Accessibility of drop-down lists and list boxes

[SueL66]

I am working on a form and have included drop-down lists and list boxes (where people can choose multiple items). I need all the lists to be accessible as the population I work with are blind. The lists are not tagging naturally during the document tagging process and I cannot find a way to associate any tag I create with the items listed in the actual drop-down or list box fields I have created. If I create a <L>; <Li>; ,<Lbody> tag heirarchy I am not finding a way to associate the tags with the phrases on my list. I am including a screenshot of a drop-down list I have created.  I have a staffer who uses a screen reader and has told me the boxes are not accessible. Is there a solution to this? 

[Tariq Ahmad Dar]

Hi @SueL66,

Thank you for raising this important question about accessibility for dropdown lists and list boxes in Acrobat forms.

Acrobat does support accessibility for these field types, though it’s true they behave slightly differently from static content in terms of tagging and screen reader interpretation.

• Form Field Layer vs. Tags Pane:

  These fields may not appear as traditional tags in the Tags pane (like <ComboBox> or <ListBox>), but that doesn’t mean they’re inaccessible. Screen readers typically access them through the interactive form field layer, not the content tag structure.

• Tooltips and Field Names:

  Accessibility is largely driven by metadata such as the Tooltip (/TU) and Field Name (/T). These provide the necessary context to assistive technologies. To improve accessibility:

  • Ensure each form field has a meaningful tooltip (in Properties > General > Tooltip).

  • Maintain a logical tab order using the Prepare Form tool.

• Behavior with Assistive Technology:

  Most modern screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver) will recognize and read dropdown lists and list boxes properly when tooltips and form properties are set up correctly.

Recommended Steps to Improve Accessibility:

1. Use the Accessibility Checker in Acrobat to verify fields are identified and labeled.

2. Manually test the form with a screen reader to confirm how it’s announced.

3. Ensure fields are not hidden or set as read-only unintentionally.

4. If needed, tag the fields using the Tags panel > Create Tag from Selection and ensure they are included in the document’s logical structure.

If you’re experiencing issues even after following these best practices, could you share:

• The version of Acrobat and OS you’re using,

• Which screen reader did you test with?

• Does the issue appear consistently across different environments?

We’d be happy to take a closer look and assist further.

~Tariq