What is the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)?

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is provincial legislation that was passed in 2005 with the goal of removing barriers for people with disabilities by 2025. This legislation is being phased in and has specific deadlines for implementation that the College must be met in order to ensure compliance.

What must the College do to comply?

As a large public organization, Algonquin College must:

  • Allow the use of assistive devices by persons with disabilities and ensure staff that interacts with these devices are trained appropriately.
  • Communicate with people with disabilities in ways that take into account their disability.
  • Allow service animals into parts of the College that are open to the public.
  • Allow people with disabilities to be accompanied by a support person.
  • Give public notice when something is not accessible.
  • Invite people to give feedback regarding accessibility policies and accommodations
  • Document accessibility policies, and let the public know where they can access these documents
  • Make sure accessibility policies are available in an accessible format.
  • Report accessibility progress online to the Ministry annually.
  • Provide or arrange for the provision of accessible formats and communication support for persons with disabilities upon request.
  • Consult with the person making the request in determining the most appropriate format or communication support.
  • Notify the public about the availability of accessible formats and communication support.
  • Make all educational and training resources and materials accessible.

In addition to the above, the College must ensure that the College website and web content conform with the World Wide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, initially at Level A and increasing to Level AA.

AODA Training

The training module Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR) Training and Training on the Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC) was released in 2014 and must be completed by all Ontario based employees.

To access your available training modules please access with the Employee Learning Catalogue:

Additional training resources of AODA Customer Service Training here: https://accessforward.ca

Additional training resources on Making Videos Accessible here: https://www.ami.ca/youtube-accessibility