolis will have access to a new app designed to translate handwritten and printed lecture notes, diagrams and equations into accessible HTML format: ink2html.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The app is a collaboration between Purdue\u2019s Innovative Learning team and two Department of Mathematics professors, Joe Chen and Mahesh Sunkula. The idea for the app was conceived by Chen and Sunkula to meet the need for better accessibility standards on the professors\u2019 lecture notes. After \u201cvibe coding\u201d the application using Google Artificial Intelligence (AI) Studio, Chen and Sunkula partnered with Innovative Learning to bring it to the enterprise level.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI started converting my notes because I had a student in one of my classes who needed accessible notes, and handwritten math is basically invisible to a screen reader,\u201d said Sunkula, assistant professor of practice in mathematics. \u201cSo I was converting the notes one by one using a chatbot. Since that took a long time, we started using Google AI Studio to revamp the process and make it faster.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating the initial app took persistence \u2014 Sunkula and Chen tried different prompts and AI tools to nail the input. They also experimented with the output, trying different versions and layouts of content, and checking everything to ensure it was accurate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe basically looked at all the tools available, and we pulled from all of those resources,\u201d said Chen, lead operations administrator and senior lecturer in the Department of Mathematics. \u201cAI reads what we wrote, and it transcribes it into HTML, which is semantically structured and easy to make accessible.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In their journey developing and using the app, Chen and Sunkula ran into a few roadblocks. Because they had limited Google Gemini credits, they couldn\u2019t iterate or refine features as quickly as they wanted. They also lacked enterprise funding or support for the project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s where Innovative Learning came in. Lead Developers Casey Wright and Will Grauvogel and Lead Designer Michele Rund took the app that Chen and Sunkula built locally and scaled it up into an enterprise application by using the professors\u2019 AI prompts as a guide. Developed over the spring and summer semesters, ink2html uses Anthropic Claude AI models to detect texts, equations, figures, charts and graphs and translate them into WCAG 2.2 level AA compliant HTML quickly and seamlessly. Ink2html is approved for use by Purdue IT for data that is not covered by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To use ink2html, instructors log in with their Purdue accounts, choose a transcription level (word-for-word transcription, natural sentences or detailed explanations) and upload a PDF or image file containing handwritten notes, equations, drawings, charts or graphs. They can then preview the converted content, check it for accuracy, edit features like alt text and download the HTML file. After the file is created and checked, faculty can upload it directly to Brightspace or share it in another way.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Chen and Sunkula, ink2html is a natural extension of AI\u2019s utility in the classroom. Both professors already use AI to optimize how they teach and engage with students. Ink2html is another part of that ecosystem, focused on accessibility and ensuring that all students have the tools they need to be successful.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI already use AI in the classroom,\u201d Sunkula said. \u201cI often have ideas for something to do in class, like a visual aid I want to use, but I know it would take a long time to build it, and maybe I don\u2019t have expertise in that area. AI replaces that barrier between idea and implementation.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn past years, I might have walked away from a lecture thinking, \u2018I wish I had done this,\u2019\u201d said Chen. \u201cNow, we don\u2019t need to wish. Through these tools everyone has access to, we can make an idea happen. The goal is not to replace us. It\u2019s to help us teach better.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ink2html is available to all faculty and instructors who teach at Purdue University West Lafayette and Purdue University in Indianapolis, and it can be accessed on Innovative Learning\u2019s webpage.<\/a>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two upcoming virtual workshops will cover ink2html. The first one is from 11 a.m. to noon ET on Monday, August 17 and will cover new tools and resources available for the 2026-2027 school year<\/a>.  The second is from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, August 20 and will cover ink2html in detail<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Purdue University West Lafayette and Purdue University in Indianapolis will have access to a new app designed to translate handwritten and printed lecture notes, diagrams and equations into accessible HTML format.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":3420,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[71,72],"tags":[],"area-of-study":[38],"person":[75],"class_list":["post-11734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-success","category-teaching-learning","area-of-study-data-information","person-faculty-staff"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t