TechNote

LiveCycle Designer ES screen reader order cannot be configured across subforms

Issue

In some cases, a form author will want screen reader information to be read in a custom order. For example, standards may require that information contained in a footer be read before form field information. However, Adobe Acrobat requires that a screen reader read all screen reader information in a subform before it reads any information from subsequent subforms.

Reason

Limitation of screen reader support in Adobe Acrobat.

Solution

Create objects with no visible properties that contain the required screen reader text (or other screen reader information) at the subform location where the screen reader should read the information, and modify the object that is the source of the screen reader information (located in a different subform) not to be read by the screen reader.

Adobe Acrobat 8.0 and later uses a rendering engine which affects read-order behavior. In order to make this solution work, and to provide a consistent experience for users of all versions of Adobe Acrobat, you must switch the rendering engine to the legacy model (Version 6).

The following procedures illustrate the solution by placing custom screen reader text in a subform using a text object. All other properties of the text object are not visible. The object that is the source for the relocated screen reader text is then modified to prevent the screen reader from reading the text again later.

Note: The blank spaces added in the procedures are important because the screen reader ignores fields and screen text that have no content. Adding a blank space ensures that the screen reader handles the objects.

To enable legacy rendering:

Start LiveCycle Designer ES and open the form to customize.
Click File > Form Properties and click Compatibility.
Click Revert Rendering Model and then click OK.

To create a new object that contains the screen reader information to relocate:

Add a new text object to the subform where the screen reader information should be read.
To remove visible content from the text object, select the text in the text object and enter a blank space (spacebar).
In the Accessibility palette, select Custom Text from the Screen Reader Precedence list.
In the Custom Screen Reader Text box, enter the text for the screen reader to read for this object, and then click OK.

To modify the object that contains the source of the relocated screen reader information:

Select the text object that is the source for the screen reader text you added to another subform.
In the Accessibility palette, select Custom Text from the Screen Reader Precedence list.
In the Custom Screen Reader Text box, enter a blank space (spacebar), and then click OK.