A person using a laptop displaying a 'Digital Accessibility' webpage, with a modern workspace featuring a plant and notebook in the background, navigating AODA compliance.

Navigating AODA Compliance: Success Stories from Ontario Municipalities

Introduction

Accessibility Partners has been at the forefront of ensuring that municipal services and communications in Ontario are inclusive and accessible to all, aligning with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) standards. With our expertise, we have helped municipalities make significant strides towards AODA compliance, fostering greater community inclusivity. This blog covers our experiences with two (anonymous) municipal projects, shedding light on the intricacies and achievements involved in reaching AODA compliance.

Case Study 1: Bilingual Website and Content Compliance

Project Overview

Our journey with this municipality began by focusing on enhancing its digital accessibility. The project aimed to ensure that both English and French content, including documents and videos, met the stringent requirements of Ontario’s Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR) under AODA and conformed to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards.

Scope and Challenges

Tasked with auditing and remediating over 600 web pages and approximately 1,000 bilingual documents across diverse sectors like Social Services and Emergency Services, the project demanded meticulous attention to detail. Our responsibilities extended to training municipal staff on identifying and correcting accessibility issues, culminating in certifying their website as fully accessible. This comprehensive approach underscored our commitment to fostering sustainable accessibility practices within the municipality.

Case Study 2: Comprehensive Document Remediation

Project Overview

Last year, we embarked on a mission with a town. Basically, the project was to ensure that a large variety of bilingual documents, including critical public information, adhered to the AODA and WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards.

Approach and Outcomes

The scope was extensive, encompassing the remediation of around 70,000 pages of documents, from by-laws to public notices. Our team meticulously reviewed and updated each document, ensuring full compliance with PDF/Universal Accessibility (PDF/UA) standards to enhance the accessibility for people using adaptive technologies such as screen readers. The project not only involved document remediation but also included continuous collaboration with the town’s staff to monitor and update accessibility features, emphasizing a dynamic approach to compliance and accessibility improvements.

Conclusion

These projects demonstrate a steadfast commitment by Accessibility Partners to advance digital accessibility within Ontario municipalities. Our hands-on experience, tailored strategies, and comprehensive support enabled these municipalities to not only meet but often exceed AODA compliance requirements, setting a standard for others to follow. As we continue to partner with municipalities across the province, our journey is an excellent example of the evolving landscape of accessibility and the collective efforts to create an inclusive digital environment for all citizens.

Our Popular Blogs

Silhouettes of people in wheelchairs facing a large Canadian flag, with additional figures in the background capturing the moment.
The Accessible Canada Act (ACA) is a federal law designed to eliminate barriers in areas under federal jurisdiction, such as transportation, communications, and federally regulated workplaces. This comprehensive legislation is crucial to building an inclusive society where accessibility is a fundamental right, not a privilege.
AODA-Compliance
Ontario has led Canada in recognizing the rights of people with disabilities to participate fully in the public sphere without physical and social barriers. Human rights legislation, including the Ontario Human Rights Code, has identified disability as requiring protection from discrimination since the 1980s, but Ontario was the first jurisdiction in Canada to enact legislation making it mandatory for public and private services and facilities
Hands typing on a laptop keyboard with a coffee cup and a bowl on a wooden table, representing work on Website Accessibility.
There are an estimated 1 billion people with disabilities worldwide. So not only is creating an accessible website the right thing to do, but it's also good for business. An accessible website is helpful to everyone. This includes users who are blind or have other visual impairments with low vision that rely on screen readers and audio description, deaf or hard of hearing users that
Illustration of diverse people collaborating on a large screen to explore what tools are available to remediate WCAG issues effectively, showcasing teamwork and accessibility solutions.
Achieving WCAG compliance is key to creating an inclusive user experience and staying on the right side of legal requirements. Thankfully, numerous tools are available to help organizations address accessibility issues efficiently. In this article, we’ll dive into the importance of WCAG, and common accessibility challenges, and Discover what tools are available to remediate WCAG issues and ensure web accessibility compliance with effective solutions for
A busy airport terminal with passengers, a wheelchair user, assistance signs, and a family walking with luggage and guide dogs — making every journey accessible for all travelers.
Imagine the frustration of not being able to access travel information like schedules, tickets, changes, or policies because a website is hard to navigate, or the confusion when encountering newly procured elevators with touch screens that are still largely inaccessible to blind people because they require the user to locate objects on the screen visually.
Overwhelmed woman in a suit resting her head on a stack of papers, holding a sign that reads "DEADLINE," with a laptop and coffee cup nearby — representing businesses missing accessibility and struggling to meet important requirements.
Thousands of Ontario businesses have missed deadlines aimed at making the province accessible by 2025, but the government isn’t using all its resources to crack down on them.