Are your online Word and PDF forms accessible?
And the solution is …
20 March 2009
Summary
Many websites contain forms that cannot be filled in online – they can only be printed and completed by hand. Such forms are often created in Microsoft Word and published either in Word or as PDFs. This article explains:
- why such forms don't meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
- how easy it is to solve the problem
- the significant benefits of doing so for all website users as well as for website owners
The Disability Discrimination Act
Part 3 of the DDA, section 19, 1 (c) states that it is unlawful for a service provider to offer a lower standard of service to a disabled person. The exact wording is as follows:
19 Discrimination in relation to goods, facilities and services
(1) It is unlawful for a provider of services to discriminate against a disabled person—
(c) in the standard of service which he provides to the disabled person or the manner in which he provides it to him Note 1
There is of course, as yet, no UK case law in this respect. But as Struan Robertson, a technology lawyer at Pinsent Masons says:
"We've got a really simple anti-discrimination law in the UK that basically means all (web)sites must be accessible to disabled users."Note 2
It is hard to imagine how, for a blind person, a form that must be printed and completed by hand could be deemed an equivalent standard of service to that provided to a sighted user. An accessible PDF form, on the other hand, would present no problems at all to a blind person using screen reader software.
Reasonable adjustments
Within the DDA there is a requirement that providers of goods and services make "reasonable adjustments" to accommodate the needs of disabled people. A few years ago it might reasonably have been argued that, as there was no easy way to make an accessible form without intermediate to advanced HTML and programming skills, a print-only Word/PDF form might have represented best efforts for many websites.
But not any more. Technology has moved on rapidly in recent years to the point where anyone can build a fully accessible PDF form.
The solution
(This section updated 22 January 2010.) There are essentially two ways of creating PDF forms: either using Acrobat Professional or LiveCycle Designer (a program within Acrobat, Windows only). (We cover making Word forms accessible in a separate article.) If you are sufficiently knowledgeable and careful it is possible to create accessible forms in Acrobat. However, the following focuses on LiveCycle Designer which has more accessibility features "out of the box".
Know the rules of good (and accessible) form design
Of course, as with any form, whether it be HTML, PDF or anything else, the rules of good form design will always apply. For example, just because you can add any amount of explanatory text (meaning any text other than simple form field labels) in a Word document doesn't mean it's a good idea to do so in a form.
Because of the restrictions of screen reader "forms mode" (explained in detail in Accessible forms: the importance of understanding screen reader "forms mode" and more …) if you want to include explanatory text within a PDF form you will need to position it before the first form field, or add a button to generate a pop-up containing the explanatory text, or use some other means (usually scripting) to force the screen reader to exit forms mode. Anything else, for example a section of text placed between form fields, won't be available to screen reader users in forms mode.
But isn't the need to use JavaScript inconsistent with the above statement that anyone can build a fully accessible PDF form? Answer: no.
JavaScript for beginners
To add a screen reader accessible pop-up, in LiveCycle Designer drag a button from the Object Library palette into the form. Open the Script Editor and with the new button selected, choose the click event from the dropdown. From the dropdown select JavaScript. In the script editor panel (see figure below) type the following:
xfa.host.messageBox(“Explanatory text goes here”);
And that really is all there is to it!
In the finished PDF form, clicking the button or pressing Enter whilst the button has focus will generate a pop-up containing the explanatory text. The message can then be read easily by a screen reader. Pressing the space bar will close the pop-up and return focus to the button, ready to continue with the form. This is much simpler than it would be in an HTML form where you would have to write more JavaScript to return focus to the appropriate place in the form when the pop-up is closed. If you don't do so, the screen reader will return to the top of the HTML form, almost certainly causing the user to get lost.
Labelling radio buttons and checkboxes
You also need to know how to create accessible labels for groups of radio buttons and check boxes (in a PDF form there is no equivalent of the fieldset and legend tags that you would use to do this job in an HTML form). In LiveCycle Designer you need to add the necessary text to the Custom Screen Reader Text box in the accessibility palette. The text needs to be added just once for each group of radio buttons but each check box will need its own custom screen reader text.
The advantages for end-users
In addition to their being accessible, PDF forms have several significant advantages over paper forms. Users can easily complete them online and return them at the click of a button. In addition there are no printing or postage costs, although if users do prefer to print and complete the form by hand they will have the option of doing so.
The advantages for site owners
The advantages for site owners are many. PDF forms are quick and easy to create and, because they are convenient for the end-user, are more likely to be completed. They are also easy to distribute by email or to publish on a website. But perhaps most significantly of all, the data sent back from end-users can easily be compiled automatically – no more manually transferring data from paper forms into spreadsheets, databases or other applications. For many organisations this is potentially a massive time and cost saver.
Conclusion
There are many reasons to use PDF to create accessible online forms including DDA compliance; speed and ease of use for all, not just disabled people; and potentially huge savings in time and costs.
Ted Page Director PWS
PWS web maintenance services
For further information please see our PDF accessibility course outline or our accessible PDF forms training page, or call us on 01932 355 222 or 07918 952 874.
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