Floating your mouse or other pointer over the buttons above and below the "liberal" and "ARTS" graphics above, you should observe the "mouse over" event with the "raised" button replaced by a "pressed" button. But what if someone comes to this page without a mouse or similar pointing device?

How can anyone navigate the web without a mouse? With their keyboard, for one possibility! Did you know that you can "step" through all of the links on a web page with the Tab key?

Try it: press the Tab key:

• Your first stop will probably be the address bar, which should contain the address of this page.
• Your next stop should be the "Directory" button. Unfortunately, there is a problem: the only effect upon the "Directory" button is a dotted border around it.

What is the problem? Using the Tab key to step over the buttons does not cause the same changes as using the mouse. That is, a visitor using the keyboard will not have the same benefit or effect as a visitor browsing the page with a mouse. "Web accessibility" requires that the visitor's benefit or the effect be the same, whether the visitor is using a mouse or the keyboard.

This deficiency is easily corrected, although another problem will become apparent. Let's look at a page where the focus effect is the same for mouse and keyboard