This document seeks to provide guidance that will help you create Access databases that are usable to everyone.

1. Access Accessibility Design Guide
1 Introduction
As technologytouchesmore andmore lives, we riskexcludingmillionsof peopleunintentionallythroughour
designchoices.Worldwide, more thanabillionpeople have adisability. Asdevelopers,we mustdesignsolutions
that allowall users,regardlessof theircapabilities,touse ourproducts.DesigningaccessibleAccessapplications
has sometimesbeenchallenging becauseof alack of guidance andeducationmaterial available.Thisdocument
seekstoprovide guidance thatwill help youcreate Access databases thatare usable to everyone.
Here are some keyprinciplestokeepinmindwhendesigning Accessapplications foreveryone:
 Informationshould be communicated throughmultiple channels,not justvisually
 Keyboardingisthe onlyinteractionthatmanyuserswill be able touse
 Minimize keystrokestoaccomplish scenario-critical tasks
 Use more than justcoloras a meansof communicating information
1.1 Content
 2) UI flow
o 2.1) Header, detail, footersections
 3) Navigation
o 3.1) Settingtaborder forcontrols
o 3.2) Using the F6 keyboardshortcutfornavigation
 4) Controls
o 4.1) Labelsassociatedwiththeircontrols
o 4.2) Captions
 5) Colors
o 5.1) High contrastmode
o 5.2) Luminosityratio
 6) Testingchecklist
 7) Walkthrough of a user scenario
2 UI flow
Whenyou begindesigninganAccess application,take some time tothinkaboutthe flow of auser’sexperience.
Users needinformationthathelpsthemunderstandthe purpose of the current database objectthey’reworking
withat that moment.Commandbuttons ona form,forexample, thattake formlevel actions suchas navigation
and printingneedtobe discoverable immediately. Fromuserstudies,we findthata user’sfocuswill naturally
start at the topof the formand thenscan down.Because of thisuserbehavior,inmostcases we recommend
that youput informationaboutthe formandcommandbuttonsat the top.
Below formlevel actions,we recommendthat youlimitactionsthatthe usercan take to the currentform.This
iswhere youshouldputyour maincontrols anddetail information.
At the bottomof formsandreports,we recommendyouput summarizations thatare relevanttothe database
afterthe user isfinishedwiththe details.Onareport, for example,add controlsthatdisplayaggregationsor

2. calculations atthe bottombecause thisisinformationrelevantafterthe userhasseenthe individual record
details.
Rememberthatthese are guidelinesandnothard andfast rulestothe designof yourformsand reports.Every
Accessapplication isdifferentso designtheminaway thatprovidesthe bestlogical flow of information.Ask
yourself,whatinformationwouldyoulike toknow first andwhatinformationisrelevant next?
2.1 Header, detail, footer sections
In thissection, we provide anexample of userinterface flow usingthe StudentsDatabase templateinAccess
2016. Indesign view,you’ll see header,detail,andfootersectionsthathelppartition the formintosections like
whatwe describedearlier.
Figure 1: Student list form shown in design view. The form’s header, detail, and footer sections are visible.
Header: Inthis example,the headersectionof the formcontainsthe title of the form,formlevel navigation,
searchingandfilteringcontrols,andinformationonhow touse the form(questionmarkicon).Thisinformation
isthe mostrelevantandshouldtherefore appearatthe top of the form.The headersectionisthe firstsection
that a userseesso putimportantinformationausermustknow to use the form here.We recommendthat the
formheadersection contains:
 Title of the form
 Form or application level navigation
 Searchingandfiltering options
 Instructionsandhelpinformation
Detail: Inthisexample,the detailsectionof this formcontainsthe fields andcontrols thatdisplay the datafor
each recordinthe form’sdatasource.The details sectioncomesafterauserunderstands the general purpose of

3. the form byreviewingthe controlsinthe form headersection.Usersof the applicationnow know this iswhere
theyneedtotake actions on data. We recommend thatthe detail sectioncontains:
 Relevantinformationandactionstothe current form
 Controlsthatdisplaydatafrom the form’srecordsource
Footer: Inthisexample,the footersection of thisformisn’tused.Thissection isthe lastsectionthata user
interactswithastheyuse the form.We recommendthatthe footersection contains:
 Informationthatismeaningfulafterthe userhasbrowsedthe previoustwosections suchas calculated
fieldsin formsand reports
 Controlsthatallowusersto move todifferentrecordsif applicable
 If needed,supplementalinformation thatisnotappropriate inthe headersectionsuchasdeveloper
contact informationortermsandconditionsinformation
3 Navigation
Since we are designingwithaccessibilityinmind,we needtounderstandthatnoteveryone canuse the mouse
and see the screen. Keyboardingisthe onlymethodof interactionthat manypeople canuse.Thissectionof the
guide will gooverhowto designyourdatabase applications toprovide amore navigable experience usingthe
keyboardalone.
3.1Setting tab order for controls
Tabbingisthe primarymethodof navigationforauserthat reliesuponthe keyboard.Thismeansthat
configuringthe taborderof your formsis one of the most important tasksinmakingyourAccess databases
accessible.
Figure 2: Tab order command on the Access Design ribbon tab
Here is an example of aconfiguredtaborderusingthe StudentListformof the Student’s database template:

4. Figure 3: Students list form with its tab order set for the Form Header section
In figure 3, you can see that the Welcome command button(the buttonwiththe questionmarkcaption) isthe
firstcommandinthe tab order. We set the Welcome commandbuttonfirstinthe tab order so that users can
quickly goback to the formthat providesinstructionsonhow to use the form.The nextitemsinthe tab order
are the command buttoncontrols that are shown inlefttorightorder as theyappearat the top of the form.This
isonlyan example,andyourapplications willhave theirownuniquetaborderdependingonthe mostlogical
userexperience.
Here are some concepts to keepinmindwhenconfiguringthe taborder foryour forms:
 Minimize the numberof tabsbyplacingthe most usedcommandsnearthe top of the tab order.
 Setthe taborder of your controlssothey follow aconsistentpatternwithrespecttothe UI and not
jumparound in a somewhatrandomorder.Userswithlow vision see onlyasmall,magnifiedsectionof
the form at a time whichmeanstheycan’tsee formelements outside the magnifiedarea.
 Testout the tab order of your controls afteryouare done designing yourformsincase the ordermight
have changedsince you lastmade form modifications.
 Ensure that unimportantelementsare atthe bottomof the tab orderto deprioritize themappearingto
users.
Witha properlyconfiguredtaborder forform controls,users,regardlessof theircapability,will have abetter
experience navigatingthroughyour application.
3.2Using the F6 keyboard shortcut for navigation
Accessprovidesakeyboardshortcut,F6,useful for navigatingthrough the differentregions of the Access
interface.Inthe nextfigure,youcansee whatpatternAccessfollowswhenyoucontinuallypressF6.

5.  Ribbon
 Headerof the active
form(if it exists)
 Detail of the active form
(if itexists)
 Footerof the active form
(if itexists)
 Navigation pane
 View switcher
 Ribbonandrepeat
Note that if anysub form
controls existinthe
sectionsof the form,
pressingF6puts the focus
intothe sub formand thenfocusmoves throughitssectionsbefore movingontothe nextsection inthe parent
section.
Usingthe F6 keyboardshortcut provides aquick wayto navigate betweenthe differentregions of the Access
interface anddatabase objects. Usingthisnavigationtechnique furtheremphasizesthe needtoappropriately
place informationthatisrelevanttoeach areaof the application asdetailedin Section2.1of thisdocument.
4 Controls
Accessibilityfeaturesare already includedinthe controlsof Access. Insome cases,you’ll needtomake minor
configurations toyourcontrolsindesignview forthemtowork well forusers of assistive technologies. For
controls, we recommendthe following guidelines:
 Associate controlswithanappropriate label
 Provide anappropriate captionforcontrols thatdon’thave an associated label
4.1Associate labels with their respective controls
Appropriate labelsforthe variouscontrolsdisplayingdataonyour formsand reportsare needed tounderstand
the value of data controlssuch as textboxes. Notall userscansee the labelsnexttothe controlsinthe forms
and reportsusingtheirassistivetechnologies.Forformsand reports,justprovidingthe datafieldvalue,usually
shownin a textbox, isnot enough. Youshouldideally providealabel withfield controls displayingdataand
associate themtocreate a complete experienceforyourapplicationusers.
If you are creatingcontrolsforfields inyourformor reportrecordsource usingthe providedwizards, Access
shouldcreate appropriate labelsforeachof your fieldcontrols.However,through additional editsand
adjustments youmightmake whilecompletingyourformandreportdesign,youmightlose the label association
betweentwocontrols accidentally.If you needtomanually associate alabel toacontrol,follow these steps:
1) Openthe propertypane
2) Selectthe control youneedtoassociate a label with
3) Findthe label name property
Figure 4: Pressing F6 navigates users through different areas of the Access interface

6. 4) Type in the name of the label
Figure 5: Property pane with label name property
Whenlabelsare associatedproperly,assistive technologieswill provide the information inthe label tousers
whenthose controls have focus. Forexample,if youuse ascreenreaderandyourfocus ison a textbox,the
screenreadernarratesout the associatedlabel firstandthenitnarrateswhateveristypedinto the textbox. If
youhave no associatedlabel, the screenreaderonlyreadsoutthe value inthe textbox.
4.2Captions
For elementswhere youwantto control whatis communicatedtothe useror elementswhere alabel isn’t
appropriate,youcanuse the Captionpropertyof a control to provide informationtothe assistivetechnologies
to be communicatedtothe user. For example, if youhave apicture inyour form,thenyou will wanttoprovide
an alt-textdescriptioninthe Captionproperty.
Textinthe StatusBar Text property of controlsare not accessiblysupportedin Access.Asaworkaround to this
limitation,considerputtingthattextinthe Captionproperty orintoan associated label.
5 Colors
Whenit comesto usingcolorsinyour Accessapplications,the keyprinciple torememberforuserswithcolor-
blindness isthattheycannotperceive the differencesbetweensome combinationsof colors. Youdon’tneedto
remove all colorsinthe designof yourAccessdatabase objects,butyoudo needtokeepcolorsensitivityin
mindwhencreatingyourAccessformsand reports.Youshould make sure that colorsare notthe onlymethod
of conveyingimportantinformation tothe applicationusers.Forexample, use colorplusshapesorcolorplus
textto conveyinformation.Use ared cross anda greencheckmark,for example, todistinguishthe difference

7. betweenanegative andapositive status.Inthisexample,you’re combiningcolorswithshapeswhichmakes the
visual elementsmore accessible.
As youdesignyourAccessdatabase objects,youmightfind situationswhere you’ll have coloredtext orother
elementsonabackgroundof anothercolor.Thisscenariomightmake it difficultforuserswhohave color-
blindnessorlowvisiondisabilitiestoperceive the variousobjectelements.Computeroperatingsystems provide
a highcontrast mode,and in the followingsections, we’ll provideresourcestochoose operatingsystem settings
that are mostperceivableforall users.
5.1High contrast mode
Operatingsystemsprovide ahighcontrastmode whichrepaintsthe userinterface withcolorsthatcanbe better
perceivedbyeveryone.
Figure 6: Windows 10 high contrast settings
In figure 5, you can see that Windows10 providesahighcontrast settingspage which allowsuserstoselect
differentthemes. Whenyou selectone of the highcontrastthemes,Windowsautomaticallyrepaintsall the
Windowsandapplicationuserinterfaces withthe specifiedcolorsinthe theme. AsanAccessapplication
developer,youshould verifythatyourAccessdatabase objectscanstill be functional andthatyoudon’thave
missingcolors.If yousee colors inyourdatabase objects,notspecifiedinthe highcontrasttheme,showingup
afterturningon highcontrastsettings,please postthis informationinthe Microsoftaccessibilityforum.
5.2Contrast ratio
Whenchoosingcolors foryour database objectssuchas formsand reports,make sure thatthe contrastratio
betweenthe control andobject elementsandthe backgroundcolorisat least4.5:1. You can check yourcolor
contrast ratio by downloadingafree tool called ColorContrastAnalyzerbythe PacielloGroup orby usinga color
contrast checkeronthe web suchas WebAIMContrast Checker.Byensuringthatthe colorcontrast ratioof the
foregroundandbackground colorsare at least4.5:1, you can be confidentthatusers of your Accessapplication
can perceive the textorelementsyoudesigned.

8. 6 Recap of testing
Here is a quickchecklistof all the thingsmentionedinthisaccessibilitydesignguidethatyoucan use for quick
reference withyourAccessapplications.If youcheck andtest yourapplicationsusingthislist, thenyoushould
be on your wayto creatingan Accessapplication thatisusable byall.
 Thinkaboutthe flowof a user’sexperience
o Place importantinformationandcommandbuttonsatthe top – headersection
o Place formor report relevantinformationatthe middle –detailssection
o Place summarizationand overall information atthe bottom– footersection
 Checkyour configured control taborder
o Verify thatthe tab orderfor controlsfollowsalogical flow throughthe database object
o Verify thatcommandsthatare usedthe mostare at the top
 Check your controls forappropriate labels
o Verifythere are noorphanedlabels
 Check your control captions
o Verifyif captionsare needed
o Verifythatcaptionsare definedif youdon’tuse control labels
 Checkif any informationiscommunicatedusingcoloronly
o Verifythatyou’re notusingcoloronlyto distinguish application information
 Checkif highcontrast settingsimpactyourapplication
o Verifythatonly colorsinthe highcontrast theme appear inyourapplication
 Check your colorcontrast ratio
o Verifythe contrastratioisat least4.5:1
o Use WebAIMresources orColorContrast Analyzerbythe PacielloGroup
7 Walkthrough of a user scenario
7.1Introduction
Thiswalkthroughaimstoshowwhat a userwithdisabilitieswouldexperience whenusinganAccess database
that has beendesignedwithaccessibilityinmind. Thiswalkthroughwill use aseriesof screenshotswith
explanations fromthe Studentsdatabase template.
7.2Legend
Visionimpaireduserswill use assistivetechnologiestonarrate outwhatUI elementcurrentlyhasfocus.The
headphones iconwillbe usedtodenote whatuserswill hear.
Thisblue outline will highlightwhatthe user of the applicationis focusedoninthe database.
These iconsdenote whatkeysuserswill presstonavigate aroundinthe database.

9. 7.3Walkthrough
Figure 7: The New Student button is where the user is focusing on in the Student List form
In the openingform of thisdatabase,we canconfidentlyuse the F6keyboardshortcut tonavigate tothe header
of the form.We have designedthisformtoinclude the commandbuttonsinthe headersection.The focusison
the firstcommandbutton“NewStudent” andthe screenreadercorrespondinglyreadsitout.Now let’s press
Enter.
Figure 8: Student details form for a new student
F6
“New student”
Enter
“General tab
item”

10. Afteropeningthe “StudentDetails”form, the focusisputintothe “General”tab item.Access tabcaptions are
recognizedbythe assistive technologyand theyare narratedoutappropriatelytoprovide uswithmore
informationonthe UI that we have focuson inthe form.
Figure 9: Filling out the form
By pressingthe Tabkeyagain,we can navigate tothe textboxes onthe form.The screenreadernarratesoutthe
label firsttoprovide contextforourtextbox. Afterfillingitin,italsoreadsoutthe currentvalue.
Tab
“Last name,
Chan”

11. Afterwe finishenteringall the neededinformationaboutthe studentinthe detail form,we canuse the F6
keyboardshortcut to go backto the headersection andthenuse the Tab key to getto the commandbutton
labeledClose. Atthispoint, the screenreadernarratesoutthe name of the control “Close”and thatit is a
button.PressingEnteractivatesthe commandbuttonwhich closesthisformandsavesthe student. Note that
we couldhave usedthe Tab keyto move to the Save and New commandbuttonif we wantedtostart creating
anotherstudentrecord.
Figure 10: Saving and exiting the form
Tab
“Close
button”
F6
Enter

12. Figure 11: Student list form with the newly added student details
We are back to the studentlistformandwe see the newlyaddedstudent’sinformationinthe firstrecordinthe
datasheet.