Who this affects
A scrollable area cannot be reached or scrolled with the keyboard, so its content is unreachable without a mouse.
How to fix it
Add tabindex="0" to the scrollable container so it can take keyboard focus.
Effort Low · ~15 min
Where this sits in the standard
| WCAG success criterion | Level | EN 301 549 clause |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1.1 Keyboard | A | 301-549, 9.2.1.1, 9.2.1.3 |
| 2.1.3 Keyboard (No Exception) | AAA | — |
EN 301 549 clause 9 applies these criteria to web content. The published version referenced by the European Accessibility Act is V3.2.1, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 level A and AA. More on the standard.
How to check it by hand
Put the mouse down. Tab from the top of the page to the bottom. Every interactive element must be reachable, must show a visible focus indicator, and you must be able to tab back out of anything you tab into.
Automated testing settles roughly a third of the WCAG success criteria. This rule is one an automated tool detects reliably — but a clean automated result is not proof of conformance.
Reference
Deque's technical write-up for this rule: scrollable-region-focusable
See whether your site trips this rule
Paste a URL. We open it in a real browser, dismiss the cookie wall and run the full EN 301 549 rule set. No account, no card.