Who the AODA web rules apply to
- Designated public sector organizations: all websites and web content must meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA.
- Private and non-profit organizations with 50 or more employees in Ontario: all public websites and web content published after January 1, 2012 must meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA (excluding live captions and audio description), a requirement in force since January 1, 2021. They must also file an accessibility compliance report when the Ontario government requires one; the current cycle's deadline is December 31, 2026.
- Organizations with 1 to 49 employees: no WCAG requirement under the AODA's web rules, and no compliance report for websites. Other AODA requirements (customer service, accessible formats on request) still apply to those with 20 or more employees for some obligations.
The guide on AODA website accessibility for Ontario businesses goes through the employee count rules, what WCAG 2.0 AA means in practice and how to fix a non-compliant site.
Why smaller businesses should do it anyway
Roughly one in four Canadian adults reports a disability. A site that cannot be used with a screen reader, a keyboard or enlarged text turns those customers away, and the Human Rights Code means a complaint is possible regardless of the AODA threshold. The practical work, readable contrast, text alternatives for images, labelled forms, keyboard-friendly menus, sensible heading order, and captions on video, also makes the site clearer for everyone and easier for search engines to understand. Accessibility checks are part of Lighthouse and of any decent website audit; this site scores 100 on them.
What meeting WCAG 2.0 AA involves
WCAG is a set of testable criteria grouped under perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. Level AA includes things like a 4.5:1 contrast ratio for normal text, no information conveyed by colour alone, every function reachable by keyboard, visible focus, form fields with labels and clear error messages, resizable text, captions for recorded video, and consistent navigation. Much of it is design and build discipline rather than extra cost, if it is done from the start. Retrofitting an old theme or a page-builder site is harder, and is often the point at which a rebuild makes more sense; how much a redesign costs covers that decision.