Achieving AODA Compliance for Ontario Businesses

Achieving AODA Compliance for Ontario Businesses: The Enterpristore Advantage

For businesses operating in Ontario, Canada, digital accessibility isn’t just a best practice; it’s a legal requirement under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

Ensuring your online presence, including your e-commerce platform, is accessible to individuals with disabilities is crucial for legal compliance, reaching a wider customer base, and upholding inclusive values.

Navigating the specific requirements of AODA can be complex, but the Enterpristore Ecommerce Platform is designed to provide the foundation and comprehensive solutions you need to meet and exceed AODA compliance standards.

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA): What You Need to Know

The AODA is provincial legislation aimed at making Ontario fully accessible by 2025. It sets accessibility standards that organizations must follow to identify, remove, and prevent barriers for people with disabilities.

Who Does the AODA Apply To?

The AODA applies broadly to organizations operating in Ontario:

All public sector organizations in Ontario.
Private businesses and non-profit organizations with 50 or more employees in Ontario.
Private businesses and non-profit organizations with fewer than 50 employees in Ontario (with some modified requirements).

Failure to comply with AODA requirements can result in significant penalties, including fines of up to $100,000 per day of violation for corporations and up to $50,000 per day for individuals and unincorporated organizations.

What is Required to Meet AODA Compliance for Websites?

While accessibility legislation in Canada differs slightly from province to province, AODA sets clear standards for digital accessibility. For websites and web content, the primary requirement under the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR) of the AODA is conformance with internationally recognized guidelines.

Organizations are expected to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level AA. Specifically, as of January 1, 2021, all public websites and web content published after January 1, 2012, must meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA. While WCAG 2.1 offers enhanced guidelines, meeting WCAG 2.0 AA is the current minimum legal requirement under AODA for most web content. Adopting WCAG 2.1 AA, as Enterpristore facilitates, often means exceeding the current legal minimum, providing a higher level of accessibility and future-proofing.

Meeting WCAG Level AA involves addressing criteria across four key principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. This includes requirements such as providing text alternatives for images, making content keyboard-navigable, ensuring sufficient color contrast, and structuring content for compatibility with assistive technologies.

Beyond web content, AODA digital accessibility also includes:

Accessible Document Formats: Applicable organizations are required to provide accessible document formats, such as accessible PDFs or alternative text versions, to help individuals with disabilities access information in electronic documents posted on public websites.
Accessibility Policies and Plans: Regulated entities are required to develop and implement accessibility policies and multi-year accessibility plans that outline their commitment to accessibility, goals, and strategies for compliance.

Enterpristore: Your Partner in AODA Compliance

The Enterpristore Ecommerce Platform is built with a strong commitment to accessibility, providing a robust foundation and expert solutions to help your organization meet and exceed AODA compliance requirements, aligning with WCAG 2.1 AA standards. We provide an end-to-end approach to help you meet high accessibility standards, with a focus on source code level compliance.

Source Code Level Compliance: The Enterpristore Advantage

Many platforms rely on accessibility overlays or plugins that attempt to fix accessibility issues after the fact. While these can offer some immediate improvements, they often fall short of true compliance and can sometimes even create new barriers or fail to interact correctly with assistive technologies.

Enterpristore takes a different, more fundamental approach. Our commitment to accessibility is built into the platform’s core. We focus on source code level compliance, meaning the underlying HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are structured correctly from the ground up to be inherently accessible. This includes:

Using proper semantic HTML markup (headings, lists, forms) that assistive technologies can easily interpret.
Creating keyboard-friendly navigation and interactive elements.
Implementing appropriate ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes to enhance the user experience for individuals using screen readers or other assistive devices.
Designing templates and components with built-in considerations for color contrast, focus indicators, and responsive design.

This foundational approach ensures a more robust, reliable, and sustainable level of accessibility, making it easier to achieve and maintain AODA compliance compared to relying solely on surface-level fixes.

How Enterpristore Helps You Meet AODA Requirements:

WCAG 2.1 AA Conformance: Because our platform is built with source code level compliance, it provides a strong base for meeting WCAG standards. Furthermore, our expert services include conducting in-depth audits of your website and digital content to identify accessibility gaps and recommend actionable solutions. Our reports provide a roadmap for achieving and maintaining compliance with WCAG standards and Canadian accessibility laws.
Accessible Document Formats: While the platform handles web content, we understand the need for accessible electronic documents. Our file remediation service helps you find and fix accessibility issues in your online documents (like PDFs) to meet AODA compliance requirements with ease.
Supporting Accessibility Policies and Plans: Maintaining compliance is an ongoing process that supports your organization’s AODA policies and multi-year plans. We provide continuous support, monitoring, and maintenance services to help you stay compliant with evolving standards and regulations, ensuring your Enterpristore site remains accessible over time.

Take the Next Step To AODA Compliance

We recognize the importance of aligning your digital assets with legally required accessibility standards under the AODA. The Enterpristore Ecommerce Platform provides not just a powerful e-commerce solution, but also the accessibility features and expert support to help you meet and exceed AODA compliance and WCAG 2.1 AA standards.

Don’t let accessibility barriers expose your business to risk or exclude potential customers. Choose a platform built with compliance in mind from the source code up.

We offer a range of accessibility solutions and services all designed to bring your digital assets in line with AODA standards. Start a 7-day free trial or schedule a free consultation to speak with an expert and learn how Enterpristore can be your end-to-end accessibility solution.

Ready to Make Your eCommerce Site Truly Accessible and Inclusive?

Don’t leave your business vulnerable to costly lawsuits, lost revenue, and reputational damage. Choose the complete solution for WCAG 2.1 AA compliance and provide an exceptional online experience for all your customers.

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