Update: In follow up to our communique, the Directorate began notifying employers and other organizations via e-mail on October 8, 2020 that it has granted an extension for businesses and non-profits with 20 or more employees to file an accessibility compliance report. It is now due on or before June 30, 2021 instead of December 31, 2020 noted in our communique.
Ontario's Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) governs the process for developing and enforcing accessibility standards across Ontario. Compliance with these standards is required for all levels of government, private sectors businesses, and non-profit organizations.
As we near the end of the year, we remind Ontario employers that the deadline to file the 2020 Accessibility Compliance Report is fast approaching. The Accessibility Compliance Report is mandatory and confirms that an organization has met its current accessibility requirements under the AODA
All private sector businesses and non-profit organizations with 20 or more employees as well as designated public sector organizations must file a 2020 Accessibility Compliance Report by December 31, 2020.
To ensure compliance, we urge all employers to review their obligations under the AODA and to make sure that they are on track to complete the Accessibility Compliance Report.
Other Things to Note: Accessible Website Requirement
As more and more Ontarians will be working from home in the new year, the AODA requires that private and non-profit organizations with 50+ employees and all public-sector organizations make their websites and web content accessible by January 1, 2021.
What does this mean? All new websites and web content must conform with WCAG 2.0 Level AA, an internationally accepted standard for web accessibility.
To learn more about your organization's obligations under the AODA, please contact us.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
