I have a script whereby if a user is focused on an element and presses the down arrow key, it expands/collapses a section. Works in all browsers I’ve tested without a screen reader, and it works on Safari with VoiceOver on. But as soon as you turn JAWS or NVDA on it stops working. Here’s the script:

$(".axxs-accordion .a-trigger").keydown(function (event) {
    if (event.keyCode === 40) {
    event.preventDefault();
    $(this).next(".a-section.collapsed").removeClass("collapsed").addClass("expanded");
    }
  }); 

And the HTML:

<div class="axxs-accordion">
  <h2 class="a-trigger" tabindex="0">Heading</h2>
  <div class="a-section collapsed">
    Content here
  </div>
</div>

So it seems that JAWS and NVDA hijack the arrow keys, and there is no way to free them from their prison. Any ideas?