We depend on the internet for almost everything: education, work, health care and shopping. For people living with disabilities, inaccessible websites shut those doors. The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) aims to make Ontario fully accessible, and websites are a big part of that.
Under the AODA, public sector organizations and private or non-profit organizations with 50 or more employees must meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA. We audit existing websites, fix what fails, design new websites to the standard from day one, convert documents to accessible formats and train your staff to keep everything accessible.
Not sure where your website stands? Start with a Sense audit, or take our quick AODA compliance check. Remediation prices are based on a typical 5–10 page website using a content management system; custom builds need a custom quote.
Website Audit · Report & Plan
This service gives you a report and recommendations only.
Automatic AI Solution
Monthly accessibility maintenance plans are available, especially for accessible content management.
Page-by-Page Audit & Remediation
Based on a 5–10 page modern website using a content management system.
Not sure what applies to you?
Don’t know your AODA requirements? Take our 1-minute compliance check.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Each guideline has success criteria at three levels, and each level includes everything in the levels below it.
The minimum
Removes the biggest barriers. Without these, some people can’t use your website at all.
The legal target
The level required by Ontario’s AODA and most laws around the world. This is what we build to.
The gold standard
The highest level. The W3C doesn’t recommend requiring it for whole websites, because some content can’t meet it.
Newer versions build on older ones, so a website that meets WCAG 2.2 Level AA also meets WCAG 2.0 Level AA. How WCAG conformance works.
Choose a region to see the key laws, dates and official sources.
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act applies to every organization in Ontario with at least one employee. Its Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation sets out who must make their websites accessible, and by when.
Under the AODA, corporations convicted of an offence can face fines of up to $100,000 for each day the contravention continues.
The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. US courts and the Department of Justice have long treated inaccessible websites as a barrier under the ADA, and website lawsuits are common.
Selling to American customers? Meeting WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the safest target for US businesses too.
Outside Ontario, accessibility laws are growing across Canada. Requirements vary by province and by whether your organization is federally regulated.
For any Canadian organization, WCAG 2.1 Level AA (or newer) is the best way to be ready for current and future requirements.
Most international accessibility laws point to the same standard: the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
Selling to customers in Europe? The European Accessibility Act can apply to businesses outside the EU too.
This summary is general information, not legal advice. Requirements change, so always check the official sources linked above or speak with a lawyer about your organization’s obligations.
Answer a few quick questions to see which AODA website and accessibility requirements apply to your organization.
Does your organization have at least one employee in Ontario?
Which best describes your organization?
How many employees do you have in Ontario?
General information only, not legal advice. Employee counts include full-time, part-time and seasonal staff in Ontario. See the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation for details.
A few examples of our AODA website accessibility work. Hover over one to see what it is.
Accessibility is part technology, part people. We combine automated scanning with hands-on manual testing, fix what we find and help your team keep the site accessible.
You’ll work directly with Craig and Brenda from the first conversation to the final file. No account managers, no outsourcing, and no surprises on your invoice.
Phase 1 · Audit the website
We scan your site with automated tools, then test key pages by hand with a keyboard and screen readers. You receive a clear report against WCAG 2.0 Level AA.
Phase 2 · Prioritize the fixes
We sort issues by impact and effort, so the barriers that affect the most people are fixed first. You’ll know exactly what we’ll change and why.
Phase 3 · Remediate
We fix colour contrast, headings, alt text, forms, keyboard access and more. Documents like PDFs can be made accessible too.
Phase 4 · Stay compliant
We retest the site and train your team to keep new content accessible. An accessibility statement and ongoing checks help you stay compliant with the AODA.
Most accessibility problems are simple to fix once they’re found. We combine automated testing with manual testing using a keyboard and screen readers, because automated tools only catch part of the problem.
A website can pass an audit today and fail next month when someone uploads an image without alt text or a PDF that isn’t tagged. That’s why we pair remediation with accessibility training for the people who update your website, and offer periodic re-checks through our maintenance plans.
Our team has delivered accessibility training for organizations such as Cambridge Memorial Hospital, helping staff create accessible web content and documents. We make accessibility practical, not overwhelming.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) come from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), led by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web. Governments then decide which level to require. Ontario’s AODA requires WCAG 2.0 Level AA for public sector organizations and businesses or non-profits with 50+ employees.
If the law requires AA, start there. Even if you don’t have to comply, aiming higher from the start is more cost-effective than redoing the work later.
Free tools like WAVE can flag common problems, but automated tools miss a lot. Our Sense audit combines tools with manual testing for a reliable picture.
Yes. We test and remediate Adobe PDF, Word, PowerPoint and Excel files, and we can train your staff to create accessible documents themselves. See training & courses.
It depends on your sector and number of employees in Ontario. Try our AODA compliance check to see what applies to you.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are international standards published by the W3C. They’re organized around four principles: content must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.
Ward adds helpful tools and automated fixes right away, but no automated tool can fix every issue in your code and content. For full WCAG 2.0 AA conformance, we recommend pairing it with a Sense audit or an Elixir remediation.
A Sense audit usually takes 1–3 days. Larger websites are reviewed using a representative sample of page types.
Usually very little. Most fixes are invisible or subtle, like better alt text, labels and slightly stronger colour contrast.
Yes. We can add captions and transcripts, and make sure video players can be operated with a keyboard.
Yes. We can write an accessibility statement and feedback process for your website, which is good practice for any organization.
Many accessibility practices, like descriptive headings, alt text and clear link text, also help search engines understand your content.
