WordPress Accessibility Plugins and Keyboard Navigation

For efficiency, expert "power" users prefer keyboard commands, whereas individuals with particular limitations have no other choice but to use the keyboard. Thankfully, tools like WordPress accessibility plugins can help you make your website more accessible to everyone. They can help you make vital adjustments to ensure people who use assistive technologies can easily access your content.

 

The main difference between the keyboard and the mouse is that when using the keyboard, users must tab through all of the links one by one before reaching a link of interest. On the other hand, a mouse user can study the available links on the screen and move the cursor directly to the link they wish to click. The mouse, therefore, offers direct access to the screen's links.

 

Even the most amazing website is meaningless to someone unable to engage with it or access its controls. Websites that are keyboard-friendly provide these interactions for users who cannot use a mouse.

 

For keyboard users, removing the keyboard focus indicator is disastrous. The focus indication is frequently eliminated since it is an eye irritant. If you don't like the browser's arrow, don't delete it entirely; instead, replace it with a design that matches the appearance and feel of your site. This CSS guide for adding a new focus style may be useful.

 

How Can Accessibility Plugins Help

The skip links, which are links to different page areas, are a standout feature of WordPress accessibility plugins. Screen reader users can use skip links to move to other portions of a website and avoid reading irrelevant stuff (like navigation menus).

 

WordPress accessibility plugins insert Skip links into your sites, which will only appear when the keyboard or an assistive device is used to trigger them. Their ability to outline focusable objects is also noteworthy as it helps users see where on the page they are now focused, whether it's on a link, button, text field, or something else. You can also change the outline color to match your website.

 

Some WordPress accessibility plugins also change the structure of your pages to make them easier to navigate with the keyboard, including changing dropdowns, pop-ups, forms, buttons, and skip links. The program also searches for content changes daily, minimizing the time it takes to make changes to your site.