Ontario, Canada · 2005
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is a 2005 Ontario law that mandates accessibility for the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors operating in Ontario — including a digital requirement that public-facing websites conform to WCAG 2.0 Level AA.
What is AODA?
AODA introduced the Information and Communications Standard, which by 2021 required all designated public-sector organisations and large private/non-profit organisations (50+ employees) operating in Ontario to make their public-facing websites and web content (published after 1 January 2012) WCAG 2.0 Level AA conformant. The next AODA review (Onley Review, recent updates) is expected to advance the conformance baseline to WCAG 2.1.
Who does AODA apply to?
- Public-sector organisations
- Private and non-profit organisations with 50+ employees in Ontario
Scope
- Public-facing websites and web content
- Documents (PDF/Word)
- Customer-service communications
Penalties for non-compliance
- C$50,000/day for individuals or unincorporated organisations
- C$100,000/day for corporations
How to comply with AODA
- File a multi-year accessibility plan. Public-sector and large organisations must publish a plan and update at least every five years.
- Conform to WCAG 2.0 AA. Applies to public websites and web content published after 1 Jan 2012.
- File compliance reports. Designated public-sector every 2 years; private/non-profit every 3 years.
- Train staff. Required AODA training for all employees, volunteers and contractors.
Comparisons
- AODA vs WCAG: AODA references WCAG 2.0 AA as its technical baseline; an update to 2.1 is expected.
- AODA vs ADA: AODA is provincial Canadian law with explicit deadlines and reporting. ADA is US federal civil-rights law enforced by litigation.
Authoritative sources
- AODA — Government of Ontario — Government of Ontario
A note on widgets and overlays
Can an accessibility widget make your site compliant?
No. Widgets adjust how content renders for individual visitors — text size, contrast modes, dyslexia-friendly fonts. They do not remediate the underlying source code. WCAG conformance is graded at source level, and US federal courts (Murphy v. Eyebobs, Suarez v. Camping World, Hernandez v. Caesars) have repeatedly held that the presence of an overlay does not preclude ADA liability.
Our product produces an IAAP-format audit report with source-level remediation guidance. If you want a preferences panel for end users, ship one separately — opt-in, disclosed, and never marketed as a compliance solution.
See the Overlay Fact Sheet, signed by 900+ accessibility professionals.
FAQ
AODA — frequently asked questions
Cited answers. Sourced. Updated as standards and case law change.
Who has to comply with AODA?
All organisations with at least one employee in Ontario have some AODA obligations. Public-sector and large private/non-profit (50+ employees) have the most onerous digital accessibility duties — WCAG 2.0 AA conformance and biennial/triennial compliance reports.
What WCAG version does AODA require?
WCAG 2.0 Level AA, currently. Updates to 2.1 are being discussed but had not been formally adopted in regulation as of the most recent reviews.
What are AODA compliance reports?
Designated organisations file a compliance report online via ServiceOntario, attesting to having met AODA standards. Public sector every 2 years; private/non-profit every 3 years. Non-filing is itself a violation.
Get an AODA-grade audit. In hours.
IAAP-format report. AccessivePath maps findings to AODA and every related standard simultaneously.
founders@accessivepath.com · +977 9851094056