WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

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Re: arrow key navigation in accessible menu

for

From: deborah.kaplan
Date: Dec 7, 2010 8:21AM

On Tue, 7 Dec 2010, Al Sparber wrote:

> That is, the majority of keyboard users in our tests do
> not even realize that arrow keys are working. The only people, in our
> opinion, who favor arrow keys are able-bodied web designers and
> accessibility consultants :-)
...
> You'll get a baker's dozen different opinions on this list. Some will be
> good, others not. Your job is to assess them all and see which one makes
> most sense to you and then liver with it - or not :-)

Indeed. If you look through the archives you will see that many
of the people on this list who favor arrow keys are web users with
disabilities and their clients with disabilities. :-) So yes,
there are many schools of thought, and everybody's use cases
reveal different answers on the question of arrow keys, keyboard
use, and fly out menus.

In other words, if at all possible, design for your users.

-deborah