Creating Accessible Forms in Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF

Creating Accessible Forms

in Microsoft Word

and Adobe PDF

Disability Access Services

About Disability Access Services

Centralized Resource and Information on Disability Access

Disability Access Services provides technical assistance and informational

guidance to promote the civil rights and equality for persons with disabilities

in the following areas:

Employment

Reasonable Accommodation

Physical Access of built environments

Access to private sector goods and services

Digital Access of electronic and information technology

Access to government programs, services, and activities

Disability Access Services Website

https://www.dor.ca.gov/Home/DisabilityAccessServices

Disability Access Services

CA Department of Rehabilitation

721 Capitol Mall, 4th Floor

Sacramento, CA 95814

DAS Email

: [email protected]

Promoting an Accessible Future through

Education and Information

iii

Creating Accessible Forms

in Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF

MICROSOFT WORD FORMS ...................................................................... 1

Add the Developer Tab to Word Ribbon .......................................... 1

Add Form Elements ........................................................................... 2

Add Help Text .................................................................................... 3

Adding Option Buttons (Radio Buttons) .......................................... 6

Add Form Title ................................................................................... 8

Restrict Editing .................................................................................. 9

Add Styles and Check Accessibility............................................... 10

PDF FORMS............................................................................................... 11

Activate Tag Annotations ................................................................ 13

Create New Form Elements ............................................................ 14

Ensure the Tooltip is Helpful .......................................................... 15

Control Text Field Appearance ....................................................... 17

Use the Read Only Option ............................................................... 18

Check Reading Order ...................................................................... 19

Set the Title of the Form .................................................................. 20

Set the Language ............................................................................. 21

Reader Extended Version ............................................................... 22

Accessibility Testing ....................................................................... 24

REFERENCES/MORE RESOURCES ........................................................ 25

Alternative Formats

In accordance with ADA requirements, this document can be made available

in Braille or large print as a reasonable accommodation for an individual with

a disability. To request a copy of alternative formats, please contact

Disability Access Services.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Program

A Note about Hyperlinks in This Document

All links in this document have been created with meaningful text. The

Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is also published to be available as a

resource for those persons who print the document. The URL addresses that

are spelled out in the document are not active links to avoid the confusion of

presenting duplicate links.

Introduction

It is estimated that up to 4% of the population relies on some sort of

Assistive Technology to access electronic documents, emails, Web pages

and forms. Assistive Technology includes; Screen Reading software,

Refreshable Braille displays, and Screen Magnifiers. In the United States

alone that equals 12.5 million people. If electronic forms are not created with

accessibility issues in mind, they become very difficult if not impossible to

complete for this large number of people.

Accessibility to electronic documents is a right that is protected by both

Federal and State law. Creating accessible electronic documents, including

forms, is important to ensure access to persons with disabilities through

effective methods of communication. Additionally, it is just good business,

when a very large segment of the population can equally participate and take

advantage of the products or services that the company or agency provides.

Disability Access Services of California Department of Rehabilitation

developed this document as an introduction to simple steps when creating

not just accessible forms in Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF, but also forms

that are usable. Take a few moments to get acquainted with these steps to

ensure that forms you create are fully accessible to everyone.

A Note about PDF Form Creation

There are many file formats you can choose to begin building forms. In this

document we will cover building simple Word forms, and building PDF forms

beginning with a Microsoft Word document. If you create forms from other

base file formats (InDesign, QuarkXPress, etc…) many of the principles for

the accessibility and usability of the final product that are covered in this

document will still apply.

Microsoft Word Forms

If you work in a company or department in which everyone has Microsoft

Office installed, and do not have access to a copy of Adobe Acrobat Pro

software, making Word forms can be a workable option in some

circumstances.

Add the Developer Tab to Word Ribbon

In order to create forms in Microsoft Word, the Developer tab needs to be

added to the ribbon.

To add the Developer tab to the ribbon, click on:

1. File

2. Options

3. Customize Ribbon

4. Check the Developer checkbox

Keyboard; Alt, F, T, then Customize Ribbon and check Developer tab

Checkbox

gure 1: File and Options menus illustrating how to show the

Developer tab using the File tab in the ribbon.

Add Form Elements

Elements for the form are located in the Controls Area of the Developer tab.

Click on the Legacy Tools icon, and then place form elements in the proper

spots on the document.

Steps for placing form elements:

1. Developer tab

2. Control area

3. Legacy Tools

4. Choose form element (such as; Text Form Field, or Check Box. See

Page 6 for special instructions for adding Option Buttons)

Via Keyboard: Alt, L, N, then:

1. E for Text Form Field

2. H for Checkbox

3. O for Option Button (Radio Button)

Figure 2: Screenshot showing Legacy forms area of ribbon, and the

function for several of the icons, such as; Legacy Tools, Text Form

Field, Check box form field and option button (radio button).

Add Help Text

Once form elements have been placed into the form, Help Text must be

added to each. Once a person that is using a Screen Reader begins filling

out the form fields, their assistive technology will automatically switch into

forms mode, and at that point the only thing they will hear is what has been

added to the Help Text area. This means that if the intention of a form field is

to have the person filling the form supply an answer to a question, the

question itself should be in the Help Text.

In the following example question 2 is asking, Please provide three

examples of how you successfully handled an angry customer. It then

provides three text fields for examples. In the first screenshot shown below,

only the words, Example #1 are entered in the Form Field Help Text box.

Figure 3: Example of a form field, with only Example #1 appearing in

the Help Text box.

This means that the person using a screen reader in forms mode will hear

only Example #1, edit when they reach Question 2. They won’t know how to

answer this question as they have not heard what the form creators are

asking.

In the screen shot below, the entire question has been added to the Form

Field Help Text. When that same person who is using a screen reader

comes to this question they will hear, 2. Please provide three examples of

how you successfully handled an angry customer. Example 1, edit.

Obviously hearing the question will make providing an answer much easier.

gure 4: Example of a form field with the entire question included.

To add Help Text:

1. Right Click on the form element (Shift+F10 via keyboard)

2. Click on Properties

3. Click on Add Help Text

4. Enter text in the box under, Type your own:

Figure 5: Showing steps to create Help Text for form fields.

NOTE: One significant limitation of creating forms in Microsoft Word is the

fact that the Help Text for form fields can only accept 138 characters. This

means that if there are instructions and/or questions that require more than

138 characters to accurately convey what is being asked, some very

important information will be lost. The only solution at this point may be to

switch directions and create the form in PDF rather than Word.

Adding Option Buttons (Radio Buttons)

If the respondents need to be limited to just one possible answer or choice

than an Option Button can be the best option. To add Option Buttons to a

Word form start with the Developer tab. Activate Design Mode, then choose

Option Button from the Legacy tools.

Via Keyboard: Alt, L, DM, N, P

gure 6: Steps to insert Option buttons.

Once all the Option Buttons are located on the form, edit them by Right

Clicking then choose, OptionButton Object, Edit.

Figure 7: How to Edit Option button text.

Next, in Option Button Properties provide a name in GroupName that

matches with the question. Only one Option Button within the same

GroupName will be able to be activated.

gure 8: Properties box and location of where to identify question

Group Name.

Deactivate Design Mode to make buttons active.

Figure 9: Deactivate Design Mode and buttons will be active.

Add Form Title

As with all documents, ensure the title of the form makes sense. When a

person has many files open at the same time, an appropriate title helps

make each form easier to find. This is especially true for a person who is

using Assistive Technologies.

In Word 2010, click on:

1. File tab of the ribbon

2. Properties

3. Advanced Properties

4. Summary tab, add Title

Via Keyboard: Alt, F, I, QS

gure 10: Screenshot showing how to add a Title to a Word form in the

Document Properties window.

Restrict Editing

In order for a Word Form to work with assistive technology editing

restrictions must be set.

To Restrict Editing:

1. Click, Restrict Editing

2. Check checkbox under, Editing restrictions

3. Choose Filling in Form

4. Click, Yes, Start Enforcing Protection

5. Enter a Password.

Via Keyboard: Alt, L, PE

Figur

e 11: Screenshot showing how to add editing restrictions.

Add Styles and Check Accessibility

As with the creation of any document or form built-in styles should be

applied. An appropriate heading structure, the correct application of lists,

alternative text added to all visual elements, etc. For questions about how to

appropriately apply built-in styles to your Word document, check out

Seven

Steps to Creating an Accessible Microsoft Word document available on the

California Department of Rehabilitation website.

Beginning with Microsoft Office 2010, an Accessibility Checker tool is

included in Word, PowerPoint and Excel. To activate, click on File, Info,

Check for Issues, and Check Accessibility. Via Keyboard: Alt, F, I, I

Figur

e 12: How to find Accessibility Checker in Word using the File tab

in the ribbon.

A full accessibility check of the form using automated and manual tools

should be performed to ensure that built-in styles have been applied

correctly, and also to hear how the form reads with a screen reader. There

are several screen readers available on the market, including some that are

free to download. Some of the most popular screen readers are; JAWS for

Windows, NVDA (open source), Window-Eyes and VoiceOver (for iOS).

PDF Forms

Most PDF forms start in another file format, such as Microsoft Word,

QuarkXPress, or InDesign, etc. PDF forms can also be developed from

scratch within Adobe Designer. This document will focus on developing a

PDF form from an original Microsoft Word document. However, much of

what is covered in this section applies to all PDF forms, no matter in what file

format they were first created.

If creating a PDF form from an existing Word document, the first step is to

open Acrobat Professional and click on Create Form. Then choose, From

Existing Document. Find your document and hit Continue.

Figure 13: Screenshots showing Creating PDF file from an existing

document.

Adobe Acrobat Pro will then scan the document adding form fields where it

thinks they belong, and will assign a name to the form field taken from

surrounding text on the document. The name it provides is also added as the

Tooltip for the form field. While this is a helpful step, the text that is used as

the name and also placed within the form fields is often either incorrect or

insufficient to make the form usable, and therefore not-accessible.

Below is a screenshot of part of a Word form that was imported into Adobe

Acrobat Professional XI. You can see some of the Text Field names are

accurately named, some are insufficiently named, and some are misnamed.

Examples from the form shown below;

1. Last Name is accurately named, Last Name.

2. Birth Date: Month is insufficiently named, Month.

3. Home Phone Number is misnamed, undefined_3.

gure 14: Part of a Word form imported into Adobe Professional with

examples of accurate, insufficient form field text that was added

automatically.

I will explain how to improve the names and corresponding Tooltips of these

form fields in the upcoming section on Ensure the Tooltip is Helpful.

Activate Tag Annotations

An accessible structure in the Word document prior to creating the PDF form

automatically creates tags in Adobe. To ensure that any new tags created

are assigned and therefore included in the Tag tree, and in the correct order,

choose to activate Tag Annotations from the Options menu.

From the Tags menu, click on the Options button located at the top of the

page under the word Tags, then check Tag Annotations.

gure 15: Tags Options menu and where to find the Tag Annotations.

Create New Form Elements

Once a Word document has been imported, new form elements can be

created and existing ones can be edited. In the example below, Check Box

form fields need to be created for both the Gender and Ethnicity options.

gure 16: Showing the form fields are added from the Forms tool, and

the Check Box form field within the options.

In Edit Forms new form fields can be added, such as; Text Fields, Check

Boxes, Radio Buttons, List Boxes, Dropdown lists, Buttons, Digital

Signatures and Barcodes.

Once placed on the form Right Click on the new or existing form element

and choose Properties. Within Properties the form element name and

Tooltip can be edited. The text entered as a Tooltip is what will be read by

assistive technology when the software arrives at the form element.

gure 17: Check Box form field Properties view of the Name and

Tooltip fields.

Ensure the Tooltip is Helpful

Once someone who uses a screen reader understands that they are in a

form they will switch to Forms Mode by hitting the Tab key. Once in forms

mode a screen reader user will easily travel through the form from one form

element to another using the Tab key. While in forms mode the screen

reader will no longer be reading the text that can be seen on the form, rather

it will only read what has been added in the Tooltips.

This means that if there is a question that offers Check Boxes for either a

Yes or No response, either the question should be added to the Check Box

Tooltip, or the screen reader user will be required to constantly switch in and

out of forms mode to read questions. This is not an efficient way to navigate

through the form.

A Helpful Tooltip in this example will include the question, in addition to the

Yes or No response. Below are examples of an unhelpful tooltip, and a

helpful one.

Figure 18: A Check Box with an unhelpful Tooltip.

Figure 19: A Check Box with a helpful Tooltip.

In the same way, if the form has several instances of asking for phone

numbers, instead of simply having each Tooltip say Phone, a more helpful

Tooltip might include which phone number it is requiring, such as; Client

Phone Number, Employer Phone Number, etc. A visual person can use a

visual cue to know which number to enter by seeing where the phone field is

in relation to Client or Employer on the form. Adding a more helpful Tooltip

will provide a screen reader user an auditory cue.

Control Text Field Appearance

For Text Fields to be visible to everyone, Borders, Underline, or Fill Color

can be added. Otherwise Text Field boxes will only be visible on screen to

individuals using Assistive Technologies.

Right Click on the Text Field, choose Properties. Click on the Appearance

tab and choose to add a border, an underline, background color, as well as

control the way the border appears.

Also ensure that the font style and size meets department or agency

requirements.

gure 20: Appearance tab of the Text Field Properties box. Areas

where borders, fill color, and font size and style are circled.

Use the Read Only Option

The Read Only option for Text Fields ensures that important information,

long descriptions, or legal explanations are not missed.

When in Forms Mode it is not uncommon to miss information that is

presented in text on the form, but not listed in a Form Field Tooltip. This

happens most often when the text appears in between two form field

elements. Below is an example of such an occurrence. In forms mode when

entering a new section of the form, I did not hear the explanation about why

they were collecting information about my ethnicity nor how it would be used

in the determination of my eligibility. (Line item number 6 in the example

below is not read).

Figure 21: Showing how a person can miss important text when in

forms mode.

Missing important information on the form when in forms mode is a common

problem with both Word and PDF Forms. Luckily in Acrobat Professional X

and beyond, Adobe incorporated the option of adding a Read Only option to

Text Fields.

To take advantage of this feature, place a new Text Field where the text

begins. In the previous example, it would be where Section 6 begins. Place

the text in the Tooltip and check the Read Only box.

To add a Read Only Text Field:

1. Right Click

2. Choose Properties

3. Under General tab, place text in Tooltip

4. Check the Read Only box

5. Close

gure 22: Identifying the Tooltip and Read Only checkbox

NOTE: Modify the text to remove all hard returns when copying and pasting

into the Tooltip area. Pasting will cease when the first hard return appears.

[Several thousand characters of text can fit in a Tooltip. However, limit the

amount as prescribed by your department, agency or company]. The text in

the tooltip is not tagged, and therefore would be impossible to navigate by

assistive technology users.

Check Reading Order

The form is to be considered accessible when all on-screen navigation can

be accomplished via the keyboard only. The Tab button moves focus, and so

the Tabbing Order of the form must make sense.

Once all form fields have been added, and the names and tooltips entered,

check the tabbing order. At the bottom of the Edit Form menu is a view of the

order in which your form fields appear. Corrections to the order in which form

fields are read can be made simply by dragging items to their proper spot in

the Tab Order of the Edit Form menu.

gure 23: Showing a correct Tab Reading order with arrows showing

the tab reading order and how they look in the tab order portion of the

Edit form field menu.

Set the Title of the Form

As with all types of documents, a PDF form must be given a title that makes

sense. When a person has many files open at the same time, an

appropriate document title helps make each form easier to find. This is

especially true for a person using assistive technologies.

By default a screen reader will identify a document by the file name rather

than the title. After giving the PDF Form a title, set the document preferences

to show assistive technology users the document title rather than the file

name.

To give a PDF Form a title, go to:

1. File

2. Properties

3. Description tab, enter Title

4. Then go to Initial View tab

5. Under Window Options, set Show to Document Title

gure 24: Give the PDF a Title and ensure it is displayed rather than

the file name using Document Properties.

Set the Language

A default language for the document must be set in order to ensure assistive

technologies, visual browsers and captioning software will read the

document accurately.

When a default language is set screen readers can load the correct

pronunciation rules. Visual browsers can display characters and scripts

correctly. Media players can show captions correctly. This results in a better

understanding of the document’s content.

To set the default language in PDF, go to:

1. File

2. Properties

3. Advanced tab

4. Set the Language from the drop down menu

gure 25: Showing how to set the default language in the Advanced

tab of Document Properties.

Reader Extended Version

The PDF form must be saved as a Reader Extended PDF to allow people to

fill out the form, save and print.

To save as a Reader Extended PDF:

1. File

2. Save As Other

3. Reader Extended PDF

4. Enable More Tools

Figure 26: Showing how to save as an Extended Version PDF.

NOTE: Once saved as an Extended Reader PDF, changes or edits will no

longer be possible. I would recommend keeping a copy of the final PDF form

in a separate file. Save the Extended Reader version with a slightly different

file name. If small changes or updates to the form are needed at a later date

having the original PDF to work from will be a real time saver.

Accessibility Testing

An accessibility check of the form must be performed to ensure that the built-

in styles have been converted correctly, the tab order makes sense and to

hear how the Tooltips sound to assistive technology. Many people believe

the best and most effective tool to use in testing a PDF for accessibility is a

screen reader. There are several screen readers available on the market,

including some that are free to download. Some of the most popular screen

readers are; JAWS for Windows, NVDA (open source), Window-Eyes and

VoiceOver (for iOS).

In addition to using a screen reader there are some additional tools to test a

document’s accessibility, including the Accessibility Checker that is included

in Adobe Acrobat Professional X and XI. It is always best to use more than

one tool to ensure accessibility. Do not rely solely on automated tools to

check accessibility.

While screen readers and other tools can help you in the testing process,

there is no substitute for the human element. Testing tools can tell you if

Tooltips are present, but they cannot determine if they make logical sense,

and/or include all the relevant information that is visible on the form. In

addition to ensuring that all information is presented to persons using

assistive technologies and that the form makes logical sense, most tools are

not able to test for the appropriate use of color. Some web based tools can

check for contrast levels, but most tools can’t. Additionally there may be

some graphics in the form that contain important information for the user.

Graphics need a human eye to evaluate their accessibility.

References/More Resources

How do I construct accessible content?

http://dor.ca.gov/DisabilityAccessInfo/How-do-I-Construct-Accessible-

Documents.html

Social Security Administration (SSA) Guide: Producing Accessible Word and

PDF Documents

http://www.ssa.gov/accessibility/files/The_Social_Security_Administration_A

ccessible_Document_Authoring_Guide_2.1.2.pdf\

Creating Accessible Forms in Microsoft Word

http://doccenter.freedomscientific.com/doccenter/archives/training/accessible

-forms-in-word.htm

Creating Accessible Word Documents

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/creating-accessible-word-

documents-HA101999993.aspx

Using the Acrobat XI Pro Accessibility Checker

http://www.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/accessibility/products/acrobat/

pdfs/acrobat-xi-accessibility-checker.pdf

Disability Access Services Training

Offered by the Disability Access Services unit of the California Department of

Rehabilitation

For more information and technical assistance contact the

Disability Access Services

This document may be reproduced without change and in its entirety for

redistribution purposes without prior permission from Disability Access

Services. (June 2019)