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Re: Where Does The Idea Screen Reader Users Use Tab for Main Navigation Come From?

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From: Steve Green
Date: Oct 11, 2018 7:21AM

The idea that screen reader users use the Tab key for web navigation is very common among developers. I see this all the time when we are doing screen reader training or pairing with them to fix issues. It's a clear indication that they have never had any professional training on assistive technologies, which is shocking but absolutely normal. However, it's worth noting that the Tab key is used extensively for navigating desktop applications.

To address Reuben's question, the arrow keys navigate within the screen reader's virtual object model, not the DOM. Depending on what type of element has focus in the virtual object model, pressing certain keys such as Enter or Spacebar causes a change in the DOM. This only applies to websites - desktop applications don't have a virtual object model so keystrokes are passed directly to the application.

Steve Green
Managing Director
Test Partners Ltd