Re: Skip links and keyboard navigation

On Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:28:40 +0100, Vivienne CONWAY <v.conway@ecu.edu.au>  
wrote:

> Hi all
>I thought I'd pass this issue past the experts in this group for your  
> opinion.
>This issue involves skip links that do not appear with keyboard  
> activation - in other words dont' show focus either all the time or with  
> keyboard focus.
>Obviously if they are there and hidden, the screen reader user still  
> hears them, but the keyboard only user does not receive that benefit and  
> has to tab throughout >the whole page to get to the main content.
>
> G202: Ensuring keyboard control for all functionality which covers 2.1.1  
> and 2.1.3 says “The objective of this technique is to provide keyboard  
> operation for all the >functionality (defined as processes and outcomes  
> achievable through user action) of the page.”  In this case (when the  
> keyboarder can’t access the skip links), it >would appear they can’t  
> have keyboard operation for all the functionality of the page.  What  
> keyboarders can’t do is to access the skip links, which really benefits  
> >a keyboard only user as they can’t skip the multitude of navigational  
> links.
>
> Would you agree that this fails 2.1.1 when the keyboard operation  
> doesn’t activate the skip links, which means that it should also fail  
> 2.1.3?

As I read it, if the user can't get focus with the keyboard for the "skip  
link" link unless they have a screen reader, and that is the mechanism  
provided, then the functionality is not available, and so it fails 2.1.1 -  
and since the failure is not related to particular timing, it also fails  
2.1.3.

Earlier this year we had a discussion on this list about using structure  
instead of "skip links" links to meet the underlying requirement, and for  
a look to the future see discussions on the main element, navigation using  
aria landmarks, etc.

http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-WCAG20-20081211/#keyboard-operation-keyboard-operable

cheers

Chaals

>
>>
>Regards
>Vivienne L. Conway, B.IT(Hons), MACS CT, AALIA(cs)
> PhD Candidate & Sessional Lecturer, Edith Cowan University, Perth, W.A.
> Director, Web Key IT Pty Ltd.
> v.conway@ecu.edu.au
> v.conway@webkeyit.com
> Mob: 0415 383 673
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Charles McCathie Nevile - Consultant (web standards) CTO Office, Yandex
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