Accessibility
Scripture for everyone, without barriers
Our Commitment
God's Word belongs to all, and we believe every person should be able to read, study, and meditate on Scripture regardless of physical ability. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Access to Scripture has always been central to Christian faith. KJV Study is designed from the ground up with accessibility in mind.
We strive to follow accessibility best practices including semantic HTML, sufficient color contrast, full keyboard operability, and compatibility with assistive technologies. While we haven't conducted a formal WCAG audit, accessibility is a priority in our development.
Keyboard Navigation
Full keyboard navigation is available throughout the site. You never need a mouse to read or study Scripture.
Global Shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| / | Focus search box |
| n | Navigate sidebar (then use j/k to move, Enter to select) |
| g | Quick verse lookup (prompts for reference) |
| Escape | Clear selection / close dialogs / stop speech |
| ? | Show keyboard shortcuts help |
| ⌘+S | Toggle star (bookmark current page) |
Quick Navigation Keys
| Key | Destination |
|---|---|
| 0 | Homepage |
| 1 | Genesis |
| 2 | Matthew |
| 3 | John |
| 4 | Romans |
| 7 | Psalms |
| 8 | Proverbs |
| 9 | Revelation |
| b | All Books |
| r | Resources |
| t | Topics |
| s | Stars (your bookmarks) |
| c | Strong's Concordance |
| f | Family Tree |
| v | Verse of the Day |
| . | Random Verse |
Navigation
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| j or ↓ | Move to next item |
| k or ↑ | Move to previous item |
| h or ← | Move left (in grids) / Go back |
| l or → | Move right (in grids) / Go forward |
| Enter | Select / follow link |
Verse Pages
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| [ | Previous verse |
| ] | Next verse |
| ← | Go back |
| → | Next verse (alternative) |
| Space | Read selected text aloud (press again to stop) |
| p | Download PDF |
Chapter Pages
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| [ | Previous chapter |
| ] | Next chapter |
| → | Next chapter (alternative) |
| ← | Go back |
| i | Interlinear view |
| p | Download PDF |
| = | Read entire chapter aloud |
Book Pages
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| [ | Previous book |
| ] | Next book |
| → | Next book (alternative) |
| ← | Go back |
| Enter | Navigate to selected chapter |
| p | Download book PDF |
Strong's Concordance Pages
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| ← or h | Go back |
| → or l or ] | Next Strong's number |
| [ | Previous Strong's number |
| j or ↓ | Select next card (info, related, occurrence) |
| k or ↑ | Select previous card |
| Enter | Follow link on selected card |
Verse of the Day
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| [ | Previous day |
| ] | Next day |
| j or ↓ | Next section |
| k or ↑ | Previous section |
| t | Jump to today |
| Esc | Stop audio playback |
Bible Stories
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| [ | Previous story |
| ] | Next story |
| j or ↓ | Next paragraph |
| k or ↑ | Previous paragraph |
| ← | Go back |
| → | Next story (alternative) |
| Space | Read selected paragraph aloud |
| p | Download PDF |
Navigation keys are inspired by Vim conventions (hjkl) for users familiar with that paradigm, while also supporting standard arrow keys for everyone else.
A Note on Keyboard Navigation
Building comprehensive keyboard navigation across a site of this complexity is challenging. While we strive for consistency, behavior may vary slightly between different types of pages—book pages, chapter pages, verse pages, grid layouts, and resource pages each have unique navigational needs. We're continuously working to improve the experience. If you encounter any issues or have suggestions, please let us know.
Text-to-Speech
Listen to Scripture read aloud using your browser's built-in speech synthesis. This feature uses the Web Speech API, which is supported in all modern browsers.
How to Use
- Select any paragraph with j/k and press Space to hear it read aloud
- Press Space again to stop playback
- Press Escape to stop and clear selection
- On chapter pages, press = to read the entire chapter with auto-advance
- The verse text, commentary, and other content can all be read aloud
Voice Selection
Text-to-speech prefers the "Daniel" voice (British English) when available, as it provides a dignified reading suitable for Scripture. If Daniel is not available, it falls back to any British English voice, then any English voice available on your system.
The available voices depend on your browser and operating system. Most modern systems include Daniel or similar high-quality voices by default.
Visual Accessibility
Dark Mode
KJV Study supports both light and dark color schemes. The site respects your system preference automatically, or you can toggle manually using the theme switcher in the navigation bar.
Color Contrast
All text meets WCAG AA contrast requirements (minimum 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text). We use carefully chosen color palettes for both light and dark modes.
Typography
- Readable serif fonts based on Edward Tufte's design principles
- Generous line height (1.6-1.8) for comfortable reading
- Responsive text sizing that works at any zoom level
- Maximum line width for optimal readability
Zoom Support
The site is fully functional at any zoom level up to 400%. All layouts adapt gracefully, and no content is lost or obscured when zooming.
Reduced Motion
If you have "reduce motion" enabled in your system preferences, animations and transitions are minimized or disabled.
Screen Reader Support
KJV Study is built with semantic HTML and ARIA attributes to ensure compatibility with screen readers.
Semantic Structure
- Proper heading hierarchy (
<h1>through<h6>) - Landmark regions (
<nav>,<main>,<article>, etc.) - Labeled form controls
- Descriptive link text (no "click here")
ARIA Labels
- Navigation menus are labeled with
aria-label - Interactive elements have appropriate roles
- Dynamic content updates are announced
- Tables have proper headers and captions
Skip Links
A "Skip to content" link appears when you tab into any page, allowing you to bypass navigation and jump directly to the main content.
Tested With
- VoiceOver (macOS/iOS) in Safari
Feedback
We are continually working to improve accessibility. If you encounter any barriers while using KJV Study, or have suggestions for improvement, please let us know:
- GitHub Issues: Report an accessibility issue
When reporting issues, please include:
- The page URL where you encountered the problem
- Your browser and operating system
- Any assistive technology you're using
- A description of what you expected vs. what happened
"The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple."
— Psalm 119:130