Skip to Content
  • Company
  • Contact Us
  • Login
Monsido.com homepage powered by CIVICPLUS
  • Platform
      • Quality Assurance

        Quality Assurance

        Identify and fix issues like broken links and misspellings.

      • Accessibility

        Accessibility

        Get the tools you need to comply with WCAG 2.1.

      • Policies

        Policies

        Detect and fix style guideline violations and outdated content.

      • SEO

        SEO

        Find SEO errors and optimization opportunities on every web page.

      • Statistics

        Statistics

        Get detailed analytics delivered in a way that is easy to understand.

      • Heartbeat

        Heartbeat

        Monitor your website in real time for slow response time or downtime.

      • Performance

        Speed up your website with targeted recommendations.

      • Performance

        Data Privacy

        Scan and discover potential privacy issues on your website.

      • Consent Manager

        Consent Manager

        Straightforward compliance for website user and cookie consent.

      • PageAssist

        PageAssist™

        Enable website visitors to customize their browsing experience.

      • PageCorrect

        PageCorrect™

        Fix website errors without needing to log into your CMS.

      • Tech Stack

        Tech Stack

        The tools you need to work with Monsido where you work best.

    • Quality Assurance
    • Accessibility
      • The European Accessibility Act (EAA)
      • Go back to the Web Accessibility page
      • WCAG 2.1 / 2.2
      • EU Web Accessibility Directive
      • Australian DDA
      • ADA
      • Section 508
      • AODA
    • Policies
    • SEO
    • Heartbeat
    • Statistics
    • Prioritized Content
    • Management
    • Compliance Shield
    • Performance
    • Data Privacy
  • Solutions
      • Government

        Website excellence for local, state and federal government.

      • Higher Education

        Enhanced digital experiences for universities and colleges.

      • Schools

        Compliant and inclusive website experiences for schools.

      • Not-for-Profit

        Inclusive website experience for not-for-profits.

      • Finance

        Compliant and optimized websites for financial institutions.

      • Healthcare

        Inclusive and optimized web experience for the health industry.

      • Commercial

        Optimized and inclusive digital presence for generating growth.

      • Marketing & Communications

        Take the headache out of website maintenance.

      • Digital, IT, & Web

        Fix website errors and maintain compliance with one tool

      • Managers

        Empower your team to be efficient, innovative, and accountable.

      • Teams

        Streamline team collaboration for website excellence.

      • Brand Managers

        Strengthen your brand’s presence with an excellent website experience.

    • Higher Education
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Not-for-profit
    • Commercial
    • Healthcare
  • Customers
  • Pricing
    • Webinars
  • Resources
      • Monsido Press Room

        Press Room

        Stay up-to-date with the latest news from Monsido.

      • Monsido's partners

        Tools

        Learn more about Monsido’s free tools.

      • Monsido's blog posts

        Blog

        Stay updated and get the latest news and tips in web accessibility and more.

      • Monsido's resource library

        Library

        Browse through ebooks, checklists, data sheets, and more.

      • web-accessibility tool

        Web Accessibility

        Learn more about what web accessibility is and why it matters.

      • Offered webinars by Monsido

        Webinars

        Explore our on-demand webinars for insights and inspiration.

      • Help Center

        Help Center

        Get advice right within the tool on how to fix issues.

      • Live Support

        Live Support

        Our Live Support means you can get help whenever you need it.

      • Product Training

        Product Training

        We train your team on how to use Monsido to improve your website.

      • Benchmark Reports

        Benchmark Reports

        See how your website performs compared to the industry average.

      • Partners

        Partners

        Learn more about our partners and how to become one.

      • Accessibility Legislation

        Accessibility Legislation

        Get an overview of the various web accessibility legislations.

    • Book a Demo
    • Request a Scan
  • Platform
      • Quality Assurance

        Quality Assurance

        Identify and fix issues like broken links and misspellings.

      • Accessibility

        Accessibility

        Get the tools you need to comply with WCAG 2.1.

      • Policies

        Policies

        Detect and fix style guideline violations and outdated content.

      • SEO

        SEO

        Find SEO errors and optimization opportunities on every web page.

      • Statistics

        Statistics

        Get detailed analytics delivered in a way that is easy to understand.

      • Heartbeat

        Heartbeat

        Monitor your website in real time for slow response time or downtime.

      • Performance

        Speed up your website with targeted recommendations.

      • Performance

        Data Privacy

        Scan and discover potential privacy issues on your website.

      • Consent Manager

        Consent Manager

        Straightforward compliance for website user and cookie consent.

      • PageAssist

        PageAssist™

        Enable website visitors to customize their browsing experience.

      • PageCorrect

        PageCorrect™

        Fix website errors without needing to log into your CMS.

      • Tech Stack

        Tech Stack

        The tools you need to work with Monsido where you work best.

    • Quality Assurance
    • Accessibility
      • The European Accessibility Act (EAA)
      • Go back to the Web Accessibility page
      • WCAG 2.1 / 2.2
      • EU Web Accessibility Directive
      • Australian DDA
      • ADA
      • Section 508
      • AODA
    • Policies
    • SEO
    • Heartbeat
    • Statistics
    • Prioritized Content
    • Management
    • Compliance Shield
    • Performance
    • Data Privacy
  • Solutions
      • Government

        Website excellence for local, state and federal government.

      • Higher Education

        Enhanced digital experiences for universities and colleges.

      • Schools

        Compliant and inclusive website experiences for schools.

      • Not-for-Profit

        Inclusive website experience for not-for-profits.

      • Finance

        Compliant and optimized websites for financial institutions.

      • Healthcare

        Inclusive and optimized web experience for the health industry.

      • Commercial

        Optimized and inclusive digital presence for generating growth.

      • Marketing & Communications

        Take the headache out of website maintenance.

      • Digital, IT, & Web

        Fix website errors and maintain compliance with one tool

      • Managers

        Empower your team to be efficient, innovative, and accountable.

      • Teams

        Streamline team collaboration for website excellence.

      • Brand Managers

        Strengthen your brand’s presence with an excellent website experience.

    • Higher Education
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Not-for-profit
    • Commercial
    • Healthcare
  • Customers
  • Pricing
    • Webinars
  • Resources
      • Monsido Press Room

        Press Room

        Stay up-to-date with the latest news from Monsido.

      • Monsido's partners

        Tools

        Learn more about Monsido’s free tools.

      • Monsido's blog posts

        Blog

        Stay updated and get the latest news and tips in web accessibility and more.

      • Monsido's resource library

        Library

        Browse through ebooks, checklists, data sheets, and more.

      • web-accessibility tool

        Web Accessibility

        Learn more about what web accessibility is and why it matters.

      • Offered webinars by Monsido

        Webinars

        Explore our on-demand webinars for insights and inspiration.

      • Help Center

        Help Center

        Get advice right within the tool on how to fix issues.

      • Live Support

        Live Support

        Our Live Support means you can get help whenever you need it.

      • Product Training

        Product Training

        We train your team on how to use Monsido to improve your website.

      • Benchmark Reports

        Benchmark Reports

        See how your website performs compared to the industry average.

      • Partners

        Partners

        Learn more about our partners and how to become one.

      • Accessibility Legislation

        Accessibility Legislation

        Get an overview of the various web accessibility legislations.

    • Book a Demo
    • Request a Scan
    • Company
    • Contact Us
    • Login
  • The European Accessibility Act (EAA)
  • Go back to the Web Accessibility page
  • WCAG 2.1 / 2.2
  • EU Web Accessibility Directive
  • Australian DDA
  • ADA
  • Section 508
  • AODA

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is enforced in Ontario to identify, remove, and prevent barriers for people with disabilities.
Book a Demo

What is the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is an act that is enforced in the Canadian province of Ontario to identify, remove, and prevent barriers for people with disabilities. The Act was enforced in 2005 and aims to achieve accessibility in Ontario in regards to goods, services, facilities, accommodations, employment, buildings, structures, and premises by January 1, 2025. The Act applies to government, private businesses, nonprofits, and public sector organizations.

What is a disability according to the AODA?

The AODA refers to the definition of disability from the Ontario Human Rights Code which includes:
  • Blindness or visual impairments
  • Deafness or hearing impairments
  • Muteness or speech impediments
  • Physical impairments such as paralysis, mobility issues, etc.
  • Neurological disabilities for example epilepsy or as a result of brain injury, etc.
  • Mental impairments or developmental disabilities
  • Intellectual or learning impairments
  • Mental disorders

How does AODA relate to website compliance?

The AODA sets out a legislative framework to develop, implement, and enforce five standards for accessibility compliance for organizations. The five standards are:
  • Customer Service Standard
  • Information and Communication Standard
  • Employment Standard
  • Transportation Standard
  • Design of Public Spaces Standard
Web accessibility falls under the Information and Communication Standard. The Information and Communications Standards cover rules and requirements on how information is made accessible to people with disabilities, which includes accessible web content.

Who has to comply with the AODA?

Under the Information and Communications Standards of the AODA, all Ontario public sector organizations, and all large private sector organizations with 50 or more employees that provide goods, services, or facilities, employees people in Ontario, offers accommodation, owns or occupies a building or premises, and plays a part in local business or activity, must make their websites accessible by 2021.

What web accessibility standards does AODA use?

Under the Information and Communications Standard, all web content must comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, level AA, and subsequent WCAG versions that follow it.

How to comply?

As part of AODA compliance, organizations must align their websites to the accessibility principles outlined in the WCAG 2.1. The four main guiding principles of accessibility in WCAG 2.0 are Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust, also known as POUR, can be broken down as follows:

Perceivable
  • Provide text alternatives to non-text content such as images, videos, slides, podcasts, etc., so that they can be converted into other accessible formats using assistive technologies.
  • Provide alternatives for any time-based media.
  • Ensure that content created can be displayed in different ways (such as being magnified, or displayed on another mobile device, without it losing context or information.
  • Provide good color contrast between images and text against backgrounds.
  • Provide an option for audio control, such as pause or volume controls.
Operable
  • Ensure that all functionality of your web content can be accessed using just a keyboard.
  • With content that changes after a period of time, ensure that users have either enough time to read the content or offer options to control content change (like a pause button on an automatic carousel).
  • Avoid content with images, animations, or videos that flash more than three times per second as this can induce seizures in some people.
  • Ensure that your website has a well-designed and intuitive navigation and page structure, with well-defined headings, text sections, links, etc.
Understandable
  • Ensure that text is readable and understandable by both your target users and the assistive technology they may use.
  • Ensure that your web pages appear and operate in a predictable manner, for example where elements like menu bars and colors are consistent across all pages.
  • Help people with disabilities avoid mistakes on your site by providing clear instructions or labels, suggestions on how to fix mistakes, notifications, as well as access to helpful information and a contact form.
Robust
  • Ensure that your website is compatible with current user agents, such as assistive technologies and tools, as well as ensuring that it is capable of extending that functionality to future user agents.
Organizations will also have to file an accessibility report to confirm that their organization has remained compliant to the AODA’s accessibility requirements. Businesses and non-profits must file a report every three years and public sector organizations must file one every two years. The next deadline for the accessibility report is June 30, 2021. This blog will provide more information on this deadline and how to file the report. Organizations will also have to supply the following compliance requirements for web accessibility:

  • provide training to staff and volunteers.
  • develop an accessibility policy.
  • create a multi-year accessibility plan and update it every five years.

What are the AODA compliance deadlines?

January 1, 2014: All new internet websites and web content must conform with WCAG 2.0 level A.

January 1, 2021: All internet websites and web content must conform with WCAG 2.0 level AA, except for criteria 1.2.3 (live captions) and 1.2.5 (pre-recorded audio descriptions).

June 30, 2021: Private or non-profit businesses with twenty to forty-nine (20-49) workers, or fifty (50) or more workers, must complete an accessibility report. This deadline was extended from December 31st, 2020.

What happens when you fail to comply with AODA?

Failure to comply with the AODA can result in monetary penalties. The penalties are as follows:
  • CA$50,000 for every day that the offense occurs
  • For corporations, CA$100,000 for every day the offense occurs
  • For directors or officers of a corporation that have failed to comply, CA$50,000 for every day the offense occurs.

How Monsido can help your website comply with the AODA?

Monsido’s Web Accessibility Module audits your entire site for accessibility against the WCAG 2.1 (and any subsequent updates to the guidelines).

Each audit scans your site for machine-testable issues, provides detailed reports so you can review any errors that may arise, gives you targeted recommendations on how to address these errors based on the guidelines, and shows you your compliance based on levels A, AA, and AAA. You can track and prove your accessibility compliance progress via reports in the History Center. We also offer accessibility training to customers and support, all-inclusive, to ensure that you are well-versed in both automated and manual remediation methods, and are able to efficiently and consistently improve your website’s accessibility.

Monsido also offers free tools to complement your web accessibility efforts, including a color contrast checker for web teams to test out compliant color combinations for their web design, and an accessibility statement generator, which helps you generate a public statement declaring your commitment to web accessibility and is helpful in making your web accessibility policy transparent to all your users.

Disclaimer:

The information in this article is made available by Monsido ApS and/or its subsidiaries and affiliates and is for informational purposes only so as to provide its customers with a general understanding of current legal developments. It should not be construed as providing specific legal advice, and you acknowledge that no attorney/client relationship exists between you or any third party and Monsido ApS and/or its subsidiaries and affiliates. This article should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed lawyer in your jurisdiction.

Want More Information on Accessibility?

Get the datasheet to learn more about the product and how you can benefit from it.

Download the Datasheet
Accessibility Data Sheet

Make Your Website Better With Monsido

Find out how Monsido’s tools can make your website optimization process efficient and effective.
Book a Demo
Graphs and tables displaying analytics results inside the Monsido platform

Monsido.com homepage powered by CIVICPLUS

  • Popular Features
  • Quality Assurance
  • Accessibility Compliance
  • SEO
  • Heartbeat
  • Work Smarter
  • Services
  • Product Training
  • Live Support
  • Help Center
  • Company
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Partner Programs
  • Blog
  • Career
  • Want to Learn More?
  • About Optimere Solutions
  • Request a Demo
  • Request an Intro Call
  • Get More Info
  • Get In Touch
  • North America: Monsido's American support: +1 858-281-2185
  • APAC: Monsido's Australian support: +61 2 9051 0590
  • Europe: Monsido's European support: +45 89 88 85 05
  • UK & IE: Monsido UK Office: +44 20 8138 8450
Monsido’s offices located on a world map

Career

Want to join the Monsido team? We're expanding globally, so check out our available positions.

Monsido Staff Looking Happy

Explore Opportunities

Copyright © Monsido, Inc

  • Cookie Preferences
  • Cookie Policy
  • General Terms & Conditions
  • Data Protection
  • Accessibility Statement