If you operate a business in Ontario, you're subject to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)[1]. And if your business has a website — which in 2026, it almost certainly does — the AODA's requirements apply to your online presence. Many Ontario business owners are aware of physical accessibility requirements (ramps, accessible washrooms, service counters) but unaware that comparable requirements exist for their websites.
This article explains what the law requires, who it applies to, and what practical steps you can take to make your website accessible.
What the AODA Requires for Websites
The AODA's Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR) includes requirements for information and communications, which encompasses websites and web content. Under the IASR, organizations with 50 or more employees are required to make their websites and web content conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level AA[1].
For organizations with fewer than 50 employees, the requirements are less prescriptive, but the general obligation to provide accessible customer service applies. And regardless of the specific AODA threshold, the Ontario Human Rights Code prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability[2], which courts have interpreted to include inaccessible digital services.
In practical terms, this means: website accessibility is a consideration for Ontario businesses of all sizes, not just those covered by the AODA's specific IASR requirements.
What WCAG 2.0 Level AA Actually Means
WCAG — the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines — is an international standard developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)[3]. It organizes accessibility into four principles, often abbreviated as POUR:
- Perceivable — Information must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive. This includes providing text alternatives for images, captions for video content, and sufficient colour contrast between text and backgrounds.
- Operable — Users must be able to operate the interface. All functionality must be available from a keyboard (not just a mouse), navigation must be logical, and users must have enough time to read and interact with content.
- Understandable — Information and interface operation must be understandable. Text must be readable, pages must behave predictably, and users must receive help avoiding and correcting errors (particularly in forms).
- Robust — Content must be robust enough to be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies like screen readers.
Level AA is the middle tier of conformance (there are three: A, AA, and AAA). Level AA is widely accepted as the standard for commercial websites and is the level specified by the AODA.
Wondering if your site meets AODA standards? We test every site we build against WCAG 2.1 AA — and we're happy to review yours for free. Get in touch.
Common Accessibility Problems on Business Websites
Most accessibility issues on business websites aren't the result of deliberate exclusion. They're the result of web designers and developers who weren't thinking about accessibility during the build process. Here are the problems we see most often:
Missing Alternative Text for Images
Every image on your website needs an alt attribute that describes what the image shows. Screen readers rely on this text to convey visual information to blind and low-vision users. Without it, images are invisible to a significant portion of your audience.
Insufficient Colour Contrast
Text must have sufficient contrast against its background to be readable by people with low vision or colour vision deficiencies. WCAG 2.0 AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text[3]. Many websites use light grey text on white backgrounds, pale text on photographic backgrounds, or other low-contrast combinations that fail this requirement.
No Keyboard Navigation
Many people with motor disabilities use keyboards or keyboard-equivalent devices instead of a mouse. If your website's navigation menus, forms, buttons, and interactive elements can't be operated with the Tab and Enter keys alone, those users are effectively locked out.
Missing Form Labels
Contact forms and other input fields need proper HTML labels associated with each field. A placeholder like "Enter your name" inside the input box is not sufficient — screen readers need a <label> element programmatically linked to the input.
Missing or Incorrect Heading Structure
Screen reader users often navigate pages by headings. If your headings are out of order (jumping from H1 to H4, for example) or if text that looks like a heading isn't actually coded as one, navigation becomes confusing and unreliable.
Why Accessibility Matters Beyond Compliance
Legal compliance is a valid reason to make your website accessible, but it's not the only one — and it may not even be the most compelling.
Market reach. Over 2.6 million Ontarians report having a disability[4]. That's a significant portion of your potential client base. An inaccessible website excludes them from engaging with your business.
Better user experience for everyone. Accessibility improvements benefit all users, not just those with disabilities. Clear navigation, readable text, logical page structure, and well-labelled forms make a website easier to use for everyone — including older adults, people using mobile devices in bright sunlight, and people with temporary impairments like a broken arm.
SEO benefits. Many accessibility best practices align directly with search engine optimization. Proper heading structure, descriptive alt text, clean HTML, and fast load times all contribute to better search rankings. Google's algorithms reward websites that provide a good user experience — and speed is a major factor in that equation. For more on how load times affect your bottom line, see our guide to why website speed matters.
Professional reputation. For professional services firms — law firms, accounting practices, healthcare providers — an accessible website signals attention to detail, inclusiveness, and a client-centred approach. These are exactly the qualities your clients value.
Accessibility and SEO go hand-in-hand. Proper headings, alt text, and fast load times boost both accessibility and search rankings. See our web design services.
Practical Steps to Improve Your Website's Accessibility
You don't need to rebuild your entire website to start improving accessibility. Here are concrete steps you can take:
- Run an automated audit. Tools like axe DevTools, WAVE, or Pa11y can scan your website and identify common accessibility issues. They won't catch everything (automated tools typically find about 30-40% of accessibility issues), but they're a good starting point.
- Add alt text to all images. Describe what the image shows, not just what it is. "Photo of our Toronto office reception area" is better than "office photo."
- Check your colour contrast. Use a contrast checker tool to verify that all text meets the 4.5:1 ratio for normal text. Fix any combinations that fall short.
- Test keyboard navigation. Put your mouse aside and try to navigate your entire website using only the Tab, Enter, and arrow keys. If you get stuck or can't reach something, that's a barrier.
- Review your forms. Make sure every input field has a proper label, error messages are clear and specific, and the form can be completed using a keyboard.
- Check your heading structure. Each page should have exactly one H1, and subsequent headings should follow a logical hierarchy (H2, H3, etc.) without skipping levels.
Building Accessibility In From the Start
The most cost-effective approach to website accessibility is building it in from the beginning. Retrofitting an inaccessible website is always more expensive and time-consuming than building an accessible one from scratch.
When we build websites at Heartwood Digital, accessibility is part of the process from day one — not an afterthought. Every site we deliver is tested against WCAG 2.1 AA standards using both automated tools and manual testing. Our web design and development services include accessibility as a standard feature, not a premium add-on.
If your current website has accessibility gaps, we can help you identify them and plan a practical path to compliance. And if you're building a new site, we'll make sure accessibility is handled properly from the start.
Over 2.6 million Ontarians have a disability[4]. An accessible website doesn't just protect you from legal risk — it opens your business to customers who are actively being excluded by your competitors' inaccessible sites.
For a broader look at what your website should include, see our small business website checklist for Ontario.
All our sites are built and hosted on Canadian servers — your data never leaves the country. Heartwood Digital is 100% Canadian-owned and Canadian-hosted.
Sources
- Government of Ontario, "Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act" (2005)
- Government of Ontario, "Ontario Human Rights Code" (1990)
- W3C, "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1" (2018)
- Statistics Canada, "Canadian Survey on Disability" (2017)