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Overview of OpenKeyNav™

OpenKeyNav is a JavaScript plugin designed to revolutionize the accessibility and usability of websites by enabling advanced keyboard-based navigation and interaction. This powerful tool enhances web content accessibility for all users, particularly benefiting those who rely on keyboard navigation due to disabilities or personal preference.

Key Features​

  • Typeable Labels: OpenKeyNav dynamically adds accessible, typeable labels to web controls, allowing users to directly interact with elements. This functionality, inspired by Voice Control in operating systems like macOS, is implemented within web browsers through JavaScript, enabling direct selection without the need for a mouse.

  • Customizable Activation Keys: The plugin features a highly configurable key mapping system that allows developers to tailor the navigation experience to specific site requirements. Default keys facilitate various actions such as clicking, scrolling, moving items,  and escaping, enhancing both accessibility and user experience.

  • On-Demand Keyboard Shortcuts: Unlike traditional accessibility tools that require users to memorize numerous shortcuts, OpenKeyNav generates shortcuts dynamically and presents them as needed, reducing cognitive load and streamlining navigation.

  • Broad Compatibility: OpenKeyNav is designed to work seamlessly across all major browsers and web platforms. Whether the website is built using plain HTML or complex frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue.js, OpenKeyNav integrates smoothly to provide consistent accessibility enhancements.

  • Focus on Compliance: Developed with strict adherence to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), OpenKeyNav not only enhances site accessibility but also aids in legal compliance, helping website owners meet global accessibility standards.

Goals​

The primary goal of OpenKeyNav is to foster greater inclusivity on the web. Unlike overlay products that don't address underlying accessibility barriers, OpenKeyNav provides a comprehensive tool that genuinely enhances site usability and compliance. It empowers website owners and developers to not only make their sites accessible to a broader audience but also to identify and remediate areas where accessibility is compromised.

  • Exposing and Remedying Accessibility Gaps: OpenKeyNav uniquely identifies and highlights elements that fail to meet accessibility standards, providing clear indications of where improvements are needed. This transparency allows developers to see previously invisible barriers and facilitates effective modifications to enhance accessibility.

OpenKeyNav represents a significant step forward in web accessibility, offering an easy-to-implement and robust solution to enhance user interaction and navigation through sophisticated keyboard-based controls, and help websites achieve WCAG success criterion 2.1 compliance. By providing tools that improve accessibility and also make it easy to identify and correct non-compliant elements, OpenKeyNav sets itself apart from superficial overlay solutions, offering a truly inclusive approach to web development.