What is AODA Compliance and How Does it Affect Me?
The Importance of Website Accessibility and Intentional Web Design.
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was enacted in 2005 with the goal of making the province of Ontario completely accessible to people with disabilities by 2025. The Act requires businesses and organizations to take steps to remove and prevent barriers to accessibility, including the need to make their websites accessible to people with disabilities.
AODA compliance is important for businesses and organizations in Ontario for several reasons. First, it is the law. Non-compliance can result in significant fines. Second, compliance shows that your business or organization cares about accessibility and is committed to inclusion. Finally, compliance can improve your bottom line by making your business or organization more accessible to potential customers, employees, and partners with disabilities.
In order to create a website that is accessible to everyone, web designers must be aware of potential accessibility issues and design accordingly. Lunarstorm’s thoughtful, intentional web design practice includes ensuring that the website can be used by people with disabilities, such as those who are blind or have low vision.
There are a number of things that need to be considered in order to make a website compliant with the AODA. The most important thing is to ensure that all content on the website is accessible to people with disabilities. This means that text must be legible and understandable, design should utilise contrasting colours, and that images must have alternative text descriptions.
In addition, website navigation must be designed in a way that people with disabilities can use it. This includes providing keyboard-accessible navigation and ensuring that links are clear and descriptive.
Finally, forms on the website must be accessible to people with disabilities. This means that they must be able to be completed using a keyboard, and that error messages must be accessible and understandable.
Lunarstorm strives towards accessibility-minded web development and design. If you are looking to ensure your website is AODA compliant, we can help! We can assess your website and make recommendations for changes that need to be made to ensure compliance. Lunarstorm can also help you to audit and test your website to ensure that it is accessible to people with disabilities.
Lunarstorm has the experience and expertise necessary to ensure that your website meets all of the required standards. We are also able to provide training on website accessibility best practices to ensure that your website is always compliant, even while adding and updating content. Working with Lunarstorm will give you peace of mind that your website is compliant and will help you avoid any potential penalties.
Making a website compliant with the AODA can seem like a daunting task, but it is important to remember that the goal is to make the website accessible to everyone. By taking the time to ensure that your website is compliant, you will be making a valuable contribution to the goal of an accessible Ontario for all.
