Patrick Flannery
Is your website ready for the Jan. 1 AODA deadline?
Canadian Contractor Permits & Legal aoda disability wcag website
The Access for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) will require websites for non-profit, public and private companies with over 50 employees to meet a wide-ranging set of requirements for accessibility or face fines of up to $100,000 per day for corporations and $50,000 per day for directors and owners.
The requirements are extensive and there are very few websites in this industry that would comply. Text needs to be convertible to large print, braille, speech, symbols or simpler language. Video and audio must have captions available. Simplified layouts must be offered. All functions must be accessible with a keyboard only without use of a mouse. These are just a few of the requirements.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Quick Reference
Compliance information document
Look for advice from experts on what you can do to quickly achieve compliance coming soon in this channel.
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While I can see the importance of inclusivity in our society, this new regulation puts another requirement and expense on Canadian businesses when many are struggling to survive.
We do need to include access to information and services to everyone but the timing is certainly not optimal.
We are a micro business, http://www.sunrisehomebuyers.ca , but I can see this requirement eventually working it’s way down to businesses of all shapes and sizes.
Just one more expense to spiral the cost of any type of construction up and up which will do more to keep people literally outside looking in due to the outrageously unaffordable, unattainable and unsustainable lunacy forced upon us by the (liberal) nanny state . And they wonder why there is no affordable housing.