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Students Affected: 
Principles: Follow Web Standards, Degrade Gracefully
Web forms have many instructional applications. You can use them to poll students, gather homework assignments, or collect data. But a Web form can pose challenges for students using 
screen readers and other assistive technologies if it is not created with accessibility in mind.
If You Do It Wrong: Students who use screen readers or Braille displays cannot fill out the form because there are no HTML labels to indicate what information each field (box) should contain. A JavaScript-based form may be impossible to use if the assistive technology doesn't support JavaScript.
If You Do It Right: Each form field has a descriptive text label, so the screen reader user knows what information to enter. The form is still useful if JavaScript is disabled or unavailable.
Create a label for every form field. The <label> tag can be used to associate text on the page with the appropriate <input>, <select>, or <textarea> tag. (The for attribute should match the id attribute. The name attribute is used for CGI form processing.)
| Example |
| <label for="username">User Name:</label><input id="username" type="text" name="username"> |
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Web Page Editor Instructions
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Microsoft FrontPage:
Click the HTML tab in the bottom-left corner of the screen to open the FrontPage HTML editor. Then follow the instructions above. |
Netscape Composer:
From the Tools drop-down menu, select HTML Tools, then Edit HTML Source... to open the Composer HTML editor. Then follow the instructions above. |
Dreamweaver MX |
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- Use an accessibility evaluator to make sure you've used <label> with each form control.
- Disable JavaScript in your browser and test your forms.
- If possible, duplicate the client-side script with a server-side CGI script or program.
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Visit these Web sites for more information about accessible forms:
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