[Accessibility_sig] JAWS Forms Mode

[David.A.Ashleydale at wellsfargo.com]

I was wondering if someone might be able to tell me the purpose of JAWS
Forms mode. What are the ways that it helps users fill out forms on web
pages? And how is it better than if Forms mode didn't exist at all?
 
As far as I can tell, when a user enters Forms mode the only thing it
does is disable some of the regular keyboard controls (such as using
arrow keys to navigate a page) thereby ensuring that the user only
interacts with form fields. This seems like it could be a disservice to
the user because there could be other contextual information in or
around the form that the user can no longer access while they are in
Forms mode.
 
I once observed a JAWS user that went in and out of Forms mode after
filling out every field, just in case there was some extra information
that wasn't being read out loud to him while he was in Forms mode.
 
Please let me know if I'm missing something about the importance of
Forms mode. Is it a menace created by Freedom Scientific or is it truly
useful to the end users?
 
Thanks,
 

David Ashleydale | Web Accessibility Program Manager

Customer Experience (CX)
Wells Fargo Bank | MAC A0112-020 
550 California Street, 2nd Floor | San Francisco, CA 94104
office 415.222.3036 | david.a.ashleydale at wellsfargo.com

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