Canadian rules guide
AODA website accessibility in Ontario: who must comply and how
- Author
- By Redenn Engineering
- Reviewed by
- Reviewed by Redenn Editorial
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- Published
- Last reviewed
- Reviewed
- Reading time
- 6 min read
The short answer
Under Ontario's AODA Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation, private and non-profit organizations with 50 or more employees, and public-sector organizations, must make their public websites and web content conform to WCAG 2.0 Level AA, with limited exceptions. Smaller businesses are not covered by that particular web rule, but an accessible site is faster, clearer and easier to use for everyone, so the checklist below is worth following regardless. This is general information, not legal advice.
Who must comply
The Government of Ontario's guidance on making websites accessible sets out the rule: private and non-profit organizations with 50 or more employees, and public-sector organizations, must make their public websites and web content conform to WCAG 2.0 Level AA, with limited exceptions. If your organization is below that threshold, this specific web requirement does not apply to you, but other AODA obligations may, and accessibility complaints can arise under other laws. Confirm your position with the province's guidance or a lawyer.
Redenn's position is simpler: build to the standard regardless of size, because it costs little when done from the start and a great deal when retrofitted.
What WCAG 2.0 Level AA means
WCAG, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, is the international standard for accessible web content. It is organized around four principles: content must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. Level AA is the middle of three conformance levels and is the one most regulations, including Ontario's, point to. Version 2.0 is the version the Ontario regulation names; later versions add criteria on top of it rather than replacing it.
Practical checklist
The table covers the checks that matter most on a business website and how a Redenn build handles each one. It is a working checklist, not a conformance audit.
| Area | What to check | How a Redenn build handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Text alternatives | Every meaningful image has alt text; decorative images are marked as such | Alt text is a required field in components; decorative images are hidden from assistive technology |
| Colour and contrast | Text meets contrast ratios against its background; colour is never the only signal | Design tokens are checked for contrast; states use icons and text as well as colour |
| Keyboard | Every link, button, menu and form works with Tab and Enter; focus is visible | Components are keyboard-operable with visible focus styles |
| Headings and structure | One H1, logical heading order, landmarks for navigation and main content | Page templates enforce the structure |
| Forms | Labels tied to inputs; errors explained in text; no time limits without warning | Form components include labels, error text and clear instructions |
| Media | Captions for video; transcripts for audio | Supplied by you; Redenn embeds them correctly |
| Motion and zoom | No flashing content; page usable at 200 percent zoom and on small screens | Responsive layouts; animations respect reduced-motion preferences |
| Documents | PDFs and downloads are accessible or have an HTML equivalent | Redenn recommends HTML pages over PDFs for customer-facing content |
Why accessibility helps everyone
The same choices that serve a visitor with a screen reader serve a visitor on a cracked phone in sunlight, a customer with a broken arm using one hand, and a search engine crawler. Clear headings, real text instead of text in images, good contrast, labelled forms and keyboard operation are also what makes a site fast, easy to scan and easy to index. Accessibility is not a feature bolted onto a design; it is a description of a site that works.
Common failures on small business sites
These are the problems Redenn finds most often when reviewing existing sites, and every one is avoidable.
- Text baked into images, including hours and phone numbers.
- Light grey text on white backgrounds.
- Sliders and carousels that cannot be paused or operated by keyboard.
- Forms with placeholder text instead of labels.
- Links that read 'click here'.
- PDF menus and price lists with no HTML version.
- Video with no captions.
- Focus outlines removed for aesthetics.
How to test
Automated checkers catch a portion of issues. The rest takes a few minutes by hand.
- Run an automated check, then test manually; the tool cannot judge whether alt text is meaningful.
- Unplug the mouse and use the site with Tab, Enter and the arrow keys.
- Turn on the screen reader built into your phone and try to book or contact.
- Zoom the browser to 200 percent and check nothing is cut off.
- Check colour contrast with a contrast checker on real text and background colours.
- Ask a customer who uses assistive technology to try the site, and pay them for their time.
Not legal advice
This guide summarizes the Government of Ontario's published guidance as of 2026-09-24. It is general information, not legal advice. Whether and when the requirement applies to your organization, and what the exceptions cover, depends on your employee count, sector and content; the province's page is the authoritative source, and a lawyer can confirm your obligations.
Questions
Does the AODA website rule apply to a business with 10 employees?
The WCAG 2.0 Level AA website requirement applies to private and non-profit organizations with 50 or more employees and to public-sector organizations. Smaller businesses are outside that specific rule but may have other AODA obligations; check the province's guidance.
What is WCAG 2.0 Level AA?
The middle conformance level of version 2.0 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, the international standard for accessible web content. It is the level Ontario's regulation names.
Is a Redenn website AODA compliant?
Redenn builds to WCAG 2.0 Level AA practices: keyboard operation, contrast, structure, labelled forms and alt text. Conformance also depends on the content you supply, such as captions and document formats, and Redenn does not issue certificates.
Do I need an accessibility statement on my website?
It is good practice to publish one that says what standard you build to and how to report a problem. Whether one is required in your case is covered by the province's guidance.
Are PDFs covered by the requirement?
Web content includes documents you publish on the site. The practical fix is to publish customer-facing content as HTML pages and keep PDFs accessible or accompanied by an HTML equivalent.
Does accessibility limit design?
It rules out a few habits: low-contrast text, text in images, unlabelled forms and hidden focus. Everything else, including strong visual design, is fully compatible with it.
Sources
- How to make websites accessible, Government of Ontario. Accessed 2026-09-24.
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