AODA website requirements (WCAG 2.0 AA) explained
If your organization has 50 or more employees in Ontario, your public website generally needs to meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA. Here is what that means in practice.
The short version: WCAG 2.0 AA is a set of testable rules for making websites usable by people with disabilities — things like readable text contrast, keyboard navigation, and captions. It applies at 50+ employees, with limited exceptions.
Who it applies to
Ontario requires organizations with 50 or more employees (and public-sector organizations) to make their public websites meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA, with exceptions for live captions and audio descriptions. Below 50 employees the website standard is not a legal requirement — but an accessible site is still good practice and reduces complaint risk.
What WCAG 2.0 AA covers
- Perceivable: text alternatives for images, captions for pre-recorded video, sufficient colour contrast, resizable text.
- Operable: everything works by keyboard, no keyboard traps, enough time to read and use content, no flashing that could cause seizures.
- Understandable: readable text, predictable navigation, forms with clear labels and error messages.
- Robust: code that works with assistive technologies like screen readers.
Common barriers to fix first
- Images missing alternative text
- Low-contrast text (light grey on white is the classic offender)
- Menus or forms that cannot be used by keyboard alone
- Videos without captions
- PDFs that are scanned images instead of real text
A manual review of your key pages — home, contact, and wherever customers transact — catches most of these in an afternoon.
Common questions
Does WCAG apply to our PDFs and documents?
Documents you publish on your website should be accessible too. Scanned-image PDFs are a common failure — use real text or provide an accessible alternative.
We have 30 employees. Should we bother with WCAG?
It is not legally required at your size, but fixing the common barriers is inexpensive and good customer service — and you will be ready if you grow.
Get it filed before December 31, 2026
WebGray's filing kit gives you a website accessibility check, ready-to-customize policy and planning templates, a training record template, and a step-by-step filing walkthrough. Founding-member pricing is $99.
Important: This guide provides general information and practical planning help. It is not legal advice and does not replace official Government of Ontario guidance.