Re: XForms and Adobe Forms - WAI Version 1 AA Compliant

> Date:  Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:38:23 -0000
> From:  Brendan Laing <Brendan.Laing@axonglobal.com>
> I’m working on a large UK local government project and we are actively  
> debating whether we should use a xForms or Adobe forms solution for a  
> web-based citizen portal (allowing citizens to raise service requests  
> such as ‘missed bin collection’ or ‘disabled parking application – blue  
> badge’). Our concern is that xForms and Adobe Forms may not be WAI  
> Version 1 AA Compliant. We are trying to use the next generation of  
> forms technology but we are concerned about the accessibility, can you  
> advise us on compliance of these technologies or how we can assess  
> compliance?

I won't comment on Adobe Forms, but as a co-designer of XForms I can say  
that accessibility was designed into XForms from the start; one of our  
co-designers is blind himself, and accessibility was one of our design  
requirements.

As far as I am aware, there is nothing in XForms that clashes with WCAG  
1.0 Priority 1 and 2 Checkpoints (to address your AA compliance  
explicitly) nor have I heard any comments from anyone who had problems  
with accessibility with XForms (quite the contrary in fact). In particular  
all labels are explicitely associated with their controls.

You could design forms with XForms that were not accessible, but you would  
have to go out of your way.

Best wishes,

Steven Pemberton

Received on Tuesday, 12 February 2008 14:40:21 UTC