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Thread: Forms in non-HTML documents and Accessibility
Number of posts in this thread: 4 (In chronological order)
From: Webmaster
Date: Tue, Nov 01 2005 12:20PM
Subject: Forms in non-HTML documents and Accessibility
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Hi folks,
Here's a situation I have:
I have a PDF file that is meant to be printed out and filled out by
users. A client wants to post this PDF file on their web site.
The document was created in Word and converted to Acrobat PDF. The
rendered PDF file has passed the built-in Accessibility check in Adobe
Acrobat.
My questions are:
1. Is the fact that this form is not inherently "fillable"
electronically an accessibility issue?
2. Is a form which is not electronically "fillable" that is posted in
its native format on the Web (such as a Word or PDF form) out of
compliance with Section 508?
3. If the non-fillable form would not meet 508 criteria, how would you
address accessibility in this situation?
Thanks,
Peter
___________________________
Peter Mosinskis
Web Services Supervisor
California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI)
One University Drive
Camarillo CA 93012
805-437-8587 phone
805-437-8552 fax
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
ITS Help Desk
805-437-8552 or email = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
-----Original Message-----
From: Wendy Mullin [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ]
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 6:44 AM
To: Webmaster; = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Virtual tours & accessibility
Hi Peter -
I'd be interested in knowing anything you find on creating accessible
virtual tours. I was just discussing this topic with a colleague
earlier this week, and was about to post a similar question when I saw
your posts on this subject to both the WebAim list and the UWEBD
listserv.
Thanks.
Wendy
Wendy R. Mullin
University of South Carolina, Web Developer
1244 Blossom Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
voice: 803-777-6785 | fax: 803-777-1900
email: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
>>> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = 9/29/2005 9:51:12 PM >>>
I'm wondering if anyone has worked with making web-based virtual tours
of facilities accessible.
Specifically, I want to find out what techniques are necessary (and if
it's even possible) to make a QuickTime VR panoramic (or other panoramic
plug-in) "virtual tour" meet Section 508 requirements. What is the
right approach in this case?
I did find an interesting related article on creating accessible virtual
tours (in this case, for museum web sites), but it didn't speak
specifically to the "panoramic plugin" issue:
http://www.archimuse.com/mw2001/papers/anable/anable.html
Any help or links to resources would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Peter
___________________________
Peter Mosinskis
Web Services Supervisor
California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI)
One University Drive
Camarillo CA 93012
805-437-8587 phone
805-437-8552 fax
= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
ITS Help Desk
805-437-8552 or email = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
From: Glenda Watson Hyatt
Date: Tue, Nov 01 2005 1:00PM
Subject: RE: Forms in non-HTML documents and Accessibility
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Peter wrote:
My questions are:
1. Is the fact that this form is not inherently "fillable"
electronically an accessibility issue?
Speaking from personal experience only, I am unable to write legibly due to
cerebral palsy. I curse PDF forms because it means using my ancient
typewriter to complete such beasts - then people wonder why I still have a
typewriter! I have yet to figure out the "fillable" tool. I imagine PDF
forms would be even more of an accessibility issue for people with visual
impairments or with no typewriters! I wish forms were also available as
word docs or text files.
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Glenda
Glenda Watson Hyatt, Principal
Soaring Eagle Communications
Accessible websites. Accessible content. Accessible solutions.
www.webaccessibility.biz
Watch for my autobiography I'll Do It Myself due out November 2006!
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From: Andrew Kirkpatrick
Date: Tue, Nov 01 2005 3:00PM
Subject: RE: Forms in non-HTML documents and Accessibility
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> 1. Is the fact that this form is not inherently "fillable"
> electronically an accessibility issue?
Not with regard to 508, but as Glenda points out it may be easier for
some users to complete a form electronically. Make sure that you make it
clear that the form is for printing out and manually completing.
> 2. Is a form which is not electronically "fillable" that is
> posted in its native format on the Web (such as a Word or PDF
> form) out of compliance with Section 508?
No, but if some people can fill it out and others can't, then it is.
> 3. If the non-fillable form would not meet 508 criteria, how
> would you address accessibility in this situation?
An electronic version would be nice to offer, also saving the user time
and postage!
AWK
From: sean keegan
Date: Wed, Nov 02 2005 7:35PM
Subject: RE: Forms in non-HTML documents and Accessibility
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First, you need Adobe Acrobat Professional to create "fillable" form fields;
Standard will not work. If you create PDF forms using Adobe Designer 7.0,
then your users will be required to use Adobe Reader 7.
> 1. Is the fact that this form is not inherently "fillable"
> electronically an accessibility issue?
I see this as being a usability issue - how many people out there can read
other people's handwriting (or have easy access to typewriters)? With the
"fillable" forms, you can avoid the handwriting issue AND allow people to be
more independent in completing documents.
> 2. Is a form which is not electronically "fillable" that is posted in
> its native format on the Web (such as a Word or PDF form) out of
> compliance with Section 508?
Strictly speaking to conform to Section 508, 1194.22 (m), you need to
provide is a link to the applet/plug-in that conforms to 1194.21 (a) to (l).
1194.21, Paragraph (l) states:
<quote>
(l) When electronic forms are used, the form shall allow people using
assistive technology to access the information, field elements, and
functionality required for completion and submission of the form, including
all directions and cues. </quote>
However, if the form is not "fillable", it is really not an electronic form
- rather, it is just a document designed to look like a form (that requires
all users to print out to use). You would need to ensure all the text
information was accessible, though.
> 3. If the non-fillable form would not meet 508 criteria, how would you
> address accessibility in this situation?
If the form is mostly just text fields, then it is fairly easy with Acrobat
7 Professional to create an accessible/usable "fillable" PDF form. If there
are a lot of radio buttons or checkboxes, then it may take a bit longer. In
terms of workflow:
- create the Word document without any visual formatting for the form fields
(not underlining, etc.).
- create a tagged PDF document using the PDF Maker in MS Word (NOT
Distiller).
- Open Acrobat 7 Professional and use the Forms Toolbar to place the forms
in the appropriate place. Takes more time than HTML forms, but better than
the alternative.
take care,
sean
Sean Keegan
Web Accessibility Instructor
High Tech Center Training Unit for the
California Community Colleges
Cupertino, CA
408.996.6044