Drop-Down Menus and Accessibility
Users must be able to navigate to and select each link using the keyboard alone. In most browsers, the Tab key allows users to jump from link to link, and the Enter key allows users to select a link. If the only way to access a link is with a mouse, the link is unusable by people who cannot use a mouse. How is it even possible to create a link that is inaccessible by keyboard? By using drop-down menus!
Mouse users will at least be able to click on the links in the drop-down menu, but keyboard users cannot access the drop-down menu, so the link is completely useless and all of the link destinations in the drop-down menu are completely inaccessible to them. One solution is to abandon the drop-down menu and instead use standard hypertext links.
If you must have a drop-down menu, simply create standard hypertext links on the top-level page of the drop-down menu (the one that shows in the navigation menu without mousing over it). You want to ensure the user can access all pages of your site.
Mouse users will at least be able to click on the links in the drop-down menu, but keyboard users cannot access the drop-down menu, so the link is completely useless and all of the link destinations in the drop-down menu are completely inaccessible to them. One solution is to abandon the drop-down menu and instead use standard hypertext links.
If you must have a drop-down menu, simply create standard hypertext links on the top-level page of the drop-down menu (the one that shows in the navigation menu without mousing over it). You want to ensure the user can access all pages of your site.