Keyboard Shortcuts & Screen Reader Guide
This page lists all keyboard shortcuts available on PARIS for navigation, data grids, and screen reader usage.
General Navigation
Keys for moving around any page| Key | Action |
|---|
| Tab | Move forward to the next interactive element (link, button, form field) |
| Shift + Tab | Move backward to the previous interactive element |
| Enter | Activate a link or button |
| Space | Toggle a checkbox, activate a button, or open a dropdown |
| Escape | Close a popup, dropdown, or the mobile hamburger menu |
Skip Link
How to bypass navigation and jump to content| Key | Action |
|---|
| Tab (first press on page) | "Skip to main content" link appears |
| Enter on skip link | Jump past navigation directly to the main content area |
Keyboard controls for the top navigation bar| Key | Action |
|---|
| Tab | Move between top-level menu items and their submenu toggle buttons |
| Shift + Tab | Move backward through menu items and toggle buttons |
| Enter on menu link | Navigate to that section's page |
| Enter or Space on ▾ button | Open or close the submenu |
| Tab (when submenu is open) | Move through submenu links |
| Enter on submenu link | Navigate to that page |
| Escape | Close the open submenu and return focus to its toggle button |
How it works: Each menu section (Permits, Compliance, Inspections, Help) has a link that navigates to the section page, plus a small ▾ toggle button that opens its submenu. Submenus also appear on mouse hover.
Data Grids (Search Results)
Arrow key navigation within search result tables| Key | Action |
|---|
| Tab | Move to the next interactive element (links in cells, sort headers) |
| Shift + Tab | Move to the previous interactive element |
| ↓ (Down Arrow) | Move to the same column in the next row |
| ↑ (Up Arrow) | Move to the same column in the previous row |
| → (Right Arrow) | Move to the next column; wraps to first column of next row at end |
| ← (Left Arrow) | Move to the previous column; wraps to last column of previous row at start |
| Enter on column header | Sort the grid by that column (toggles ascending / descending) |
| Tab to pager | Move focus to the pagination controls (Previous, page numbers, Next) below the grid |
| Enter on page number / Prev / Next | Navigate to that page of results |
| Tab to header link | Focus moves to a sortable column header |
| Enter | Sort results by that column |
| Enter again | Toggle sort direction (ascending / descending) |
Date Picker
How to enter dates with the keyboard| Key | Action |
|---|
| Type directly in text field | Enter date as MM/DD/YYYY (recommended for accessibility) |
| Tab to calendar icon, then Enter | Opens the calendar popup |
| Tab inside calendar | Moves through: ◀◀ previous 3 months → ◀ previous month → Month/Year title → ▶ next month → ▶▶ next 3 months → active day cell |
| Shift + Tab inside calendar | Moves backward through the same order |
| Enter on Month/Year title | Jumps to the fast month/year navigation view |
| → / ← on a day cell | Move to the next / previous day |
| ↓ / ↑ on a day cell | Move down / up one week |
| Enter on a day cell | Select that date and close the calendar |
| Escape | Close the calendar popup without selecting a date |
Dropdown
How to interact with dropdown lists using the keyboard| Key | Action |
|---|
| Alt + ↓ | Open the dropdown list |
| ↓ / ↑ | Move through dropdown options |
| Enter | Select the highlighted option |
| Escape | Close the dropdown without selecting |
How to navigate popup windows with the keyboard| Key | Action |
|---|
| Escape | Close the popup window |
| Tab | Move through popup content and controls |
| Enter on "Close Window" button | Close the popup |
Mobile / Responsive (screen width 1024 pixels or less)
Keyboard controls when the hamburger menu is visible| Key | Action |
|---|
| Tab to hamburger button, then Enter | Open the mobile navigation menu |
| Escape | Close the mobile menu and return focus to hamburger button |
| Navigation inside menu | Same as desktop: Tab moves between top-level items, Enter follows links |
Screen Reader Tips (Narrator / NVDA / JAWS)
These shortcuts work in screen reader browse mode. They help you navigate any web page.
Common screen reader commands for navigating web content| Action | How |
|---|
| Start or stop Narrator | Win + Ctrl + Enter |
| Toggle Narrator Scan Mode (read all page content) | Caps Lock + Space — required to use ↓/↑ line reading below |
| Read next line (Scan Mode) | ↓ (Narrator scan mode) or ↓ (NVDA / JAWS browse mode) |
| Read previous line (Scan Mode) | ↑ (Narrator scan mode) or ↑ (NVDA / JAWS browse mode) |
| Read next item (non-scan mode) | Caps Lock + → (Narrator) or ↓ (NVDA / JAWS) |
| Read previous item (non-scan mode) | Caps Lock + ← (Narrator) or ↑ (NVDA / JAWS) |
| Navigate table cells | Caps Lock + Alt + Arrow keys (Narrator) or Ctrl + Alt + Arrow keys (NVDA / JAWS) |
| Jump to next heading | H in scan / browse mode (Narrator, NVDA, JAWS) |
| Jump to next table | T in scan / browse mode (Narrator, NVDA, JAWS) |
| Jump to next form field | F in browse mode (NVDA / JAWS) |
| Jump to next link | K (NVDA) or Tab |
| List all links on page | Caps Lock + F7 (Narrator) or Insert + F7 (NVDA / JAWS) |
| Continuous reading | Caps Lock + ↓ (Narrator) or Insert + ↓ (NVDA) |
| Stop reading | Ctrl |
| Reduce verbosity (stop announcing font/colour) | Caps Lock + V — cycles through verbosity levels (Narrator only) |
Known Limitations
- Date Picker calendar popup: Does not fully trap focus — pressing Tab past the last calendar element will move focus back into the page behind it (Telerik vendor limitation). Tab and arrow key navigation within the calendar work correctly. Recommended workaround if needed: type dates directly in the text field.