Web Accessibility

Web accessibility at the University of Waterloo

The University of Waterloo is committed to meeting our obligations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). The University has an obligation to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2.0 Level AA for all public websites, in accordance with AODA legislation, as outlined in Policy 58 - Accessibility. (Our obligations are specified in Section 14 of the Integrated Accessibility Standards which is a regulation under the AODA.)

How to comply

Building your web site in the Waterloo Content Management System or UWaterloo Scholar is the easiest way to meet this requirement. For sites outside of these systems, see how to meet web accessibility requirements.

Scope

The standard is now in force and applies to anything that was published on a website on or after January 1, 2012, including PDF files and web-based applications that an organization controls directly or through a contractual relationship that allows for modification of the product.

Websites are required to be accessible if any of the following are true:

• the site is about a University entity, such as a faculty, department, school, institute, etc.

• the University has the ability to control the content on the site.

• the site conveys information that reasonably would be considered University business. For example, a professional “profile” page that describes a person’s area of expertise and how to contact them at the University must be accessible. (A site that is about a person’s hobbies and not in the University’s control is not required to be accessible. Such sites would not use the University logo.)

The rules that apply to the University also apply to the Affiliated and Federated Institutions of Waterloo.

Websites in the University’s web space that are personal or relating to other groups, such as student clubs, for which the University does not control content do not fall under the University’s legal mandate to make its websites accessible. Still, University employees and other groups using the University’s web space are strongly encouraged to make their sites accessible.

Additional resources

• Attend the IT Professional Development (ITPD) courses on web accessibility.

• Review the Basic web accessibility and Accessibility tools pages.

• For more details, refer to the quick reference “How to Meet WCAG 2.0”.

Contact Liam Morland with any questions about creating accessible web content.