[nfbcs] Tabbing to Disabled Web Controls

[Nicole Torcolini]

The other day, at work, some of us who work on or are interested in web
accessibility were discussing whether or not it should be possible to tab to
a web control, such as a button or a checkbox, that is disabled. The two
scenarios that we discussed are:
1. There is a web form that has text fields that must be filled in with
certain types of information, and the submit button is disabled until the
requirements are met.
2. There is a form with radio buttons. Depending on which radio buttons are
checked, certain checkboxes are enabled or disabled.
I am curious to know what people think of this. Should it be possible to tab
to the disabled submit button in the first scenario? The disabled checkboxes
in the second scenario? Should there be a standard for different control
types--such as button vs. checkbox, or is this something that really should
be decided on a case by case basis?
 
Nicole