WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

RE: Fillable forms using Acrobat 6

for

From: sean keegan
Date: Dec 3, 2003 12:37PM

Hi Kelly,

Yes, Adobe Acrobat 6 (Professional) can create accessible forms, however
the time for implementing all the appropriate features and tags in order
to make the PDF form accessible can take time (not to mention a bit of
skill).

To be perfectly honest, if the form is highly complex and contains a
large number of form fields, you may want to consider a HTML version of
the form instead.

If using a PDF is a requirement to deliver the form, there are other
tools besides Acrobat 6 Professional. The Forms Access Tool (part of
the Acrobat Capture Agent Pack for $99 US) allows designers to create
complex, tagged PDF forms a bit easier than developing a form in Acrobat
Professional.

Adobe does have a product called Adobe Form Designer 5, that is supposed
to develop HTML or PDF forms and include accessibility. I have not
tested this product as it is approximately $1700. May be something to
look into.

In any case, yes it can be done but it is not easy and takes time. I
developed a training manual around using Acrobat 6 Professional to
create accessible PDFs if you are interested.

Take care,
Sean

Sean Keegan
Web Accessibility Instructor
High Tech Center Training Unit for the
California Community Colleges
Cupertino, CA
408.996.6044