Keyboard accessibility is crucial in ensuring that digital content and interfaces are usable by everyone, including individuals with disabilities. We must ensure that all content can be accessed with the keyboard alone.

People who benefit from keyboard accessibility include:

• those who use a screen reader
• those with limited hand dexterity or strength
• those with a hand or arm injury

Additionally, keyboard accessibility can benefit users without disabilities who prefer using the keyboard for faster navigation or those who need to operate devices in environments where using a mouse is impractical.

General navigation using the keyboard

Tab to move to the next link, form element or button.
Shift +Tab to move to the previous link, form element, or button.
Enter or Space bar to activate the current link or button.
Arrow keys to navigate within components like dropdown menus or tab lists.

Visible focus indicator

A focus indicator is a visual cue that helps users understand which element on a webpage or application is currently selected or “in focus.” When using the keyboard, the focus indicator should clearly highlight the active element (button, link, form field).

Potential problems

There are many ways that a webpage can introduce difficulties for users who rely on a keyboard for navigation. This Keyboard Accessibility article from WebAIM, outlines a few of the most common issues and how to test using the keyboard.