Screen Reader Guide

SCREEN READER FOUNDATIONS

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PRACTICE 5 OF 5 · Foundations

Skip link and bypass blocks

Use keyboard navigation to bypass repeated content and land on the main task area.

  • Level: Beginner
  • Time: 5-10 minutes
Objective

Check whether repeated navigation can be bypassed with a working keyboard-accessible link.

PREPARE

Set up your test

  1. Turn on a screen reader you know how to operate.
  2. Navigate by controls or use Tab where the task asks you to.
  3. Listen for purpose and state, not one exact sequence of spoken words.

WORKING EXAMPLE

Establish the expected behavior

Tab to the skip link and activate it. Confirm focus lands on the main task area.

Skip to main content

Main task

Review the current report.

Expected behavior: activating the link bypasses repeated navigation and moves focus to the main content target.

INTENTIONAL DEFECT

Find the barrier

The example below deliberately contains one accessibility defect. Skip the defective example.

Tab to the skip link and activate it. Determine where keyboard focus actually goes.

Skip to main content

Main task

Review the current report.

Hint

If the target is not normally focusable, some browsers may scroll without moving keyboard focus.

End of intentional defect.

DIAGNOSE

Choose the primary cause

What is the primary issue with the defective skip link?

EXPLANATION

Understand and repair it

Reveal explanation

What happened

The defective skip link points to the right visual area, but the target is not focusable. Keyboard focus may remain near the skipped navigation even though the viewport scrolls.

Repair

Point the skip link to the main content area and make the destination programmatically focusable when needed.

<a href="#main-content">Skip to main content</a>
<main id="main-content" tabindex="-1">...</main>

Retest

  • Reload the page and press Tab until the skip link appears.
  • Activate it and confirm focus lands at the main content target.
  • Press Tab again and confirm focus continues inside or after the main content.

Report it

Example: The skip link scrolls to the main section but does not move keyboard focus there, so keyboard users still have to tab through repeated navigation.

Standards and support

This exercise describes behavior rather than promising identical speech across screen reader and browser combinations.

Editorially reviewed 20 July 2026.