• Success Criterion 2.1.1
  • Conformance level A

Interactive Control Removed From the Keyboard Tab Order

2.1.1 — Keyboard

Scenario

Setting

A hotel booking site's room-selection page

What’s wrong

tabindex="-1" (code removing it from the Tab order) on interactive controls removing them from tab order with no alternative access.

Example

A QA pass on a hotel booking site's room-selection page turns this up: tabindex="-1" (code removing it from the Tab order) on interactive controls removing them from tab order with no alternative access.

Why it matters

Blind users, people with motor disabilities, and anyone operating the interface without a pointer. The practical effect on a hotel booking site's room-selection page: they can't complete the task using a keyboard alone.

How to test

Inspect the control in DevTools: if tabindex="-1" has been applied, removing it from the Tab order with no other way to reach it, it fails.

How to fix

Restore interactive controls to the tab order (tabindex="0" (code making it keyboard-focusable) or native focusability).

Outcome

That one change on a hotel booking site's room-selection page means they reach and operate the control without a mouse.

Who is affected

Blind users, people with motor disabilities, and anyone operating the interface without a pointer.

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