guide
ACA on BigCommerce: complete compliance checklist
Implementing ACA compliance on BigCommerce means addressing the platform's specific failure modes (cornerstone theme variants, third-party app injections) while applying Accessible Canada Act success criteria across content, code, and editorial workflow.
ACA in 60 seconds
The Accessible Canada Act (ACA, 2019) requires federally regulated entities — federal government, banks, telecom, broadcasting, transportation — to identify, remove and prevent accessibility barriers, with the explicit goal of "a Canada without barriers by 2040" and detailed regulations layered on top including the ICT regulations referencing EN 301 549.
BigCommerce accessibility — what you are starting with
BigCommerce mid-market focus pushes it toward enterprise-grade accessibility tooling but theme variance still drives most failures.
ACA setup checklist for BigCommerce
1. Use Cornerstone: Most-accessible default.
2. Audit installed apps: Each app injects markup.
Common ACA failures on BigCommerce
• Cornerstone theme variants
• Third-party app injections
• Inaccessible quickview overlays
Putting it together
Combine ACA's Level AA requirements with BigCommerce's native tooling. Bake accessibility into your component library and editorial workflow; instrument axe-core in CI for regression.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Cited answers. Sourced. Updated as standards and case law change.
Is BigCommerce ACA-compliant out of the box?
The platform supports accessibility; merchant configuration determines whether the final site conforms.
What is the easiest path to ACA compliance on BigCommerce?
Start with the platform's most-accessible default theme (where applicable), audit each installed plugin/extension/module, train content authors on alt text and heading hierarchy, and instrument axe-core in your CI pipeline.
Is BigCommerce accessible?
The platform supports accessibility; merchant configuration determines whether the final site conforms.
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