Access Keys Criteria
The accessibility report provided by Access Keys consists of two sections. In the first the spider checks a series of criteria automatically. Sites meeting a high enough percentage of these criteria receive the Accessibility Awareness Access Key. Sites failing these criteria will receive a full explanation. They then have an opportunity to make necessary changes before resubmitting their site.
For sites applying for a manual check a consultant will check the designated pages of a site for a range of criteria not covered by the spider. Some of the checks will override the original points assessed by the spider (e.g. alt text). Some will be entirely new.
Each criterion has a maximum possible three points with sites/pages being awarded a point value between zero and three depending on how closely they comply.
Each criterion has a weighting between one to three to indicate how important it is for accessibility. For example, providing appropriate alt tags is far more important for accessibility than expanding abbreviations using the tag. Not all criteria will apply to each site.
Each page will receive a point value from zero to three for each criterion. This will be multiplied by the weighting. If a site/page fails a checkpoint altogether or does not receive the highest possible number of points then the report will indicate the reason(s).
After testing, a site will receive its score as a percentage based on the ratio of the number of points achieved to the number of points possible. We will not count any non-applicable checkpoints. This percentage forms the basis for any awards.
Sites not achieving an award or not achieving the highest award can take the time to make the necessary changes before resubmitting their site for another assessment.
Each criterion belongs to one of four categories based on different aspects of what consitutes a website and of web design.
Categories of Criteria
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