WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: arrow key navigation in accessible menu

for

From: Steve Faulkner
Date: Dec 16, 2010 3:30AM

Hi Al, you appear to enjoy using disparaging remarks in refrence to
advocates of standarized menus using the arrow keys for naviagtion.

The issue is and alsways has been that developers have tried to do
more with HTML+JavaScript+CSS than was initially intended. They have
built multilevel navigation menus, without the correct semantics and
interaction behaviours being built in.

The good news is that instead of carping about this people
(industrious people, including user with disabilites) have worked to
provide a set of standarized behaviours for a range of interactive
controls that are not available in HTML4.
the results are available: http://dev.aol.com/dhtml_style_guide
http://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-practices/#keyboard

be aware that HTML5 includes standarized elements and attributes that
allow authors to build native HTML menus
(http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/interactive-elements.html#menus). when
implemented these will remove the need to hack menus in HTML and they
will in all certainty use the standard keyboard interaction behaviours
used in the OS.

While I agree that it may not be appropriate to use arrow key based
navigation for a naviagtion menu on a web site at this time, it
certainly is the appropriate thing to do in web based applications
where the semantics of the menu are provided using ARIA.

best regards
Steve Faulkner

On 15 December 2010 06:13, Al Sparber < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> On 12/15/2010 12:51 AM, <EMAIL REMOVED> wrote:
>> that's interesting because JAWS encourages users to use arrow keys when
>> coming across dropdown menus and there is a keyboard command to open such
>> menus.
>
> I think you might be referring to operating system drop-down menus. In
> my opinion, the cacophony of opinions - even those of perceived experts
> in the field - do not stand up to logic. Fact is, any CSS or
> script-based menu can be made accessible if the web designer knows what
> he or she is doing - and it's ridiculously easy.
>
>
> --
> Al Sparber - PVII
> http://www.projectseven.com
> Dreamweaver Menus | Galleries | Widgets
> http://www.projectseven.com/go/hgm
> The Ultimate Web 2.0 Carousel
>