AODA Website Accessibility for Dental Practices

Who the rule covers

The Government of Ontario says the website requirement applies to designated public sector organizations and to businesses or non-profit organizations with 50 or more employees.¹ The organization that controls the website, directly or through a contract, is responsible for meeting it.¹

Whether your practice is covered depends on headcount. Larger practices, dental groups and corporate owners with several clinics are the most likely to reach the threshold. Count employees across the organization, not per clinic, and confirm your position with an advisor if you are close.

What content is covered

The requirement applies to public websites and web content published after 1 January 2012.¹ The government describes content as information on a web page or web application, including text, images, forms and sounds.¹ Internal sites such as intranets do not have to meet the Level A or AA criteria, except for the Government of Ontario and the Legislative Assembly.¹

The standard

Covered organizations must meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA success criteria, with two exceptions: 1.2.4, live captions, and 1.2.5, pre-recorded audio descriptions.¹ The government notes that in most cases you need to meet the Level A criteria before you can meet Level AA.¹

WCAG has moved on since 2.0. The W3C’s current version, WCAG 2.2, adds criteria such as 2.5.8, which sets a minimum target size of 24 by 24 CSS pixels for most interactive controls.² Building to WCAG 2.2 Level AA meets the WCAG 2.0 Level AA requirement and gives you a margin.

What to check first on a dental website

These issues directly affect patients trying to find information and request appointments.

• Text alternatives. Every meaningful image has alt text that describes it. Decorative images are marked so screen readers skip them. Hours and addresses are real text, not images.
• Colour contrast. Body text and buttons meet the 4.5 to 1 contrast ratio for normal text and 3 to 1 for large text in WCAG Level AA. Pale teal or grey text on white can easily fall short.
• Headings. Each page has one main heading and a logical order of subheadings, so screen reader users can scan the page.
• Keyboard access. Menus, accordions, booking widgets and forms work with a keyboard alone, and the focus outline is visible.
• Forms. Every field has a visible label. Errors are described in text, not only with colour. Required fields are marked clearly.
• Links. Link text says where the link goes. “Click here” and “read more” on their own are not enough.
• Zoom and reflow. Text can be zoomed to 200 percent without content disappearing, and pages reflow on narrow screens without sideways scrolling.
• Motion. Carousels and animations can be paused, and nothing flashes.
• Video. Pre-recorded videos with speech have captions. Ontario’s rule exempts live captions and pre-recorded audio descriptions, but not captions for pre-recorded video.¹
• Documents. PDFs such as new patient forms are accessible, or the same information is available as a web page.

Third-party tools

Booking widgets, chat tools, maps and embedded videos come from other providers, but they appear on your website. If you control the website, you are responsible for the experience. Test each tool with a keyboard and a screen reader. If a booking widget cannot be used without a mouse, offer an accessible alternative, such as a simple request form or a phone number, right next to it.

Accessibility statement

An accessibility statement tells patients what standard you aim for, any known issues and how to get help or give feedback. It is a simple page, but it shows patients you take access seriously and gives them a route to report problems. See the Dentoryxa accessibility statement for an example of the format.

How we approach it

Dentoryxa builds every website to WCAG 2.2 Level AA as a design and development standard, regardless of practice size. That means accessible colours and type from the first layout, semantic code, tested keyboard behaviour and forms with proper labels. For existing sites, mobile optimization and speed optimization projects include an accessibility check of the pages we touch.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. If you are unsure whether the AODA applies to your organization, check the Government of Ontario’s guidance or ask an advisor.

A twenty-minute self-check

You do not need special software to find the most obvious problems. Try this on your home page, a treatment page and the contact page.

1. Press the Tab key repeatedly from the top of the page. Can you see where the focus is at every step, and can you reach the menu, the phone number and the appointment button?
2. Zoom your browser to 200 percent. Does any text overlap, disappear or require sideways scrolling?
3. Open the appointment form and try to send it empty. Are the errors described in words next to each field?
4. Look at every image. If it carries information, such as hours or a map, is the same information available as text?
5. Turn your phone’s screen reader on and listen to the first screen of the home page. Does it make sense without seeing it?
6. Check any video for captions.

Write down what fails. Those notes are a good brief for a designer, and they show the issues that affect patients most directly.

Frequently asked questions

My practice has fewer than 50 employees. Does the AODA website rule apply?

The website requirement described by the Government of Ontario applies to businesses and non-profits with 50 or more employees, plus designated public sector organizations. A smaller practice is not covered by that rule, but accessible design still helps patients and reduces risk under other laws, such as human rights legislation.

Is WCAG 2.0 out of date?

WCAG 2.2 is the current version from the W3C, and it adds criteria such as a minimum target size. Ontario’s requirement still refers to WCAG 2.0 Level AA. Building to WCAG 2.2 Level AA covers WCAG 2.0 Level AA as well.

Do accessibility overlay widgets make a site compliant?

We do not rely on them. Overlays add a toolbar on top of a site but do not fix the underlying code, such as missing labels or poor heading structure. Fixing the site itself is more reliable.

Sources

1. Government of Ontario: How to make websites accessible Government
2. W3C: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Standard

Checked on 29 October 2026. Rules change, so confirm the current version with the regulator before you publish.