This document summarizes Ontario's accessibility standards for websites and customer service. It outlines that by 2012, all Ontario businesses with employees must comply with standards from the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act to make their websites and customer service accessible. The standards are based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines which define principles like content must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. It provides an overview of who the standards apply to and what requirements must be met.

1. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Accessibility Standards for Customer Service

2. Summary What is website accessibility? Who is it governed by? Who is affected? When is it to be implemented? What are the requirements?

3. Facts About 1.85 million people in Ontario (15.5% of the population) have a disability 47.2 % of people over 65 have a disability As our population ages quickly, these numbers are predicted to increase (baby boomers) In the United States, which is implementing standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the hospitality industry has increased annual revenue by 12% People with disabilities also represent a wealth of untapped employment potential

4. Accessibility Standards for Customer Service Province of Ontario Ontario Human Rights Code Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) Ministry of Community and Social Services Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ontario Regulation 429/07 Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0

5. Clients Affected by Accessibility people with disabilities seniors consumers living in areas that do not have access to high-speed Internet people who have difficulty reading and writing people who speak English as a Second Language tourists and people living in multilingual societies

6. Any business/non-profit with one or more employees must comply with this act.

7. Compliance Deadlines January 1, 2010—for all providers designated public sector organizations (ie. All ministries, colleges, hospitals, school boards, municipalities, etc.) January 1, 2012—for all providers with at least one employee that are not designated public service organizations (businesses, non-profits, churches, unions, etc.)

8. WCAG 2.0 Guidelines: Principles Four Key Principles for Designing Accessible Websites

9. Perceivable Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive; web content is made available to the senses Provide text alternatives for any non-text content Provide alternatives for time-based media Create content that can be presented in different ways (ie. simpler layout) without losing information or structure Make it easier for users to see and hear content including separating foreground from background

10. Operable User interface components and navigation must be operable Make all functionality available from a keyboard Provide users enough time to read and use content Do not design content in a way that is known to cause seizures Provide ways to help users navigate, find content, and determine where they are

11. Understandable Information (content) and the operation of user interface must be understandable Make text content readable and understandable Make web pages appear and operate in predictable ways Help users avoid and correct mistakes

12. Robust Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents including assistive technologies Maximize compatibility with current and future user agents, including assistive technologies