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OSAS Conformance

What conformance means

A response conforms to OSAS at a level when it meets every criterion that the level requires. Conformance applies to a single response to a single request, or to a process that produces such responses.

The three levels

OSAS has 3 levels. The levels are cumulative, so each level includes every criterion below it.

  • Level 1 holds the criteria whose absence defeats the right of access.
  • Level 2 adds the criteria whose absence degrades the response, in its completeness, verifiability, or usability.
  • Level 3 adds the criteria that go beyond the lower levels to serve the person best.

The conformance requirements

For a response to conform to OSAS at a level, all of the following are true.

  1. The response meets every criterion at the claimed level and at each level below it.
  2. Conformance is claimed for the response as a whole, not for a part of it.
  3. A criterion whose condition does not arise for the response is met. Where the organisation makes no solely automated decisions, for example, the criteria about automated decision-making are met.
  4. A level is met in full or not claimed. A response that meets most Level 2 criteria but not all conforms at Level 1, not Level 2.

Making a conformance claim

A conformance claim is voluntary. When a claim is made, it states, at a minimum:

  • The standard and version: OSAS 1.0.
  • The level reached: 1, 2, or 3.
  • The scope: which response or process it covers.
  • The date of the assessment.
  • Who carried it out.

A claim may also list the criteria met, or link to the assessment that supports it. A claim is a statement by whoever makes it, and OSAS does not certify or register claims.

Scoring is not conformance

The Subject Access Response Assessment grades each criterion 2, 1, 0, or not applicable, and reports the figures. It measures how much of the standard a response meets, and where the response falls short. Conformance is the separate, binary question of whether a response fully meets a level.

  • A response can score well and still not conform, because missing one criterion at a level means the response does not conform at that level.
  • A conformance claim names a level, and an assessment reports numbers.

The assessment shows where a response stands and what to fix. Conformance states the level a response reaches. For the criteria themselves, see the full standard.