diff --git a/include/wx/aui/floatpane.h b/include/wx/aui/floatpane.h
index ea4ee3d9a1..889d2deb73 100644
--- a/include/wx/aui/floatpane.h
+++ b/include/wx/aui/floatpane.h
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ public:
     wxAuiManager* GetOwnerManager() const;
 
     // Allow processing accelerators to the parent frame
-    virtual bool IsTopNavigationDomain() const wxOVERRIDE { return false; }
+    virtual bool IsTopNavigationDomain(NavigationKind kind) const wxOVERRIDE;
 
 protected:
     virtual void OnMoveStart();
diff --git a/include/wx/mdi.h b/include/wx/mdi.h
index 3ef3864730..4be67abda9 100644
--- a/include/wx/mdi.h
+++ b/include/wx/mdi.h
@@ -182,7 +182,21 @@ public:
     // In all ports keyboard navigation must stop at MDI child frame level and
     // can't cross its boundary. Indicate this by overriding this function to
     // return true.
-    virtual bool IsTopNavigationDomain() const wxOVERRIDE { return true; }
+    virtual bool IsTopNavigationDomain(NavigationKind kind) const wxOVERRIDE
+    {
+        switch ( kind )
+        {
+            case Navigation_Tab:
+                return true;
+
+            case Navigation_Accel:
+                // Parent frame accelerators should work inside MDI child, so
+                // don't block their processing by returning true for them.
+                break;
+        }
+
+        return false;
+    }
 
     // Raising any frame is supposed to show it but wxFrame Raise()
     // implementation doesn't work for MDI child frames in most forms so
diff --git a/include/wx/toplevel.h b/include/wx/toplevel.h
index 1f9cb01b0b..47c5798ebc 100644
--- a/include/wx/toplevel.h
+++ b/include/wx/toplevel.h
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ public:
     // override some base class virtuals
     virtual bool Destroy() wxOVERRIDE;
     virtual bool IsTopLevel() const wxOVERRIDE { return true; }
-    virtual bool IsTopNavigationDomain() const wxOVERRIDE { return true; }
+    virtual bool IsTopNavigationDomain(NavigationKind kind) const wxOVERRIDE;
     virtual bool IsVisible() const { return IsShown(); }
 
     // event handlers
diff --git a/include/wx/window.h b/include/wx/window.h
index 2bd4a8a779..80938e9fb1 100644
--- a/include/wx/window.h
+++ b/include/wx/window.h
@@ -1537,13 +1537,23 @@ public:
     virtual wxWindow *GetMainWindowOfCompositeControl()
         { return (wxWindow*)this; }
 
-    // If this function returns true, keyboard navigation events shouldn't
+    enum NavigationKind
+    {
+        Navigation_Tab,
+        Navigation_Accel
+    };
+
+    // If this function returns true, keyboard events of the given kind can't
     // escape from it. A typical example of such "navigation domain" is a top
     // level window because pressing TAB in one of them must not transfer focus
     // to a different top level window. But it's not limited to them, e.g. MDI
     // children frames are not top level windows (and their IsTopLevel()
-    // returns false) but still are self-contained navigation domains as well.
-    virtual bool IsTopNavigationDomain() const { return false; }
+    // returns false) but still are self-contained navigation domains for the
+    // purposes of TAB navigation -- but not for the accelerators.
+    virtual bool IsTopNavigationDomain(NavigationKind WXUNUSED(kind)) const
+    {
+        return false;
+    }
 
 
 protected:
diff --git a/src/aui/floatpane.cpp b/src/aui/floatpane.cpp
index fbbbc05560..adebf5f7c7 100644
--- a/src/aui/floatpane.cpp
+++ b/src/aui/floatpane.cpp
@@ -165,6 +165,22 @@ wxAuiManager* wxAuiFloatingFrame::GetOwnerManager() const
     return m_ownerMgr;
 }
 
+bool wxAuiFloatingFrame::IsTopNavigationDomain(NavigationKind kind) const
+{
+    switch ( kind )
+    {
+        case Navigation_Tab:
+            break;
+
+        case Navigation_Accel:
+            // Floating frames are often used as tool palettes and it's
+            // convenient for the accelerators defined in the parent frame to
+            // work in them, so don't block their propagation.
+            return false;
+    }
+
+    return wxAuiFloatingFrameBaseClass::IsTopNavigationDomain(kind);
+}
 
 void wxAuiFloatingFrame::OnSize(wxSizeEvent& WXUNUSED(event))
 {
diff --git a/src/common/containr.cpp b/src/common/containr.cpp
index 50bbd6aefa..c663417043 100644
--- a/src/common/containr.cpp
+++ b/src/common/containr.cpp
@@ -505,7 +505,7 @@ void wxControlContainer::HandleOnNavigationKey( wxNavigationKeyEvent& event )
                     // even an MDI child frame, so test for this explicitly
                     // (and in particular don't just use IsTopLevel() which
                     // would return false in the latter case).
-                    if ( focusedParent->IsTopNavigationDomain() )
+                    if ( focusedParent->IsTopNavigationDomain(wxWindow::Navigation_Tab) )
                         break;
 
                     event.SetCurrentFocus( focusedParent );
diff --git a/src/common/toplvcmn.cpp b/src/common/toplvcmn.cpp
index dd90760697..58581f6d8a 100644
--- a/src/common/toplvcmn.cpp
+++ b/src/common/toplvcmn.cpp
@@ -370,6 +370,22 @@ void wxTopLevelWindowBase::SetIcon(const wxIcon& icon)
 // event handlers
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+bool wxTopLevelWindowBase::IsTopNavigationDomain(NavigationKind kind) const
+{
+    // This switch only exists to generate a compiler warning and force us to
+    // revisit this code if any new kinds of navigation are added in the
+    // future, but for now we block of them by default (some derived classes
+    // relax this however).
+    switch ( kind )
+    {
+        case Navigation_Tab:
+        case Navigation_Accel:
+            break;
+    }
+
+    return true;
+}
+
 // default resizing behaviour - if only ONE subwindow, resize to fill the
 // whole client area
 void wxTopLevelWindowBase::DoLayout()
diff --git a/src/gtk/window.cpp b/src/gtk/window.cpp
index f5c91d545d..f86dbe21d3 100644
--- a/src/gtk/window.cpp
+++ b/src/gtk/window.cpp
@@ -1109,7 +1109,7 @@ gtk_window_key_press_callback( GtkWidget *WXUNUSED(widget),
 
                 break;
             }
-            if (ancestor->IsTopNavigationDomain())
+            if (ancestor->IsTopNavigationDomain(wxWindow::Navigation_Accel))
                 break;
             ancestor = ancestor->GetParent();
         }
diff --git a/src/msw/evtloop.cpp b/src/msw/evtloop.cpp
index cb2bae0d5f..eb053cd33d 100644
--- a/src/msw/evtloop.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/evtloop.cpp
@@ -134,10 +134,8 @@ bool wxGUIEventLoop::PreProcessMessage(WXMSG *msg)
         if ( wnd->MSWTranslateMessage((WXMSG *)msg))
             return true;
 
-        // stop at first top level window, i.e. don't try to process the key
-        // strokes originating in a dialog using the accelerators of the parent
-        // frame - this doesn't make much sense
-        if ( wnd->IsTopNavigationDomain() )
+        // stop at top navigation domain, i.e. typically a top level window
+        if ( wnd->IsTopNavigationDomain(wxWindow::Navigation_Accel) )
             break;
     }
 
@@ -151,7 +149,7 @@ bool wxGUIEventLoop::PreProcessMessage(WXMSG *msg)
         // if we don't do this, pressing ESC on a modal dialog shown as child
         // of a modal dialog with wxID_CANCEL will cause the parent dialog to
         // be closed, for example
-        if ( wnd->IsTopNavigationDomain() )
+        if ( wnd->IsTopNavigationDomain(wxWindow::Navigation_Accel) )
             break;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/osx/window_osx.cpp b/src/osx/window_osx.cpp
index d067b0c27f..f12c025753 100644
--- a/src/osx/window_osx.cpp
+++ b/src/osx/window_osx.cpp
@@ -2662,7 +2662,7 @@ bool wxWindowMac::OSXHandleKeyEvent( wxKeyEvent& event )
                 break;
             }
 
-            if (ancestor->IsTopNavigationDomain())
+            if (ancestor->IsTopNavigationDomain(wxWindow::Navigation_Accel))
                 break;
 
             ancestor = ancestor->GetParent();