The AODA is the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and was introduced in 2005. Businesses and organizations in Ontario have been required to change certain practices at their physical locations to assist people with disabilities. Soon, websites and web content must also be accessible to those with disabilities.
Beginning January 1, 2014 some websites and their content must meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, as outlined in the Accessibility Standard for Information and Communications or they will be subject to substantial fines.
What is The Accessibility Standard for Information and Communications?
The Accessibility Standard for Information and Communications is a guide to help Ontario businesses and organizations make their information accessible for people with disabilities.
What is WCAG?
WCAG 2.0 is an internationally accepted standard for web accessibility developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). WCAG 2.0 sets guidelines for organizations to make their websites more accessible for people with disabilities. The guidelines include things like writing web content in clear language, providing alternate text for images and providing options for text appearance.
Who does it affect?
All public sector organizations and private and non-profit organizations with 50 or more employees.
What changes need to be made?
To meet WCAG 2.0, Level A, an organization’s web presence must:
provide captions and text alternatives for images and multimedia
use strong contrast between text and background, and make text resizing available
create content that can be presented using assistive technologies (such as screen readers) without losing meaning
use structured content and make it keyboard accessible
avoid CAPTCHAs (user challenges involving distorted letterforms) and give users enough time to read and use content
avoid time limits when asking users to provide a response or information
avoid blinking images
avoid the use of colour indicators
help users find and navigate content by making links specific (not ‘click here’)
help users avoid and correct mistakes by making error messages specific
I’m not sure if I need to make changes!
An AODA Compliance Wizard has been set up to help you figure out what you need to do for your website to be accessible.
Check it out here:
https://www.appacats.mcss.gov.on.ca/eadvisor/newIndex.action#next
Here is an official brochure to help you figure out how to comply with the guidelines:
http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/documents/en/mcss/accessibility/iasr_info/website.pdf
Any business, large or small, should have a Visual Standards Guide governing their brand.
What is a Visual Standards Guide?
A Visual Standards Guide is your company’s “brand bible”; it is a document outlining aspects of the design and image of your company. A standards guide contains all rules and regulations for the company’s brand image, ensuring that what the public sees is always consistent.
Why is it important?
Your company’s brand is the image that the public sees. The brand establishes the voice and personality of a company. It represents how you want the world to see your company and consistency is important in keeping your message legitimate. You want others to be able to look at the design of your brand and associate it with your company. A lack of consistency leads to a messy and unorganized appearance. Also, it ensures that everyone will know how to use your brand. From graphic designers to suppliers it guarantees your brand stays the same no matter who is working with it. Having an established Visual Standards Guide keeps your company organized and everyone on the same page. A little work upfront saves you from rewrites and revisions later on. Before you can convey your message to the public or other companies it needs to be established and consistent within your own walls.
What do visual style guides include?
There are key elements that should be included in your Visual Standards Guide to ensure consistency.
Most Visual Standards Guides include sections on:
Typography/Font
Photography
Colour Palettes
Logo specifications
Stationary design
Language
Check out the Visual Standards Guides of these brands for some inspiration:
Nike
University of Cambridge
