AODA Compliance at QSeed Solutions

What Is The AODA?

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is an Ontario law designed to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access across key areas of public life, including customer service, employment, information and communications, transportation, and the design of public spaces. For websites, AODA requires conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA success criteria.​

What AODA Website Compliance Means

There is no separate “AODA‑only” web standard; compliance is achieved by meeting WCAG 2.0 Level AA requirements. This includes ensuring compatibility with assistive technologies, enabling keyboard‑only navigation, providing alternative text for important images, maintaining sufficient color contrast, allowing text resizing, using clear headings and labels, and making documents and multimedia accessible.​

Who Must Comply?

AODA applies to a wide range of Ontario‑based organizations, including private sector businesses, non‑profits, and public sector bodies that provide goods, services, or facilities. Many organizations with 50 or more employees must also submit regular accessibility compliance reports as part of their obligations.​

Enforcement And Penalties

The Accessibility Directorate of Ontario is responsible for monitoring and enforcing AODA compliance through inspections, audits, and investigations. Non‑compliance can result in financial penalties—potentially up to tens of thousands of dollars per day for serious or ongoing violations—as well as reputational damage and reduced trust from customers and partners.​

How We Ensure AODA Compliance

Accessibility audits
Regular audits combine automated tools and manual testing to identify AODA‑relevant barriers, such as missing alt text, poor color contrast, inaccessible forms, and issues affecting assistive technologies.​

Technical remediation
Issues are corrected in code and content, including non‑text content alternatives, form structure, and document formats like PDFs and Word files, so they follow accessible structure and layout standards.​

Ongoing monitoring
Accessibility is treated as a continuous responsibility, with new content, pages, and features reviewed for their accessibility impact before and after launch.​

Staff training
Team members receive training on AODA standards, WCAG 2.0 Level AA, and practical accessibility techniques so accessibility is considered from design through development and publishing.​

Risks Of Non‑Compliance

Websites that do not meet AODA‑required accessibility criteria can be considered discriminatory and may face legal action or monetary penalties depending on the severity and history of violations. Beyond fines, non‑compliance can harm brand reputation and exclude a significant portion of the population from accessing services and information.​

How To Check For AODA Compliance

• Use a full accessibility audit that includes both automated scans and manual reviews.​
• Evaluate your website against WCAG 2.0 Level AA success criteria.
• Review online documents (PDFs, Word, etc.) and media (video, audio) to ensure they are accessible.
• Keep records of audits, fixes, policies, and accessibility processes as evidence of ongoing compliance efforts.​

Best Practices For Ongoing Accessibility

• Build accessibility into design and development workflows from the start, not as an afterthought.
• Fix accessibility issues in new content proactively instead of waiting for complaints.
• Involve users with different disabilities in testing when possible.
• Keep teams up to date on accessibility techniques and legal obligations related to AODA and WCAG.​

Final Thoughts

For many organizations in Ontario, AODA compliance is both a legal requirement and a foundation for inclusive, equitable digital experiences. By following WCAG 2.0 Level AA, auditing regularly, and embedding accessibility into processes, QSeed Solutions works to ensure its website remains usable and welcoming for everyone.

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