FOCUS - It's Where the Action Is!

For most of the sighted population, your computer focus is typically tied to the mouse.

Whenever you move your mouse, the cursor is the mouse pointer you move across the screen.

However, as we've seen, when using the mouse, there is a difference between hovering and selecting. 

With a keyboard, the focus is immediately moved to the element as you are reviewing it. 

With a keyboard you can only review interactive content. You can not select and copy text that is not accessible using the Essential Keys for Accessibility.

Instead of pushing a cursor around with a mouse or trackpad to whatever position we desire, someone using the TAB key must cycle through the interactive content in a linear fashion. 

This is why basic keyboard navigation is considered basic. To provide more effective and efficient navigation we need to include additional keyboard commands, and for the most powerful keyboard navigation we need a dedicated Screen Reader such as NVDA or JAWS.

Using a screen reader program allows a user to determine which part of a document they want to interact with or use. Even so, they will still use the Essential Keys for accessibility.

Default Focus Points

There are certain keys which can automatically set your focus to a fixed region of the digital environment. This allows a user to establish reference points from which a mental model of the information in their computer and how it is arranged. This is particularly helpful when dealing with inaccessible content, and when you need to reset the computer focus when you can't find it.

Support for keyboard navigation using keys beyond the Essential Keys for navigation varies wildly between different programs. Part of the ongoing evolution of computer science and technologies includes the growing awareness of accessibility. As more and more people learn about and care about accessibility, the number of programs supporting accessible keyboard interaction is also increasing.

In Windows, you can jump to the default parts of your interface by using the following keys:

• ESC - exit the current context, setting focus to external container. (Containers: Operating System, application, document, widget/form.)
• ESC+ ENTER - Sets focus at Windows Start.
• F6 - Moves focus to the address bar when using an Internet browser.
• CTRL + HOME - Moves to the top of a web page when using an Internet browser, moves to the top entry when inside a “Select” form field.
• CTRL + END - Moves to the bottom of a web page when using an Internet browser, moves to the last entry when inside a “Select” form field.

A Lack of Focus

Unfortunately, some people style their content deliberately to not show a focus indicator. In those cases, it is often impossible to know for certain where the keyboard focus is.

Digital content without a focus indicator can never be considered accessible.