Business3 min read
AODA and website accessibility: what Ontario businesses need to know
Ontario has had a law about accessible websites for over a decade. Here is who it applies to, what it asks for, and why it is worth meeting even where it does not apply.
Please read before relying on this
Silvanè Studios is a design studio, not an accounting or law firm. This article is general information, not tax, legal, or accounting advice, and it may be out of date by the time you read it. Do not take our word for it: confirm anything here with your own accountant or tax professional, who knows your situation, before acting on it. Decisions made on the basis of this article are your own.
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act sets out, through its Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation, what certain organisations in Ontario must do to make their websites usable by people with disabilities. Most small businesses are below the threshold at which the web rules apply, and many assume that settles the matter. It does not, for two reasons: the threshold is closer than it looks for a growing business, and an accessible site is a better site for everyone, including the search engines.
Who the web rules apply to
The Ontario government's guidance states that, as of January 1, 2021, all public websites and web content of designated public sector organisations, and of private or non-profit organisations with fifty or more employees, must conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.0 at Level AA. The organisation responsible is the one that controls the website, directly or through a contract, which means hiring a studio does not move the obligation.
Two success criteria are excluded from the requirement: live captions and pre-recorded audio descriptions. Internal sites such as intranets are exempt for most organisations. Where, after best efforts, content cannot be made accessible, the guidance allows it to be posted with an explanation and a summary.
What WCAG 2.0 Level AA means in practice
The guidelines are long, but for a typical business site the substance comes down to a handful of things done properly.
- Text alternatives for images that carry meaning, and none for images that are purely decorative.
- Enough contrast between text and background to be read by people with low vision, on every colour combination the design uses.
- A page that can be used entirely from the keyboard, with a visible indication of where focus is.
- Headings that describe the structure of the page, so that someone using a screen reader can move through it as easily as someone scanning it.
- Forms with real labels, clear error messages, and no time limits that cannot be extended.
- Content that does not exist only in motion or colour, and motion that can be paused or reduced.
- Text that can be resized and pages that reflow rather than break when it is.
None of this is exotic. It is what a site built with care looks like, and it is why we treat accessibility as craft rather than compliance. Every one of these items also makes the site easier for search engines and answer engines to read, which is a large part of how sites get found in the AI search era.
Reporting and enforcement
Obligated organisations with twenty or more employees must file an accessibility compliance report with the province on a recurring cycle; for private and non-profit organisations the current cycle's deadline is December 31, 2026. The Act provides for substantial fines for non-compliance. We are not going to quote figures, because the amounts, the process, and whether they apply to you are exactly the kind of thing to confirm with a professional rather than read on a design studio's website.
Under fifty employees: why do it anyway
- Customers. A meaningful share of the people you want to reach have a disability that affects how they use the web, and an inaccessible site turns them away silently.
- Growth. A business at thirty employees that builds an inaccessible site today will be rebuilding it when it reaches fifty. Building it right once is cheaper.
- Search. Semantic structure, alt text, headings, and readable content are the same things search engines reward.
- Quality. Accessibility failures are usually symptoms of a site built without care; fixing them fixes the site.
- The federal layer. Federally regulated organisations have separate obligations under the Accessible Canada Act, and the direction of travel everywhere is toward more requirement, not less.
What to ask a studio
- Which WCAG version and level do you build to, and how do you test it?
- Can you show me a site you built that passes, and can I check it myself?
- Is accessibility in the base price or an add-on?
- Who is responsible for keeping the site accessible as content is added after launch?
Sources
- Government of Ontario — How to make websites accessible
- Government of Ontario — Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005
- W3C — Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0
Please read before relying on this
Silvanè Studios is a design studio, not an accounting or law firm. This article is general information, not tax, legal, or accounting advice, and it may be out of date by the time you read it. Do not take our word for it: confirm anything here with your own accountant or tax professional, who knows your situation, before acting on it. Decisions made on the basis of this article are your own.
Questions people ask
- Does AODA apply to my small business website?
- The web content rules apply to designated public sector organisations and to private or non-profit organisations with fifty or more employees in Ontario. Smaller businesses have other AODA obligations but not the WCAG requirement. Confirm your own position with a qualified professional rather than relying on this summary.
- What standard does AODA require for websites?
- WCAG 2.0 Level AA, excluding live captions and pre-recorded audio descriptions, for public websites and web content of obligated organisations, as of January 1, 2021. Check the current Ontario guidance and confirm with a professional, as standards are updated.
- Is an accessible website more expensive?
- Not when it is built accessible from the start; it is simply built properly. Retrofitting accessibility onto a site built without it is where the cost is. Ask any studio whether accessibility is in the base price, and confirm the legal requirements that apply to you separately.
Put it to work