The Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act (AODA) became law on June 13, 2005

Ontario Accessibility Disability Act (AODA)

The Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act (AODA) is a law made in Ontario, Canada in 2005. This law aims is for the whole province to be fully accessible to everyone by 2025, stating that all organizations, like schools, businesses, and government offices, must make their services and places more friendly and easy to use for people with disabilities. Ontario was the first province to make such an important law and sets out rules that organizations need to follow to make sure that everyone, including people with disabilities, can easily use services, join programs, visit places, and work jobs.

Accessibility Policy

When the AODA was made, it required that all organizations create an accessibility policy, which is a plan to make their services and places more accessible. They need to figure out what might stop people with disabilities from using their services or visiting their places, and then figure out how to remove these roadblocks.

Accessibility Plan

If an organization is big (more than 50 employees) and if it’s a private company, a non-profit, or part of the public sector (like government), it must also make an accessibility plan. This plan shows the steps they’ll take to remove barriers. Also, they need to have their plans written down and ready to show to the public if asked. They also need to train their employees on how to best serve people with various disabilities.

In 2016, the AODA’s five standards were grouped under one name – the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR). These standards focus on:

  • Sharing and receiving information and communications
  • Employment (jobs)
  • Transportation (like buses and trains)
  • Design of public spaces (like parks and government buildings)
  • Customer service (how businesses treat their customers)

The Information and Communications Standards (Sections 9 – 19) part of Ontario Regulation 191/11 under the AODA state that your public website and web content posted after January 1, 2012 must meet the WCAG 2.0 Level AA success criteria, except for:

  • 1.2.4 (live captions)
  • 1.2.5 (pre-recorded audio descriptions)
Ontario Accessibility Disability Act (AODA)
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