AODA Website Compliance: A checklist and guide

What is AODA Compliance
….and why is it important?

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is a law in Ontario, Canada and has been a legal requirement since 2005. Its goal is to make the province fully accessible by removing barriers for people with disabilities. It applies to businesses, non-profits, and public organisations, but compliance obligations vary based on size and type of organisation.

People who experience barriers due to a lack of accessibility have the right to take legal action, which can lead to investigations, enforcement orders, or compensation depending on the severity of the issue. If an organization in Ontario doesn’t follow AODA rules, it can face big fines—up to $100,000 a day for companies and $50,000 a day for individuals or directors.

Beyond the risk of fines, not meeting AODA requirements can harm your organization’s reputation and lead to extra work later to fix accessibility issues. It’s much easier and more cost-effective to build with accessibility in mind from the start rather than trying to catch up later.

AODA Standards

AODA compliance means following rules that ensure people with disabilities can access and use things like buildings, services, websites, and documents—just like everyone else.

The five standards of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act are:

Customer Service

• Requires organizations to provide accessible customer service to people with disabilities.
• Includes training staff, allowing service animals and support persons, and providing alternate communication methods.

Information and Communications

• Focuses on making information and communications accessible.
• Includes accessible formats, websites, feedback processes, and emergency information.

Employment

• Ensures accessibility in all aspects of the employment lifecycle.
• Includes recruitment, hiring, retention, workplace information, and accommodations.

Transportation

• Aims to make public transportation services accessible.
• Applies to conventional and specialized transit, school buses, and more.

Design of Public Spaces (Built Environment)

• Requires accessibility in new or redeveloped public spaces.
• Covers things like outdoor paths, parking, service counters, and waiting areas.

AODA and the Internet checklist

The second accessibility standard “Information and Communications” is what to focus on when it comes to your digital presence.

We’ve created this easy checklist to follow to help you make sure your website is compliant:

• General Requirements
  • Website conforms to WCAG 2.0 Level AA (excluding live captioning and audio descriptions)
  • Applies to all new or significantly updated content created after January 1, 2012
  • Accessibility is built into your design and development process

• Content & Structure
  • Headings are used properly and follow a clear hierarchy (H1, H2, H3, etc.)
  • Text is easy to read (good font size, spacing, and contrast)
  • Links have clear, descriptive text (no “click here”)
  • Important images have alt text that describes their purpose
  • Video content includes captions
  • Audio content includes transcripts

• Visual Design
  • Text and background colours meet contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1
  • Colour is not the only way information is conveyed (e.g. not just “green for yes”)
  • Pages are readable without needing to zoom or scroll horizontally on mobile

• Navigation & Interaction
  • All interactive elements (menus, buttons, forms) can be used with a keyboard alone
  • Page has a clear, consistent layout across the site
  • Users can easily skip to main content (e.g. skip links)
  • Forms have descriptive labels and error messages

• Technical Setup
  • Site uses semantic HTML and proper ARIA roles (if needed)
  • Images are not used to present text (unless decorative or part of branding)
  • Language of the page is identified (e.g. )
  • Site works well with screen readers and assistive technologies

• Documents & Downloads
  • PDFs and other downloadable files are accessible (or available in alternative formats)
  • Provide accessible alternatives on request

• Feedback & Support
  • A clear method is available for users to request accessible formats or give accessibility feedback
  • Staff responsible for digital content are trained in accessibility best practices

Training your team for accessibility

If your team helps manage your website or digital content, they need to understand how accessibility works, and why it matters. That might mean learning how to write clear, readable content, how to use headings and alt text properly, or even how to make sure videos have captions and documents are accessible.

There are many free online training resources to help, like AccessForward and the Ontario government’s How to train your staff on accessibility page. These platforms offer courses tailored to different roles and responsibilities. There are also more specialized paid-for courses available, such as those offered at Accessibility Services Canada.

To stay on track with AODA requirements, it’s important to keep a record of who has completed accessibility training—this helps demonstrate compliance if you’re ever audited. Make sure accessibility training is part of your onboarding process for new team members, and revisit it regularly as part of your team’s ongoing learning and development. That way, accessibility stays top of mind and part of your everyday culture.

Plank and AODA

Here at Plank, we want to make sure accessibility isn’t an afterthought, in Ontario and everywhere else.

To this end, we created the Ethical Web Collective – a commitment to building websites that contribute to an ethical and sustainable web.

Did you know? Our process from content through to design and development already has AODA compliance built in! Interested to learn more? Reach out and let us help you make your website a more inclusive space.