The Ontario Digital Accessibility Communication Standards

Accessible digital experiences enhance user satisfaction. When users can easily navigate, understand, and interact with your digital assets, they are more likely to have a positive experience. Positive user experiences are closely tied to business success indicators, such as customer satisfaction, user retention, and overall brand perception.

Websites or applications that prioritize accessibility tend to have lower bounce rates, indicating that users are more likely to stay and explore the content. Improved usability and accessibility contribute to a seamless user journey, positively impacting revenue-related success indicators.

Digital accessibility aligns with legal requirements and industry standards. Organizations that ensure their digital content is accessible demonstrate a commitment to compliance. Avoiding legal issues and potential penalties directly contributes to the protection of the organization's reputation and financial stability.

Internally, digital accessibility also plays a role in employee productivity. Accessible tools and systems enable all employees, including those with disabilities, to work more efficiently. This efficiency is reflected in business success indicators related to workflow optimization, task completion times, and overall operational effectiveness.

Accessible marketing campaigns and materials reach a wider audience, contributing to the success of marketing-related success indicators. By ensuring that content is accessible to individuals with diverse needs, organizations can increase the effectiveness of their marketing efforts, ultimately impacting brand awareness and market share.

Establishing specific business performance indicators related to digital accessibility, such as the conformance levels with WCAG standards, provides a direct measure of the organization's commitment to inclusivity. Achieving and maintaining high accessibility standards becomes a success indicator in itself.

Make website pages and web content accessible according to the W3C WCAG standards.

• By January 1, 2020, all internet and intranet websites and web content must conform with WCAG 2.0 Level AA.
• This applies to websites and web content, including web-based applications, that an organization controls directly or through a contractual relationship that allows for modification of the product.
• You should post the accessibility plan on your website, and provide the plan in an accessible format upon request.
• web page means a non-embedded resource obtained from a single Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and any other resources that are used in the rendering or intended to be rendered together with it by a user agent.

Provide accessible formats and communications supports at no additional cost.

• Make policy documents publicly available, and on request, provide them in an accessible format.
• Post your accessibility plan on your website, and provide the plan in an accessible format upon request.
• Accessible formats may include, but are not limited to, large print, recorded audio and electronic formats, braille and other formats usable by persons with disabilities.
• Communication supports may include, but are not limited to, captioning, alternative and augmentative communication supports, plain language, sign language and other supports that facilitate effective communications.

Make feedback processes accessible to all persons.

• Ensure that your feedback and responding processes are accessible to persons with disabilities by providing or arranging for the provision of accessible formats and communications supports, upon request.
• The feedback process must specify the actions that the provider will take if a complaint is received about the manner in which it provides goods, services or facilities to persons with disabilities.
• Every provider shall make information about the feedback process readily available to the public.

Make public emergency information accessible.

• If an obligated organization prepares emergency procedures, plans or public safety information and makes the information available to the public, the obligated organization shall provide the information in an accessible format or with appropriate communication supports, as soon as practicable, upon request.
• Every employer shall provide individualized workplace emergency response information to employees who have a disability, if the disability is such that the individualized information is necessary and the employer is aware of the need for accommodation due to the employee's disability.
• If an employee who receives individualized workplace emergency response information requires assistance and with the employee's consent, the employer shall provide the workplace emergency response information to the person designated by the employer to provide assistance to the employee.

Employers shall conduct employee and volunteer accessibility training.

• Provide educational or training resources or materials in an accessible format that takes into account the accessibility needs due to a disability of the person with a disability to whom the material is to be provided to. procure by the purchase or obtaining by other means an accessible training resources or materials where available, or arranging for the provision of a comparable resource in an accessible or conversion ready electronic format.
• Every obligated organization shall ensure that training is provided on the requirements of the accessibility standards Regulations and on the Human Rights Code as it pertains to persons with disabilities.
• The training on the requirements of the accessibility standards and on the Human Rights Code shall be appropriate to the duties of the employees, volunteers and other persons.

Provide educators with accessibility awareness training.

• Every obligated organization that is an educational or training institution shall provide learning content in an accessible format, if notification of need is given.
• Provide educational or training resources or materials in an accessible format that takes into account the accessibility needs due to a disability of the person with a disability to whom the material is to be provided to.
• Procure by the purchase or other means an accessible or conversion ready electronic format of educational materials, where available.
• If necessary, arrange for the provision of a comparable resource in an accessible or conversion ready electronic format, where educational materials cannot be procured or obtained by other means.

Low contrast text 83.6%

Missing alternative text for images 58.2%

Empty links 50.1%

Missing form input labels 45.9%

Empty buttons 27.5%

Missing document language 18.6%

WebAIM: The 2023 report on the accessibility of the top 1,000,000 home pages