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PDF Accessibility: Online FormsTodd WeissenbergerWeb Accessibility CoordinatorUniversity of Iowa
Accessib
ility
Notes
How People Use PDF Forms
• Visual/desktop• Screen reader• Keyboard• Print/complete• Complete online• Digital signature• Email• Etc??
Note: Print forms and manual signatures present inherent accessibility barriers
5 criteria for accessibility (Adobe)
• Logical structure and reading order, represented in tag structure• Alternate text descriptions for figures, form fields, and links• Navigation aids, including bookmarks and/or table of contents derived
from structure • Security that doesn’t interfere with AT• Fonts that allow characters to be extracted to text
Five Steps to(somewhat)AccessiblePDF Forms
• Create Accessible Source Document• Add Form Fields• Provide Meaningful Tooltips• Check Tags and Annotations• Fix Content Order
http://webaim.org/techniques/acrobat/forms
Consider the Source Document
• Design form framework in Word or other source application• Place form instructions before and adjacent to form controls• Present related form controls together; use headings for sections• Use styles rather than hard formatting for visual presentation• Make sure instructions are clear• Make sure instructions come before form fields• Address form fields in Acrobat
Form sections, instructions, labels
• Instructions should precede calls to action• Instructions should be easy to find, read, and return to• Instructions should be concise and clear• Groups of related form elements should be organized in sections• Required fields should be labeled as such in text• Fields that require specific input patterns (e.g., phone number, date)
should include examples (e.g., mm/dd/yyyy; 319-384-3323)
Student Request Form: Original
MS Word: No Semantics or Styles; Instructions re-ordered
Define structure, semantics and styles for…
• Instructions• Headings• Body Text• Other??
• Controls and control regions• Textfield• Multiline textfield• Checkbox• Radio button set• Select menu
Form Control and Text Styles
• Set line height, tab stop, alignment, font size, spacing and other formatting options for form consistency
MS Word: Layout, Semantics, Styles
form-textfieldform-textfield-multiline
Custom Styles
form-radiobutton
form-textfield-multiline
• Continuous section break • two-column layout• indentations for controls
Heading 1Heading 2
Heading 2
Heading 3
Heading 2
Heading 2
form-checkbox
MS Word Accessibility Checker
MS Word Accessibility Checker
PDF Maker Preferences
• Settings• Use Accessibility and Reflow Tagging• Advanced tagging creates unreliable tag mappings
• Security• Ensure that text access for screen readers is enabled
• Bookmarks• Convert Word Headings to bookmarks• Convert other styles as necessary
PDF Maker Preferences
Create PDF
Create PDF
Document Properties: Description/Initial View
1. In tools, select “Forms” and then “Create”2. Select how you want to create the form
• In this example, form is created from Existing Document3. Choose the document you want to use
• In this example, the Current Document is used4. No new form fields were detected, but now this document is ready to
accept new form fields
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2
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4
Create PDF Form
Forms Editor
• Add fields• Edit fields• Set tab order• Group radio buttons• Change field properties
Add Field
Add Tooltip
Form Fields Added
Check Box
Dropdown (Select) field with Options
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2
3
4
Radio Buttons are different
• Add groups of radio buttons all at once• All buttons in a set get the same group name• General/tooltip• Choice field contains value for screen reader
Insert Radio Buttons in a Group
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3
Group name is shared among all buttons
Radio Button: Tooltip/Choice combo
Group name
Add Tags to Form Fields
Tag Order: Before
Tag order: After
Final Accessibility Check
Summary
• PDF accessibility begins with the source file• Forms are only one part of the PDF accessibility challenge• Form fields both programmatic and human-readable names • Radio buttons travel in groups• Tag and tab order are essential for keyboard accessibility• Digital signatures could provide an accessible alternative to hand-signed
documents
