One of the most provincial laws of Canada is the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). It was established in 2005, but, came into effect at a later timeframe. Since January 1, 2014, AODA ensured that significantly refreshed websites, all new public websites, and all the relevant web content that was posted after January 1, 2012, should be aligned with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level A. Then after, as of January 1, 2021, all the web related content and public websites posted after January 1, 2012, should meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA (excluding audio descriptions and live captioning). In this article, you will get to know why the AODA test is mandatory for Canadian businesses in 2023.
AODA test mandate:
The AODA test mandate initiated on January 1, 2012, applies to all organizations (governmental and non-governmental) that fall under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) standard and are based out of Ontario, Canada. These organizations must ensure that their websites and web applications are completely aligned with the AODA requirements.
The organization’s web content should also follow the principles of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, which are as follows:
1. Perceivable: The UI and information are presented in a way that is adaptable and distinguishable
2. Operable: Sufficient keyboard accessibility is provided by the UI.
3. Understandable: The UI and information should be predictable and readable with options for input assistance
4. Robust: Out-of-memory and crash conditions needs to be determined.
AODA compliance:
AODA is an all-encompassing act that is focused on improving the accessibility standards of Ontarians. Hence, Ontarian businesses must make it a point that their websites are AODA compliant.
AODA dictates that private and public organizations should be accessible to anyone with cognitive or physical disabilities. This means digital accessibility for apps, websites and other web content. The core objective of AODA is to make Ontario fully accessible (providing all the accessible means to the disabled community) by 2025.
AODA requirements:
Following are some general requirements that should be complied by organizations that fall under AODA:
- An accessible policy needs to be developed
- Training should be provided to volunteers and staff
- A multi-year accessibility plan should be created and updated every 5 years
- Accessibility should be considered in procurement and when purchasing or designing self-service kiosks.
Institutions that need to comply with AODA:
AODA is a provincial legislation that requires all Ontario-based organizations to comply with specific standards in order to make sure that disabled persons are given significant importance and are provided with all the accessible means. This includes public sector organizations including municipalities, school boards and provincial ministries, private sector organizations that provide facilities, services or goods and also including businesses and non-profit organizations.
The AODA applies to various types of organizations, including:
- Educational institutions
- Not-for-profit organizations
- Hospitals
- Private sector corporations and their registered charities
- Committees and commissions of municipal governments, boards, Municipal governments and agencies.
Accessibility testing can also be performed as and when required depending on the project scope and requirements.
Making a website AODA compliant:
In order to make a website AODA compliant, it should first meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 standards. Websites should meet these guidelines which are basically standards that define accessibility solutions for ensuring that the website is accessible-friendly.
A, AA, and AAA are the three levels of WCAG 2.0 compliance. The most basic level of compliance is Level A and the most stringent level of compliance is Level AAA.
Conclusion: If you are looking forward to implementing accessibility testing for your specific project, get connected with a reliable and renowned software testing services company that will provide you with methodical testing strategies that are aligned with your project specific requirements.
