Why Web Accessibility Matters

Accessibility isn’t just the right thing to do — though it is that. It also makes practical sense, for a few overlapping reasons.

The business case

An accessible site reaches more people. According to the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability, 27% of Canadians aged 15 and older — about 8 million people — have one or more disabilities that limit their daily activities, and that rate has grown 5 percentage points since 2017. That figure doesn’t even count older users, people with temporary limitations, or those in poor connectivity or bright-light conditions. Many accessibility improvements — clear navigation, readable text, well-labeled forms — also improve SEO and general usability. Fixing accessibility issues tends to fix usability issues for everyone, not just disabled users.

The legal landscape

Accessibility law is expanding across jurisdictions, with real compliance obligations attached.

• AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) — Ontario law requiring organizations to meet accessibility standards on a phased schedule, with WCAG 2.0 Level AA as the benchmark for web content. Other provinces have followed with their own legislation, including Manitoba’s Accessibility for Manitobans Act and Nova Scotia’s Accessibility Act.
• Accessible Canada Act — federal law aimed at a barrier-free Canada by 2040, applying to federally regulated organizations
• ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) — U.S. law that courts have increasingly applied to websites, not just physical spaces
• Section 508 — U.S. federal requirement for government and government-funded technology

Regardless of jurisdiction, most laws point to the same technical standard: the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). We’ll cover WCAG in Module 4.

This is general awareness, not legal advice — organizations should consult legal counsel for compliance questions specific to their situation.

The ethical case

At its core, accessibility is about digital access as a right, not a favor. The web has become essential infrastructure — for work, healthcare, education, civic participation. Excluding people from it isn’t a minor inconvenience; it’s exclusion from participating fully in modern life.