Many separate accessibility standards development processes exist in Canada. For example, Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, and Newfoundland all have laws that mandate creation of provincial accessibility standards. In addition, the Accessible Canada Act mandates accessibility standards that apply to organizations under federal jurisdiction. However, the government of Canada intends to coordinate federal and provincial accessibility laws. Moreover, the third review of the AODA recommends that the Ontario government should support this aim by aligning its accessibility law, the AODA, with the laws of other provinces and the country. If the governments work together to make these laws more similar, the AODA standards development process may change to align with laws in other places across the country. In this article, we will explore federal standards for accessibility in information and communication technology.
Implementing Federal Standards for Accessibility in Information and Communication Technology
The AODA has requirements for web accessibility, as well as requirements for the procurement of self-service kiosks. However, the third review of the AODA recommends that future AODA standards should align with existing standards in other parts of the country.
For instance, Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) has adopted European standards for accessibility in information and communication technology (ICT). Products and services involving ICT that should comply with these standards include:
- Webpages
- Documents that someone creates electronically, such as:
- Emails
- Letters
- Spreadsheets
- Presentations
- Books
- Movies
- Pictures
- Telecommunication devices, such as phones
- Computers and mobile devices
- Software, such as authoring tools
- Kiosks
- Office machines that can:
- Copy
- Scan
- Fax
- Information technology (IT) services
Moreover, these standards include guidelines and technical requirements to make many elements of these products and services accessible. For example, people should be able to find, recognize, and use these products and services with limited:
- Vision, or photosensitive epilepsy
- Speech
- Movement, strength, or reach
- Hearing
- Cognition, language, or learning
Furthermore, the standards have guidelines and requirements for ICT products and services with:
In addition, the standards have guidelines and requirements specifically for:
- Hardware
- Two-way voice communication technology
- Video communication technology
- Webpages and documents
- Software
- Documentation
- Relay services and emergency services
Therefore, future AODA standards may include some or all of these guidelines and requirements to make ICT products and services more accessible.