This page gives links to free resources about accessibility laws and regulations and digital accessibility.
Accessibility regulations
Several disability laws and regulations protect people with disabilities. This section lists some of the main active acts.
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is a landmark international treaty adopted in 2006, establishing that people with disabilities have the same human rights as everyone, shifting focus from charity to rights and inclusion, requiring countries (States Parties) to eliminate barriers, ensure accessibility, and promote participation in all aspects of life, like education, work, and decision-making, with a monitoring Committee to oversee implementation.
Link to the United Nations CRPD website
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a U.S. civil rights law ensuring equal access for people with disabilities in employment, public services, and private places, prohibiting discrimination and requiring accessibility standards for buildings, transport, and tech.
Accessible Canada Act (ACA)
The purpose of the Accessible Canada Act is to make Canada barrier-free by January 1, 2040. This involves identifying, removing and preventing barriers in federal jurisdiction in employment, the built environment, information and communication technologies, other types of communication, the procurement of goods, services and facilities, the design and delivery of programs and services, and transportation.
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)
Enacted in 2005, the purpose of this Act is to benefit all Ontarians by developing, implementing and enforcing accessibility standards in order to achieve accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities with respect to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures and premises, and providing for the involvement of persons with disabilities, of the Government of Ontario and of representatives of industries and of various sectors of the economy in the development of the accessibility standards. The initial aim was to create a fully accessible province by the end of 2025.
Accessible British Columbia Act (ABCA)
The Accessible British Columbia Act (ABCA) is B.C.’s provincial law requiring government organizations, and eventually other specified organizations, to create and publish Accessibility Plans to identify, remove, and prevent barriers for people with disabilities, ensuring greater inclusion in services, programs, and policies through regular review and feedback from the disability community. It aims to improve lives by making B.C. a barrier-free province by 2041.
Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA)
The Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) is Manitoba’s law enacted in 2013 to identify, prevent, and remove barriers for people with disabilities, creating a proactive process through specific accessibility standards in areas like customer service, information, transportation, and employment, requiring public and private organizations to integrate accessibility into their operations and make tangible changes for inclusivity.
New Brunswick Accessibility Act
Passed in June 2024, the New Brunswick Accessibility Act is provincial legislation aiming to make NB accessible by 2040 by identifying, removing, and preventing barriers in key areas like government services, transportation, education, employment, built environment, housing, info/comm, and sports/rec, requiring new standards and involving people with disabilities in development, creating a framework for a barrier-free province.
Link to the New Brunswick Accessibility Act
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Bill 38
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Bill 38 is the province’s Accessibility Act, passed in late 2021, landmark legislation giving the government power to set accessibility standards, aiming to create a more inclusive province by identifying and removing barriers for persons with disabilities, making it the sixth Canadian province with such specific laws.
Nova Scotia’s Accessibility Act
Nova Scotia’s Accessibility Act, passed in 2017, is provincial legislation aiming to make Nova Scotia barrier-free and fully accessible by 2030, aligning with the UN Convention on Disability Rights by removing obstacles in goods, services, transport, employment, built environments, info/comms, and education, through developing specific standards and involving people with disabilities in the process. It mandates public sector bodies to create accessibility plans and advisory committees, guiding a cultural shift towards inclusion.
Link to Nova Scotia’s Accessibility Act’s text
Accessible Saskatchewan Act (ASA)
The Accessible Saskatchewan Act (ASA), effective in December 2023, is a provincial law designed to make Saskatchewan more inclusive by removing and preventing barriers for people with disabilities in key areas like the built environment, information, communication, employment, and transportation, requiring public sector bodies to create and post accessibility plans developed with disabled persons’ input.
European accessibility act
The European accessibility act is a directive that aims to improve the functioning of the internal market for accessible products and services, by removing barriers created by divergent rules in Member States. The European accessibility act covers products and services that have been identified as being most important for persons with disabilities while being most likely to have diverging accessibility requirements across EU countries. The Commission consulted stakeholders and experts on accessibility and took into account the obligations deriving from the UN convention on persons with disabilities.
Link to the European commission page on European accessibility act
Digital accessibility
Many universities and organizations published digital accessibility guides. Here are a few links that could be of interest. Since ArtsAbly is based in Canada, many of these links are published by Canadian institutions, but can be applied to all. You will find similar information in several formats, so that you can choose the one that suits you the most.
Guidance on the Accessible Canada Regulations
This Guidance Hub is a centralized resource designed to help federally regulated public and private organizations understand their obligations under the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) and the Accessible Canada Regulations (ACARs). The content is organized into key guidance categories: planning and reporting and digital technologies. Each category contains guidance documents designed to support meeting or exceeding regulatory requirements.
Link to the Accessible Canada Regulations website
AODA Web Accessibility Guidelines
Under the Information and Communications Standards of the AODA, organizations must make their websites and web-based apps accessible. Organizations must do so by making their websites compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level AA. This international standard gives web developers guidelines on how to make their webpages accessible to computer users with disabilities. However, updates to the Information and Communications Standards could require organizations to comply with more recent versions of WCAG.
Link to the AODA Web Accessibility Guidelines
OntarioTech University’s Guide to Accessible Documents
Detailed guide to accessible documents, in PDF format.
Link to OntarioTech U’s Guide to Accessible Documents PDF
Seneca’s Library of Resources on Digital Accessibility
Multiple videos, links and documents to help you make your digital content accessible.
Link to Seneca’s Library of Resources
Western University’s Digital Resources on Web Accessibility Standards
Web accessibility means designing websites so that everyone, including people with disabilities, can use them easily. When websites are built correctly, everyone gets equal access to information and features.
Link to Western University’s Digital Resources
Accessibility Partners’ Ultimate Guide to AODA Compliance for Documents
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) plays a vital role in creating inclusive workplaces and public services across Ontario. A key part of this legislation is ensuring that digital content (including documents) is accessible to everyone, regardless of ability. From internal PDFs to downloadable resources and public reports, AODA compliance for documents helps ensure all users can access, navigate, and understand essential information.
Link to Accessibility Partners’ guide
George Brown College Instructor Guide: Creating Accessible Documents
George Brown College is dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment for our
students, employees and community members. Their core value of diversity and
respect is the corner stone of their commitment to achieve and demonstrate
leadership in accessibility. This document is in PDF format.
Link to George Brown College’s Instructor Guide PDF
Humber College Accessibility Standards
The basic requirement is to let the public and faculty and staff know that you will make written information and other forms of communication accessible, upon request. You could include a note on your website or promotional materials, create a sign or post a notice on a bulletin board. If a person with a disability asks for accessible information or requires communication supports, work with them to figure out how to meet their needs.