New Accessibility Requirements for organizations in effect as of January 1st, 2015

· by Huzaifa Saeed

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RAPID POLICY UPDATE: Courtesy of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce 

This Rapid Policy Update contains information about accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) that came into effect January 1, 2014. It also provides important details about new accessibility requirements that will come into effect on January 1, 2015. Businesses need to be ready to comply with these new accessibility requirements.

Accessibility requirements are dependent on the size and type of an organization. Please use the AODA Compliance Wizard to get a complete list of accessibility requirements that apply to your organization.

As of January 1, 2014:

A business or non-profit organization that has 20 or more employees must file a second accessibility compliance report by December 31, 2014.

Businesses that have 50 or more employees must:

  • have accessibility policies to achieve accessibility goals, and tell employees and customers about them
  • have a multi-year accessibility plan that outlines what will be done to meet accessibility requirements now and in the future, and put it on their website
  • consider accessibility when purchasing or designing self-service kiosks
  • make sure that any significant website updates, new websites and new web content are accessible

Starting January 1, 2015:

If a business or non-profit organization has 20-49 employees, it must:

If a business or non-profit organization has 50 or more employees, it must:

 

Need help?

Please visit ontario.ca/accessibility for a step-by-step guide on how to file your report and a complete list of all your legal requirements under the AODA.

Failure to File

Please note that organizations that do not report by December 31 could be subjected to action on behalf of the Government of Ontario, including inspections, Director’s Orders and financial penalties.

Questions or Comments?

Contact the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario:
Toll-free: 1.866.515.2025 / 416.849.8276
TTY Toll-free: 1.800.268.7095 / 416.325.3408
Email: accessibility@ontario.ca