If you’re looking to make your website accessible and AODA compliant in 2024 you’ve reached the right place!
In this guide we will teach you:
This is a one-stop shop for anyone looking to understand and solve the issue of web accessibility.
Let’s get started.
Businesses that don’t prioritize accessibility may soon face significant penalties. Businesses with 20 or more employees, as well as all public sector organizations, need to file an AODA accessibility compliance report by Dec 31, 2023.
What may happen if businesses fail to comply?
The maximum penalties under the AODA include:
Yikes!
Enacted in 2005, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was created to improve accessibility standards for Ontarians and ensure that those with physical or cognitive disabilities would be able to fully access all public establishments by January 1, 2025.
The AODA was developed to build on the efforts made by the Ontarians with the 2001 Disabilities Act and includes accessibility standards for key areas of everyday life:
Together, the five categories of standards detailed in the AODA Act make up the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulations (IASR), which were progressively implemented over several years.
The most relevant category to website owners is “information and communication”
The AODA stems from the Ontario Human Rights Code, which was passed in the early 90s. The code made it unlawful to discriminate based on disability.
It was in 1994 that the development of the AODA officially began, starting with the introduction of the ODA, or Ontarians with Disabilities Act. The ODA aimed to remove and prevent any barriers that made it difficult for people living with disabilities to fully participate as members of society – the ODA became official law in 2001.
Following government elections in 2003, more focus was placed on strengthening the ODA, so the Accessibility Standards Advisory Council was established. This resulted in the AODA being passed as a law in 2005.
In 2011, the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR) unified the five standards of the AODA, namely Employment, Design of Public Spaces, Information & Communication, Transportation, and Customer Service.
There’s no denying that there are serious online barriers affecting the daily lives of Ontario’s disabled citizens, which is why the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was introduced in 2005.
In 2019, an announcement was made that all businesses and non-profit organizations with 20+ employees must submit accessibility compliance reports, making them accountable for their part in creating a more inclusive online environment and society as a whole.
The certificate that these businesses and organizations receive also needs to be renewed every three years and every two years for critical public sector organizations to ensure ongoing compliance.
There’s no denying that there are serious online barriers affecting the daily lives of Ontario’s disabled citizens, which is why the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was introduced in 2005.
It is actually very simple to know if the AODA applies to your business.
Answer this question: Is your business registered in Ontario? If yes, then the AODA is applicable to your organization.
Unlike the ACA, which applies to federally governed businesses and organizations, the AODA applies to both governmental and private websites, whether individuals or corporations run them.
Now that we’ve covered AODA basics, we can jump into the technical aspects. Exactly how do you make your website accessible? It all starts with WCAG (the accessibility standard).
WCAG, or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, are the guidelines referenced in the AODA – WCAG 2.0 specifically. This is the standard to follow to become AODA compliant.
This 80-page document offers specific instructions on how to make a website accessible. However, since this is a sizable document, we decided to condense this information.