# What Public Accessibility Signals Can Tell Us Traditional Chinese version: [https://accesserty.com/ai/guides/public-accessibility-signals.md](https://accesserty.com/ai/guides/public-accessibility-signals.md) Page version: [https://accesserty.com/en/guides/public-accessibility-signals/](https://accesserty.com/en/guides/public-accessibility-signals/) Last updated: 2026-09-30 What should you check behind a statement, certification, or maintenance status? Distinguish Signal’s public references from private reports, then read the source for scope, dates, and ways to get help. ## Summary - Public signals show which information can be checked, not whether a website will definitely be usable. - Statements, certification/recognition/award records, and ALLY maintenance status mean different things. Read the original context. - Signal offers a reporting option but does not publish private reports or Pulse scan summaries. ## Start with the question you need answered Before using a service, you may want to know its limitations, whether an assessment exists, or whom to contact for help. These are different questions; one icon cannot answer them all. Identify the kind of reference, open its source, and check that it covers the site and task you need. Keep missing information unknown rather than inferring unpublished practices. ## Three kinds of reference, three ways to read them These descriptions explain purpose, not a reliability ranking. Sources may apply different conditions even when they use the same label. - Accessibility statement: read its service scope, known limitations, evaluation information, and contact options. A standards target does not establish conformance. - Certification, recognition, or award: read the issuer, system definition, standard, scope, and dates. Do not convert award tiers into WCAG levels. - Accesserty ALLY: the account’s maintenance status has been reviewed. It appears only for domains currently verified and managed by that account, and is not a conformance certification. ## Are user reports and scan summaries public too? No. Signal provides a way to submit a report, but it does not show private reports or Pulse scan summaries to people browsing the web. A currently verified maintainer can review reports associated with their current period of domain management in Console. Private interaction events and scan summaries are also restricted to authorized access. When reading a signal beside a search result, check its original source for scope and date. If you encounter a barrier, you can submit a report; an existing signal does not mean the site has no problems. ## Why do clues take different forms? Organizations and systems leave different kinds of clues: some are statements or feedback paths, while others are certifications, recognitions, awards, or maintenance commitments. Different forms do not make one inherently more reliable; consider the source, scope, date, and whether the original page can be checked. Ask who publishes the information, who evaluates the service, who receives reports, and which service scope applies. Those roles may differ. Publication on an official website does not establish that every task has been tested. ## What do reports, improvement plans, and feedback paths tell you? You may also find evaluation or monitoring reports, improvement plans, progress updates, service or procurement requirements, and feedback or complaint procedures. Identify the document’s purpose before looking for the information you need. These are not all badge types that Signal collects or displays. For an evaluation report, read its tested scope, date, methods, and results. For an improvement plan, look for planned work, responsibilities, and follow-up evidence. A promise to fix is not a completed fix; progress updates should distinguish code changes from completed retesting. Service or procurement requirements set expectations, not evidence of delivery. If you need help, look for who receives reports, available alternatives, and the stated follow-up process. A reporting option does not establish that every issue receives a response or has been resolved. Check the original source for each document’s scope and conditions. ## How to read these in Signal Signal does not reorder search results. It surfaces supported public references beside them so you can inspect their sources, not receive a final verdict on a site. ALLY can appear alongside other public records. When a matching certification, recognition, or award record is available, a separate statement badge is not shown. A missing statement badge therefore does not establish that no statement exists. After opening a record, check its service scope and dates. If your task is blocked, use the website’s contact options or submit a Signal report. An existing signal does not invalidate the barrier you encountered. ## A note for site maintainers Make your accessibility statement easy to find, with specific information and clear contact options. Keep the original source and scope alongside any badge or certification. To receive reports in Console, add your domain, install Pulse as instructed, and complete website verification. You can then review reports received for that verified period of domain management. Public signals are not the endpoint. They move accessibility from audit reports or internal documents toward something users can understand, trace, and report against. ## Related pages - [How to read an accessibility statement]() - [Reading certifications and badges]() - [What to do when no signal appears]() - [Accesserty Signal]() - [Accesserty ALLY]() - [W3C WAI: Developing an Accessibility Statement]() — Guidance on standards, known limitations and contact information in a statement, not an assessment of a specific website, certification or ALLY. - [Website data handling]() — Understand what Pulse and Signal collect, what they do not collect, and how public signals differ from private data. - [Accessibility practice and maintenance guides]() — Browse guides by practical task: public signals, pre-release checks, post-launch maintenance, and standards limits.