What is the AODA deadline?

All Ontario businesses and nonprofits with 20 or more employees, and all public sector organizations, must file their AODA Compliance Report by December 31^st, 2023.

1. What is the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)?

The Accessibility for Ontario’s with Disabilities (AODA) is an accessibility law applicable to both public and private sectors in Ontario, introduced in 2005. It covers five major areas: information and communications, customer service, transportation, employment, and the design of public spaces. The AODA complements existing human rights legislation and sets out clear processes for entities to ensure AODA compliance.

Who must comply with the AODA?

All public websites must be accessible if they belong to designated public sector organizations or to businesses or non-profit organizations with 50 or more employees. Compliance applies to new websites or significantly refreshed sites.

What does AODA web accessibility compliance require?

Compliance requires meeting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level A and AA criteria. This includes providing text alternatives for non-text elements, ensuring content meaning does not depend on color/sound perception, allowing control over audio play, and making websites keyboard operable. WCAG 2.2 is not required for compliance but is recommended.

Is AODA compliance training required?

Yes, organizations must provide AODA compliance training to all staff, directors, volunteers, and contractors. This training should cover accessibility fundamentals and include an understanding of the Ontario Human Rights Code.

What are the consequences of AODA noncompliance?

Noncompliance can lead to penalties ranging from $500-$100,000 a day. The penalty amount depends on severity of offense and length of time to remedy compliance issues after receiving a non-compliance notice at the discretion of the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario, part of the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

How to determine if a website meets AODA compliance requirements?

Assessing AODA compliance involves a combination of automated and manual testing. Automated scans like WAVE and AChecker are useful starting points, but manual assessment by digital accessibility experts is strongly recommended for a comprehensive evaluation.

What does WCAG mean?

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, which are international standards for web accessibility developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

When does WCAG 2.1 come into force?

WCAG 2.1 became an official W3C recommendation on June 5, 2018, building on the earlier WCAG 2.0 standards to improve accessibility for people with cognitive or learning disabilities, low vision, and mobile device users.

What is the difference between WCAG 2.0 and 2.1?

WCAG 2.1 expands on WCAG 2.0 by adding a new guideline and seventeen new success criteria. Websites passing WCAG 2.1, Level AA, will also pass WCAG 2.0, Level AA.

Can I conduct a website accessibility audit myself?

While software can be useful for initial testing, most WCAG requirements cannot be verified by software alone. Manual testing by experts knowledgeable in visible and non-evident disabilities is essential. Automated tools alone often misreport problems and cannot fully check for web accessibility guidelines.