Section #14: Accessible Websites and Web Content

What the standard says

(2) Designated public sector organizations and large organizations shall make their internet websites and web content conform with the World Wide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, initially at Level A and increasing to Level AA, and shall do so in accordance with the schedule set out in this section.

Certain exceptions are stated in the IASR, as follows

(5) Except where meeting the requirement is not practicable, this section applies,

  1. to websites and web content, including web-based applications, that an organization controls directly or through a contractual relationship that allows for modification of the product; and
  2. to web content published on a website after January 1, 2012. O. Reg. 191/11, s. 14 (5)

(6) In determining whether meeting the requirements of this section is not practicable, organizations referenced in subsections (1) and (2) may consider, among other things,

  1. the availability of commercial software or tools or both; and
  2. significant impact on an implementation timeline that is planned or initiated before January 1, 2012. O. Reg. 191/11, s. 14 (6).

What is WCAG 2.0?

Developers of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 identify their goal as: “[making] content accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities, including blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, learning disabilities, cognitive limitations, limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity and combinations of these. Following these guidelines will also often make your web content more usable to users in general.”

The web accessibility guidelines have three levels of success criteria: Level A, Level AA and Level AAA. Level A represents the minimum requirements for accessibility, with Level AAA being the highest level of requirements.

For more information, please visit the WCAG 2.0 website. For information on the developers of WCAG 2.0, please visit the WCAG 2.0 Working Group website.

Suggested approach

Institutions should consult with web developers and others responsible for the university’s websites to ensure their knowledge of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 is current.

Resources such as “Understanding WCAG 2.0” and “How People with Disabilities Use the Web” (links below) might be useful in such discussions. Consider running the website through an online Accessibility Checker, which will help to identify specific areas that do not comply with the guidelines.

Suggested best practices

Understanding website accessibility:

Planning and implementing best practices on website accessibility:

Evaluating the accessibility of websites:

Compliance schedule for Section #14, as stated in the IASR

Designated public sector organizations and large organizations for their internet websites shall meet the requirements of this section in accordance with the following schedule:

  • By January 1, 2014, new internet websites and web content on those sites must conform with WCAG 2.0 Level A.
  • By January 1, 2021, all internet websites and web content must conform with WCAG 2.0 Level AA, other than, success criteria 1.2.4 Captions (Live), and success criteria 1.2.5 Audio Descriptions (Pre-recorded).

Definitions related to Section #14, as defined in the IASR

  • “Large designated public sector organization” means a designated public sector organization with 50 or more employees.
  • “Large organization” means an obligated organization with 50 or more employees in Ontario, other than the Government of Ontario, the Legislative Assembly or a designated public sector organization.
  • “Extranet website” means a controlled extension of the intranet, or internal network of an organization to outside users over the Internet (“site Web extranet”).
  • “Internet website” means a collection of related web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that are addressed relative to a common Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) and is accessible to the public (“site Web Internet”).
  • “Intranet website” means an organization’s internal website that is used to privately and securely share any part of the organization’s information or operational systems within the organization and includes extranet websites (“site Web intranet”).
  • “New internet website” means either a website with a new domain name or a website with an existing domain name undergoing a significant refresh (“nouveau site Web Internet”)
  • “New intranet website” means either an intranet website with a new domain name or an intranet website with an existing domain name undergoing a significant refresh (“nouveau site Web intranet”).
  • “Web Content Accessibility Guidelines” means the World Wide Web Consortium Recommendation, dated December 2008, entitled “Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0” (“Règles pour l’accessibilité des contenus Web”).
  • “Web page” means a non-embedded resource obtained from a single Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) using Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and any other resources that are used in the rendering or intended to be rendered together with it by a user agent (“page Web”). O. Reg. 191/11, s. 14 (7).

How does the IASR relate to the Ontario Human Rights Code?

In Section 1 (2), the IASR states that, “the requirements in the standards set out in this Regulation are not a replacement or a substitution for the requirements established under the Human Rights Code nor do the standards limit any obligations owed to persons with disabilities under any other legislation.”

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