When we talk about digital accessibility, topics like color contrast, meaningful link text, and alt text often come to mind. But an equally critical, yet sometimes overlooked, piece is ensuring that websites and applications are fully usable without a mouse. Many people rely on keyboard navigation due to mobility disabilities, while others simply prefer it for efficiency. Whatever the reason, keyboard accessibility is fundamental to an inclusive digital experience.
Unfortunately, keyboard access can break easily when custom widgets or scripts override native browser behavior.聽That鈥檚聽why every interactive element 鈥� links, buttons, form fields, menus, dialogs 鈥斅爉ust be reachable and operable using the keyboard alone. Equally important is a visible, consistent focus indicator, so users always know where they are on the page.
The good news:聽testing for聽keyboard accessibility is聽relatively聽simple. Try navigating your site using only the Tab,聽Shift+Tab, Enter, and arrow keys. Can you reach and聽operate聽everything? Is focus easy聽to聽see? The answers reveal a lot.
To learn more, including recommended techniques and related , visit the Accessible Technology web page on Keyboard Accessibility.