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<div>I forgot to say that the static PDF forms are the ones you create in Acrobat. They are your regular every day PDF forms that can be made accessible.</div>
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<div>You can make static PDF forms in a tool like form designer, but you cannot check the accessibility of those forms in Acrobat, because you’ve used an XFA form designer, to create the static/regular every day PDF forms.</div>
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<div dir="ltr"> Cheers, Karen. </div>
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<div style="direction:ltr">Sent from <a href="https://aka.ms/qtex0l">Outlook</a> for iOS</div>
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<div id="divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size:11pt" color="#000000"><b>From:</b> athen-list <athen-list-bounces@mailman12.u.washington.edu> on behalf of Karen McCall <K4mccall@outlook.com><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, June 2, 2023 1:34:21 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list@u.washington.edu><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Athen] Fillable forms in Word</font>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">This is a common set of questions/issues.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">While you can add content controls, legacy form controls and/or ActiveX form controls in Word, they are not accessible to fill out.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">Content controls were never designed to be accessible. They were introduced in Office 2007 and, as their name indicates, are there to add content when creating
templates. There are NO radio buttons in the set of content controls. If you want to explore content controls, take a look at the gallery of Tables of Content you can add to a document. The gallery creates a TOC using content controls.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">Always use the “Create Table of Contents” or “Custom Table of Contents” to create a TOC! Alt + S, T, C. Visually, they look like a text box with a tab in the upper
left.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">Content controls have several issues:</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top:0in">
<li class="x_MsoListParagraph" style="color:#1F3864; margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif">They are still keyboard traps despite some minor improvements.</span></li><li class="x_MsoListParagraph" style="color:#1F3864; margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif">We are never notified when entering or exiting a content control.</span></li><li class="x_MsoListParagraph" style="color:#1F3864; margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif">Adaptive technology does not read the Tooltips.</span></li><li class="x_MsoListParagraph" style="color:#1F3864; margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif">They cannot be resized.</span></li><li class="x_MsoListParagraph" style="color:#1F3864; margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif">Any improvements to content controls are NOT backward compatible!</span></li></ol>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">When either the legacy form controls or the ActiveX form controls are added to a Word document, in order for them to gain focus to be filled out, the rest of the
document or significant sections of it MUST be protected. This means that someone using TTS or screen readers will not have access to any instructions that might be available to those who can see the form. I’ve had to remediate these types of forms over the
past two or three years and even with 15-20 form controls on a page, Word crashes or the adaptive technology crashes or they both crash at the same time.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">Explaining why you can’t convert a form in Word that has form controls to a tagged PDF form takes a bit more explanation.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">When form controls are created in a Word document, they can’t be resized and their attributes are minimal. They are designed, by default, to live in Word.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">IF they could be converted to tagged PDF, they would not be able to be resized automatically to fit content. Form controls that expand in PDFs are XFA forms, not
PDF forms.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">When a form control is added in a PDF form template, they can be resized to some extent/allowing for spacing and there are attributes like setting the font to
auto size among other attributes.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">Form controls that expand as content is added in a form that is viewed in a PDF reader are called XFA forms (Extensible form Architecture). You need a tool like
the old LiveCycle Designer or the reinvention of LiveCycle Designer, Form Designer, to create XFA forms where the form controls expand as text is added to them in the PDF reader.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">BUT…</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">Currently there is no standard for XFA forms or are known as “dynamic PDF” forms and no accessibility standards. They can’t be validated by any of the existing
PDF accessibility checkers. Someone made a weak attempt to create an accessibility checker add-on for Form Designer but without a standard to go by, it was useless.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">The PDF readers are only used to view an XFA form. Being able to open a dynamic PDF in Acrobat does not mean it is a static PDF form or that it magically converts
to a static PDF form.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">Without any standards for XFA forms, as they expand over pages with content, the adaptive technology cannot keep up with the refreshing and often loses focus even
when trying to go back and edit the answer. Content controls in Word are a good example of an XFA form type. They appear small but just start adding content and they expand to fit the content.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">It would cost an exorbitant amount of development funding and resources to develop Word to the point where it would become an form designer that would allow for
the conversion of form controls to tagged PDF. </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">Even Adobe has separated Acrobat rom Form Designer. They are two different applications with different pricing options. You can’t check the accessibility of a
dynamic or static XFA form in Acrobat.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">The best approach to designing forms in Word is to use the accessible document techniques you know…columns, Tab Stops, headings and so forth to create the form.
Use tables ONLY for rating questions, not other parts of the form template.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">Do not use symbols to represent radio buttons, lines or check boxes! Odds are you’ll have to artifact them. Additionally, you’ll need to make the form controls
large enough to cover them up. If someone gets a Word version of the form, those who can see the form will start clicking on the squares or circles thinking they are real form controls, not placeholders for form controls.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">Save the Word form template as a tagged PDF, add the form controls, then add the form tags and their annotations to the Tags Tree. Remember to add the Tooltips
for all form controls.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">If you want lines for those who might print the form, use the Appearance tab in the Acrobat form control Properties dialog to add an “underline” to the form control
itself.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">In regard to ToolTips:</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<ol start="1" type="1" style="margin-top:0in">
<li class="x_MsoListParagraph" style="color:#1F3864; margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif">In Word, they often don’t work, even if you have them added in the two places that are suggested.</span></li><li class="x_MsoListParagraph" style="color:#1F3864; margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif">The ToolTips or support text for content controls has never worked.</span></li><li class="x_MsoListParagraph" style="color:#1F3864; margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif">You can’t go into a content control that you need to add content to by pressing Enter.</span></li><li class="x_MsoListParagraph" style="color:#1F3864; margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif">Always check your Tooltips with a screen reader or TTS to see if there are spelling mistakes!</span></li></ol>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">I just dis an overview of accessible PDF forms for the Guelph Accessibility Conference and have two proposals in for AHG: a pre-conference workshop on accessible
PDF forms and a two hour general session on creating a form template.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">Let me know if you have other questions.</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864">Cheers, Karen</span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt; font-family:"Cambria",serif; color:#1F3864"> </span></p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal"><b><span style="">From:</span></b><span style=""> athen-list <athen-list-bounces@mailman12.u.washington.edu>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Deborah Armstrong<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, June 2, 2023 12:28 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> 'Access Technology Higher Education Network' <athen-list@u.washington.edu><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Athen] Fillable forms in Word</span></p>
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<p class="x_MsoNormal">I’ve been experimenting with the latest Office 365 Word (desktop client) to make fillable forms using controls on the developer tab.</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">It’s super easy to do, and as a screen reader user, fully accessible for me to create these forms.</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">But I’ve had a few disappointments.</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">If I save a form as a PDF, it’s not fillable. I was hoping to find a way as a screen reader user to make a fillable PDF. We’ve got all these inaccessible forms on campus, and I want to be part of the solution – not just someone complaining
about them!</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">I’ve also found it can be a little challenging to fill out a Word form without accidentally entering content. You have to carefully tab to the control and activate it with enter. If you press enter in the wrong place, you create an empty
paragraph. So though accessible, it’s a little confusing for a keyboard user. </p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">Another problem with Word forms is that designers often include the fields within tables. Tab is used to both navigate between cells and to navigate to fields, so again, that adds a lot of confusion.
</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">I also find that if you don’t need a legal signature, and you just need a form filled out, it’s a very accessible process to use the online Office app to create and/or fill out accessible forms. What I particularly like about Office 365
forms is that people who know nothing about accessibility seem to create accessible forms by default.
</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">The online version of Word doesn’t have a developer tab; you have to use Office 365 forms if you want to create a form that is fillable online and whose results can be reported back to you.</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">Google forms are also easy to create and fill using a screen reader. And ditto for SurveyMonkey.
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<p class="x_MsoNormal">With all these accessible options, I do wish people would stop using PDFS, but we use Adobe sign and people love it!</p>
<p class="x_MsoNormal">--Debee</p>
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