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Form Accessibility

Beginning in April 2026, updates to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Title II Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations will require state and local governments and institutions to ensure that all digital content, including online forms, is accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Traditional PDF-based forms, even those previously considered “fillable,” often fail to meet modern accessibility standards because they cannot be reliably navigated or read by assistive technologies such as screen readers. To achieve compliance and provide equitable access to all users, existing PDF forms must be remediated or converted into fully accessible digital formats that conform to recognized accessibility guidelines.

Important Considerations

When choosing the right platform for your form, it is important to keep some things in mind.

  • How long will this form be needed? When creating forms that will be used indefinitely, you must be careful about who “owns” the form and what would happen to it and the related data if the owner were to leave. Both Microsoft Forms and Qualtrics have collaboration tools you can use to mitigate this problem, but Kuali is the only foolproof system in which Information Services (IS) can assign your form a new owner.
  • Where should you post/share your form? Links to forms that are posted on public facing websites carry far more compliance risk than those secured behind a login or shared by email. It is recommended that you only post links to forms with a broad audience and share your forms by safer means whenever it is practical.

Choosing the Right Platform

海角论坛 provides three core solutions for creating accessible online forms: Microsoft Forms, Qualtrics and Kuali Build. Please review each option thoroughly to understand which will be the best platform for your application.

Microsoft Forms

A simple, self-service form builder available in Microsof 365 that is suitable for basic information collection, surveys, event registrations and more.

  • Use for: Surveys, quizzes, event registrations or any simple form that does not need to be permanently available.
  • Features:
    • Basic form builder with Excel and email data export options
  • Limitations:
    • May not be suitable for long-term or permanent forms. By default, forms are owned individually by the creator. Understanding collaboration and sharing is critical, or the data may become inaccessible if the owner should leave the university.
    • Not suitable for large or complex surveys requiring advanced logic or data analysis.
    • Not suitable when user identity must be verified, or form requires a digital signature.
    • Not suitable when a form initiates a complex business process requiring multiple approvals or tasks.

Qualtrics

A more robust, but complex, solution for surveys with advanced logic and data analytics. Also suitable for basic forms with simple workflows.

  • Use for: Complex surveys or forms for which Microsoft Forms is inadequate.
  • Features:
    • A wider variety of question types and customization options
    • Advanced logic, branching and display rules
    • Built-in data analytics and reporting tools
    • Data security and privacy controls
    • Advanced collaboration options
    • Limited workflows are available
  • Limitations
    • May not be suitable for long-term or permanent forms. By default, forms are owned individually by the creator. Understanding collaboration and sharing is critical, or the data may become inaccessible if the owner should leave the university.
    • More of a learning curve than Microsoft Forms.

Kuali Build

A no-code form builder designed for complex business processes with automated workflows.

  • Use for: Forms for students, faculty, and staff that initiate business processes with automated workflows, forms requiring digital signatures, processes requiring inter-departmental collaboration.
  • Features:
    • Integrated data access pulls common student/employee information from Pathway to auto-populate some form fields
    • Highly customizable form logic handles complex situations with ease
    • Highly customizable automated workflows with advanced logic, dependencies, and branching
    • Supports digital signatures / valid submitter identity
    • Available as a DIY or custom-built solution
    • Centralized administration makes this a good choice for long-term and permanent forms. Information can be shared with new personnel even after the creator has left the university.
  • Limitations
    • Not suitable for public-facing or anonymous forms
    • Treats each submission as an individual document; less effective for aggregate data analysis, though some Excel exporting options exist.
    • Greater learning curve than Microsoft Forms when choosing the DIY route

Learn more about Kuali