YuJa Panorama for Digital Accessibility – Update RC20221028 Released to US, CAN, and EU Zones

We have successfully pushed an update to all YuJa Panorama for Digital Accessibility instances residing in the United States, Canada, and the European Union. This release provides our users with a new direct-access Panorama Platform (in addition to the LTI-only integration), Alternative Formats for math equations, privacy and security enhancements, and a more responsive and accessible UI.

1. New Standalone Panorama Platform for Admins and Instructors
   To provide more flexibility to admins and instructors, we have created a Standalone Platform that can be used to manage their institution, access the LTI App, and review the functionality of the APIs for their Alternative Formats.
   
   In future releases, institutions will be able to customize their personal domain, access features like our upcoming Library and Reserve Desk capabilities, and more. The Standalone Platform will soon have support for SSO integration and a Sandbox environment where users can view Alternative Formats and Accessibility Reports. For more information, please visit our support guide on Signing Up for the Panorama Management Portal.
2. New Alternative Math Formats Support for Printed and Handwritten Math Equations
   To expand upon our alternative formats, we now support converting documents containing math equations into MP3 files and clear text (i.e. numbers and symbols to words) to improve readability. Whether your document contains printed math equations or chemical diagrams, we support up to a dozen image types to ensure that Panorama is as accessible as possible. Below are examples of some of our supported math formats, including printed math and handwritten math.
3. Math Equation Support for Screen Readers
   We have implemented a new feature that will allow users to have math equations read aloud to them when using screen readers across all instances. This includes equations embedded in documents and included in images.
4. Improved Accessibility for Alternative Formats Button
   Our Accessibility Icon will now change shape based on the document’s accessibility score. There will be five different shapes to ensure that instructors with color impairments can easily distinguish the scores.
   
5. Users Can Now Convert all Text Files to LaTeX
   In continuing to provide alternative formats, Panorama can now convert text-based files to LaTeX. This includes the ability to recognize and convert math equations within documents, whether they be directly embedded into the document or included as an image.
   
6. Instructors and Admins Can Now Hide Alternative Formats
   With the implementation of our new toggle switch, instructors and admins can choose to enable or disable student access to the Alternative Formats menu for individual files.
   
7. Admins Can Now Test Alternative Formats API Access
   If alternative formats are not being generated, admins may test the API access for their institution through the new Panorama Management Platform. For more information, please visit our guide on Testing the Alternative Formats API Access.
8. Enhanced Privacy and Security for the Panorama Chrome Extension
   To provide our users with the latest standards for privacy and security, as well as performance enhancements, Panorama’s Chrome extension will now adopt Manifest V3.
9. Optimized Institution Report Exporting
   We have optimized the performance of institution reporting across all Panorama instances. Exporting reports will now take significantly less time.
10. More Responsive and Accessible User Interface
    By partnering with third-party auditors, we have identified key areas of improvement for Panorama’s UI. In this release, we’ve improved the responsiveness and accessibility of our UI across all instances. In future releases, we will continue to identify and expand upon the accessibility of our Platform.