Re: keyboard focus of overflow:auto/scroll element

fantasai wrote:
> aurélien levy wrote:

>> is it possible for the CSS spec to specify that an element with an 
>> overflow property set to auto or scroll must received focus with the 
>> keyboard (otherwise its contents can become unreachable for people 
>> using keyboard navigation mechanism). For information, Firfox do it 
>> correctly

> 
> I believe this behavior is currently outside the scope of the CSS
> specifications.

Although the correct normative place for this is probably the Web 
Accessibility Initiative User Agent Guidelines, I think it would be 
advisable for the CSS specification to take a view as to whether this 
was a user agent or authoring problem and either:

- advise authors that they cannot assume that users will actually be 
able to scroll these areas; or

- advise user agent developers that they need to consider the WCAG 
requirements to provide keyboard only access.

This is especially important if some browsers currently do not provide 
keyboard access.

If it is as seen as an authoring problem, the WAI Content Guidelines may 
need amending to discourage the use of such constructs.

Although I don't particularly like cross posting email, I am copying to 
the WAI list.  Please remember, when replying, that moderation may be 
required on one of the lists, if you post to both.

-- 
David Woolley
Emails are not formal business letters, whatever businesses may want.
RFC1855 says there should be an address here, but, in a world of spam,
that is no longer good advice, as archive address hiding may not work.

Received on Saturday, 21 March 2009 10:22:04 UTC