Roughly one in five Canadians lives with a disability that affects how they interact with digital content. For some, this means using a screen reader to navigate websites by hearing text read aloud. For others, it means using a keyboard instead of a mouse, relying on captions to understand video content, or needing high contrast to read text clearly. Web accessibility is the practice of building websites that work for all of these users - not just the majority with no limitations.
Who Benefits from Accessible Websites
The most obvious beneficiaries are people with permanent disabilities:
- Visual impairments - People who are blind or have low vision use screen readers like NVDA (Windows) or VoiceOver (Mac and iOS) to navigate the web
- Motor disabilities - People who cannot use a mouse navigate entirely by keyboard or switch devices
- Cognitive impairments - People with dyslexia, ADHD, or cognitive disabilities benefit from clear structure, simple language, and predictable navigation
- Hearing impairments - Deaf or hard-of-hearing users rely on captions and transcripts for audio and video content
But accessibility improvements help a much broader group. Someone using a phone in bright sunlight benefits from high colour contrast. Someone in a noisy environment benefits from captions. Someone with a broken arm who is temporarily using only one hand benefits from full keyboard navigation. Accessible design is often just good design.
The Canadian Legal Context
Web accessibility is increasingly governed by Canadian law:
AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) - Ontario businesses and organizations with more than one employee are required to comply with AODA accessibility standards, which include WCAG 2.0 Level AA for websites. Larger organizations (50+ employees) have been required to comply since 2021. Small businesses (1-49 employees) face similar requirements.
ACA (Accessible Canada Act) - The federal Accessible Canada Act, passed in 2019, applies to federally regulated organizations including banks, telecoms, airlines, and federal government entities. It establishes WCAG 2.1 as the standard.
Quebec - Bill 60 is expanding accessibility requirements in Quebec.
British Columbia and Manitoba - Both provinces have introduced accessibility legislation with web standards components.
Even if your business is not currently subject to a legal requirement, accessibility requirements are expanding steadily across Canada. Building an accessible site now avoids costly retrofits later and reduces the risk of complaints.
The WCAG 2.1 AA Standard
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is the internationally recognized technical standard for web accessibility, published by the W3C. Version 2.1 at Level AA is the standard referenced by most Canadian legislation.
WCAG is organized around four principles - content must be:
- Perceivable - Users can perceive all content (alt text for images, captions for video)
- Operable - Users can operate the interface (keyboard navigation, no seizure-triggering content)
- Understandable - Content and interface are understandable (clear language, predictable behaviour)
- Robust - Content works with current and future assistive technologies
Practical Steps You Can Take Today
Alt text for images - Every image on your site should have descriptive alt text that conveys the meaning of the image. In WordPress, set this in the image block settings or the Media Library. Decorative images can use an empty alt attribute (alt="").
Keyboard navigation - Tab through your website without using your mouse. Can you reach every link, button, and form field? Can you tell where the focus is at all times? If not, your site has keyboard accessibility issues.
Colour contrast - Text must have sufficient contrast against its background. The WCAG AA standard requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. Use the free WebAIM Contrast Checker to test your colour combinations.
Captions for video - Any video with speech or meaningful audio needs accurate captions. YouTube and Vimeo both support caption files.
Clear heading structure - Use heading tags (H1, H2, H3) in a logical hierarchy. Screen readers use headings to navigate content, so skipping levels or using headings purely for styling causes confusion.
Descriptive link text - Links that say "click here" or "read more" are meaningless out of context. Use descriptive text like "Read our guide to domain registration."
Free Tools to Check Your Site
WAVE (wave.webaim.org) - Enter your URL for a visual overlay highlighting accessibility issues directly on your page.
Lighthouse - Built into Chrome DevTools. Run an Accessibility audit for a score and itemized list of issues.
axe DevTools - A browser extension that identifies accessibility violations with clear explanations.
WordPress Accessibility Plugins and Themes
Several WordPress plugins add accessibility features:
- WP Accessibility - Adds keyboard navigation improvements, skip links, and other fixes
- One Click Accessibility - Adds a toolbar letting visitors adjust contrast and font size
- Accessible Poetry and other accessible themes in the WordPress theme directory are designed to meet WCAG standards from the ground up
When choosing a WordPress theme, look specifically for one that mentions WCAG 2.1 AA compliance. Building accessibility in from the start is far easier than retrofitting it later.
