Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation, accessible websites and web content (large organizations)
O. Reg. 191/11, s. 14 (accessible websites and web content)
In force since .
An accessibility requirements rule binding private bodies.
- Conformance standard
- WCAG 2.0 AA
As of .
What it requires
- If you provide goods, services or facilities to the public or other third parties and are a large organization (an organization with 50 or more employees in Ontario, other than the Government of Ontario, the Legislative Assembly or a designated public sector organization), make your internet website and web content conform with WCAG 2.0 at Level AA, other than success criteria 1.2.4 Captions (Live) and 1.2.5 Audio Descriptions (Pre-recorded) (s. 14 (2) and (4)).
- The duty covers websites and web content, including web-based applications, that you control directly or through a contractual relationship that allows for modification of the product, and web content published on a website after , except where meeting the requirement is not practicable (s. 14 (5)).
- New internet websites (a website with a new domain name, or an existing domain undergoing a significant refresh) had to conform with WCAG 2.0 Level A by , and all internet websites and web content with Level AA by (s. 14 (4) and (7)).
- The Regulation names WCAG 2.0, the World Wide Web Consortium Recommendation dated December 2008, and does not name a later version (s. 14 (7)).
These lines are LexLint's reading of the law's text, as of .
If you get it wrong
Penalty structure
A director sets the administrative penalty from Schedule 3 for a corporation ($500 to $15,000) or Schedule 2 for an individual or unincorporated organization ($200 to $2,000), by the impact of the contravention and the contravention history (s. 83 (1)). Only where both are major may the director treat that penalty as a daily penalty, so $15,000 a day for a corporation to a maximum of $100,000, and $2,000 a day for an individual or unincorporated organization to a maximum of $50,000.
- Rule
- Per violation only
- As of
- Currency
- CAD
- Fixed cap
- 100,000
- Per violation unit
- Day
- Per violation amount
- 15,000
Over one month, CAD 100,000, which is the instrument's own cap: the penalty stops accruing on day 7.
Who enforces it
Enforcement body
A director appointed under section 30 of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005
Settledness
- As of
- Open questions
- Does "web-based applications" in section 14 (5) (a) reach a native mobile application, or only an application delivered through a website?
What it reaches
Instrument type
a regulation made under an act
Applicability criteria
- As of
- Combinator
- All of
- Criteria
- an organization with 50 or more employees in Ontario, other than the Government of Ontario, the Legislative Assembly or a designated public sector organization
What this law does
Section 14 requires designated public sector organizations and large organizations to make their internet websites and web content conform with WCAG 2.0, initially at Level A and increasing to Level AA.
By the new internet websites and web content of a large organization had to conform with WCAG 2.0 Level A. By all internet websites and web content must conform with WCAG 2.0 Level AA, other than two success criteria, Captions (Live) and Audio Descriptions (Pre-recorded).
Section 14 applies, except where meeting the requirement is not practicable, 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 to web content published on a website after .
An internet website is a collection of related web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that are addressed relative to a common Uniform Resource Identifier and accessible to the public. A new internet website is a website with a new domain name or a website with an existing domain name undergoing a significant refresh. The Regulation defines the Guidelines as the Recommendation dated December 2008. The Regulation was made on and filed on .
When LexLint raises it
When your app profile says your app ships a consumer interface.