Keyboard trap

Meaning

A keyboard trap restricts keyboard users to a small part of page or makes them unable to move away from an element using the keyboard. 

Many users use keyboard access to navigate content. For those who rely solely on keyboard navigation or use keyboards to navigate with an assistive device, keyboard traps can render a page unusable.

This fails Leval A WCAG requirements, so any page with keyboard traps is considered inaccessible.

Background

Keyboard access is so essential to accessibility and usability that a page with content inaccessible by keyboard does not meet the requirements for Level A WCAG 2.1 compliance.

Keyboard traps are especially common in input fields, menus, embedded elements, and CAPTCHAs, and they may also be caused by poor implementation of JavaScript.

Following development best practices and performing thorough, ongoing testing are both essential to preventing and correcting keyboard traps.

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