WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.1.4, Character Key Shortcuts, is a Level A requirement: single-character shortcuts can be turned off or remapped.
Read the criterion in the W3C Recommendation, WCAG 2.2 (opens in a new tab).
How BearScan checks it
Single-character shortcuts can be turned off or remapped
Checked automatically: clicks through the page. Severity: medium. Speech-input users dictate words as keystrokes. A page that acts on bare letter keys fires commands every time they speak.
An approximation: With nothing focused, a browser presses each letter, capital, digit and common symbol key (76 in all) one at a time, and the page counts as having reacted if its address, title, text, open dialogs or focus changed, or a handler cancelled the key. A key pressed while the page was changing by itself is skipped and counted. A reaction fails the page: the protections the criterion allows (a setting to turn it off or remap it, or a shortcut that works only while its own component has focus) are not visible from the page, so a site that keeps such a setting on another page should record it. Shortcuts that need two keys in sequence, and keys pressed while a widget has focus, are not tried.
How to fix it. Require a modifier key (Ctrl, Alt, Cmd) for keyboard shortcuts, or offer a setting to turn them off or remap them, or limit them to when the relevant component has focus.
All WCAG 2.2 criteria · Next: 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable
Questions
Is WCAG 2.1.4 required by the ADA?
The ADA doesn't name a technical standard for businesses, but the Justice Department's 2022 guidance points businesses to WCAG, and its 2024 rule for state and local governments adopted WCAG 2.1 Level AA, which includes 2.1.4.
Can an automated tool check WCAG 2.1.4?
Mostly. BearScan checks it automatically (clicks through the page). A clean result still isn't proof every page passes, only the pages scanned.
How do I fix a WCAG 2.1.4 failure?
Require a modifier key (Ctrl, Alt, Cmd) for keyboard shortcuts, or offer a setting to turn them off or remap them, or limit them to when the relevant component has focus.