Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)
Ontario has adopted the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (also known as the AODA) that requires organizations to use accessible practices to better meet the needs of people with disabilities. The purpose of the AODA is to develop and implement accessibility standards for use in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors to make services, programs, spaces, and employment accessible to all Ontarians.
The number of Ontarians living with a disability is climbing – with an average of one in four people facing accessibility challenges every day (Government of Ontario, 2019). Providing an accessible built environment is key to reaching our shared goal in providing all individuals with the opportunity to participate actively and fully – without barriers. Often when we think about providing an accessible environment, we do envision the physically built environment – for example, curb cuts in sidewalks to facilitate ease of movement for wheelchairs, walkers, and other assistive devices. In addition to accessing physical spaces, we also need to provide barrier free access to virtual spaces. Digital – or web accessibility is critical to ensure we all have access to the same online information, support and services that are available to all. Increasing recognition of the value and importance of accessibility has led to the development of various laws, guidelines, standards, and recommendations.
In this OER, we’ll focus on the AODA’s information and communication standards, which has a requirement that organizations make their websites and online materials accessible. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, often referred to as WCAG, are international guidelines created with the aim of providing common web accessibility standards worldwide. These guidelines apply to all web content, whatever the sector. To ensure that an appropriate level of web accessibility has been achieved, the AODA requires all organizations to comply with and respect the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level AA.
What is meant by “web content”?
In the context of this OER, web content refers to all content found online, including information (such as text, photos, and sound and activities), as well as the code that defines the structure.
At the time of developing this resource, the most recent version of WCAG is version 2.2. We encourage you to keep on top of the updated requirements and legislation when it comes to web accessibility.
Assess your basic understanding of the AODA so far by completing this H5P activity or the text version of the interactive activity below.
Quick Check: AODA
Quick Check: AODA (Text version)
Check your knowledge with the following questions:
- The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 contains guidelines specific to the activities of postsecondary institutions. True or false?
- The AODA requires all organizations to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) ________ [Blank 1], Level ________ [Blank 2].
Check your Answers in footnote[1]
Activity source: “Accessibility in Ontario” by mbrunet, CC BY-NC 4.0
AODA Standards for Education
Although there are currently no AODA standards specific to the education sector, two committees were established to draft accessibility standards with this focus. The Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee has been specifically tasked with developing recommended guidelines for the university and college communities. The final recommendations of the Post-Secondary Education Standards Development Committee are due to be implemented by January 1, 2025, and address barriers such as attitudes, behaviours, instruction, as well as social, physical and financial barriers.
Why does Accessibility in Digital Resources (including OER) Matter?
It is likely that you will be working with students who have either documented, undisclosed, or perhaps undiagnosed needs that will be impacted by how you prepare and present your digital learning resources. As Statistics Canada (2023) records, “27% of Canadians aged 15 years and older, or 8.0 million people, had one or more disabilities that limited them in their daily activities” (para. 1). According to the International Dyslexia Association, as cited in Dyslexia Canada (n.d.), “10-20% of the population has a language-based learning disability” (para. 3), such as Dyslexia, meaning that potentially one in five of your students will likely be impacted by basic readability accessibility accommodations when creating your digital learning resources. Many Canadian jurisdictions have already enacted legislation dictating Digital Accessibility standards for instructional design of courses, as well as for digitally-mediated communications with our students, their parents, our colleagues, and the general public. In Canada, Ontario was the first province to explicitly codify Digital Accessibility standards through the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA, 2005). Most of the standards that Canadian provinces have put forth are based on the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (W3C, 2022).
It is unreasonable to expect that all educators will be well-versed in all of the web-content authoring guidelines or the range of digital tools available to support the variety of accessibility needs of their students. However, it is important for everyone to be aware of certain basic accessibility standards. In some jurisdictions, you may be required to meet these basic standards whether or not you are aware of a particular student who needs accommodations (Ontario Human Rights Commission, 2016). These efforts represent small changes in practice that benefit all of our students, not just those with diagnosed needs.
You’ll learn more about this in the next section of this OER, Who uses accessibility features?
Attribution & References
Except where otherwise noted, this page is adapted by Jen Booth from
- “The AODA” In Mastering Open Ed: Licensing, Accessibility, Creation, and Publishing OER, by eCampus Ontario, CC BY-NC 4.0.
- “Accessibility in Online Learning” In Everyday Instructional Design by Rob Power, CC BY-NC 4.0.
References cited in-text
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act . (2005). S.O. , c. 11.
Dyslexia Canada. (n.d.). Dyslexia basics.
Government of Ontario. (2019). Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act annual report.
Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2016, January 6). New documentation guidelines for accommodating students with mental health disabilities.
Statistics Canada. (2023, December 1). Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017 to 2022. The Daily.
W3C. (2022). Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
Adaptation notes
Adaptations include remixing the two sources for readability, updating references and facts, improving in-text citations, updating images.
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- False. The AODA does not currently contain guidelines specific to the education sector, but does apply to the activities of postsecondary institutions. Recommendations for the university and college sector were developed in 2022 and are expected to be implemented by January 1, 2025.
- WCAG 2.0, Level AA.
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