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Accessibility resources

Owned by Jennifer Poth
Last updated: Jun 28, 2024 by Allison Batoff
6 min read

Government of Canada accessibility resources 

For an explanation of the Government of Canada legislation on accessibility and current standards, please see Accessibility requirements. 

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) IT Accessibility Office 

This page contains a list of key links for ESDC's IT Accessibility Office.

Useful Links - ESDC / IT Accessibility office (bati-itao.github.io)

A11Y Canada’s Digital Accessibility Toolkit 

Tips to help make all your digital products and content, such as documents, emails and meetings accessible. This website has been recently updated to include resources on: Best practices for accessible virtual events, learning and development, making accessible emails and testing your products.

Digital Accessibility Toolkit - Digital Accessibility Toolkit (canada.ca) 

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 

WCAG 2.1 (English) 

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 were released June 5, 2018, and updated September 21, 2023. 

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 (w3.org) 

WCAG 2.1 (French) 

An official French translation of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 was released July 11, 2022. 

Règles pour l’accessibilité des contenus Web (WCAG) 2.1 (w3.org) 

WCAG 2.2 

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 were released October 5, 2023. 

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 (w3.org) 

Introduction to accessibility

Understanding Accessibility 

A tool for web designers that explains how to use colour, typography and media to create accessible interfaces. 

Understanding Accessibility 

Screen readers 

What Is a Screen Reader and Why Is It Important? 

This article answers common questions people have about screen reader software, including how they work, the types of devices that are compatible with screen readers, and tips for making your site and software more accessible. 

What Is a Screen Reader and Why Is It Important? - TPGi 

Five Screen Reader Accessibility Tests Your QA Team Should Do 

This article aims to demystify the accessibility screen reader compatibility testing process and show you how screen reader testing can reveal your successes and where your site still contains accessibility barriers. 

Five Screen Reader Accessibility Tests Your QA Team Should Do - TPGi 

WebAIM survey of screen reader user preferences 

In May - June 2021, WebAIM surveyed preferences of screen reader users. This was a follow-up to 8 previous surveys that were conducted between January 2009 and September 2019. 

Screen Reader User Survey #9 Results  

Designing for screen reader compatibility 

WebAIM’s guide to designing for screen reader compatibility. This guide includes an explanation of how screen reader users navigate content and how screen readers read content. 

Designing for Screen Reader Compatibility 

See a screen reader in action

For people who want to see a screen reader in action, it can be helpful to start with this demo from Hadi Rangin of the University of Washington’s IT Accessibility Team. Among the things Rangin discusses are ARIA landmarks, headings, and text content.

Using a Screen Reader (youtube.com) 

Accessibility testing best practices

Building Accessibility Checklists That Are Actually Useful 

This article provides tips to help you tailor accessibility checklists to your needs, remove items you don’t understand, review ones you do and break down responsibilities. 

Building Accessibility Checklists That Are Actually Useful | Access Armada 

Best Practices for Structuring Accessibility Testing: Part 1 

In Part 1 of this resource, TPGi establishes the building blocks for accessibility testing. 

Best Practices for Structuring Accessibility Testing: Part 1 - TPGi 

Best Practices for Structuring Accessibility Testing: Part 2 

In Part 2 of this resource, TPGi covers best practices in performing accessibility testing.  

Best Practices for Structuring Accessibility Testing: Part 2 - TPGi 

Creating accessible PDFs 

PDF Techniques for WCAG 2.0 

Documentation from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) on creating accessible PDFs. W3C notes: “Publication of techniques for a specific technology does not imply that the technology can be used in all situations to create content that meets WCAG 2.0 success criteria and conformance requirements. Developers need to be aware of the limitations of specific technologies and provide content in a way that is accessible to people with disabilities.”

PDF Techniques | Techniques for WCAG 2.0 (w3.org)

Create and verify PDF accessibility, Acrobat Pro 

Adobe Acrobat’s documentation on creating and verifying PDF accessibility. 

Create and verify PDF accessibility (Acrobat Pro)  

Creating accessible documents, Foxit 

Foxit’s documentation on creating and verifying PDF accessibility. 

Creating accessible PDF documents | Foxit

Writing alt text 

Canada.ca Content Style Guide 

Guidance from the Canada.ca Content Style Guide on including alternative text for images.

Canada.ca Content Style Guide - Canada.ca

Everything you need to know to write effective alt text 

Guidelines on how to write alt text and how to add alt text to files made using Microsoft products including Word documents and PowerPoint presentations. 

Everything you need to know to write effective alt text - Microsoft Support

Designing accessible features 

If it’s Not Usable, it’s Not Accessible 

This article features a conversation with TPGi’s Chief Accessibility Officer, David Sloan about how usability and accessibility are linked. 

If it’s Not Usable, it’s Not Accessible - TPGi 

The Road to Accessible Drag and Drop (Part 1) 

This article features a wish list of capabilities and features that accessible drag and drop must have, or should have, or would be nice. 

The Road to Accessible Drag and Drop (Part 1) - TPGi 

The Road to Accessible Drag and Drop (Part 2) 

This article discusses techniques and solutions, including production-ready (and CC licensed) demos of the approach. 

The Road to Accessible Drag and Drop (Part 2) - TPGi 

The Road to Accessible Drag and Drop (Part 3) 

This article includes reference documentation, with everything you need to configure and use the script. 

The Road to Accessible Drag and Drop (Part 3) - TPGi 

Designing for colourblind users 

Designing UI with colour blind users in mind 

An article on how to improve your site’s accessibility and the experience it delivers for people who have difficulty seeing colour clearly or differentiating between colours. 

Designing UI with color blind users in mind | Secret Stache 

Designing with the colourblind in mind will improve your design for everyone 

An article that uses designing for colourblind users as an example of how inclusive design can benefit users in various situations. 

Designing with the colorblind in mind will improve your design for everyone | Inside Design Blog (invisionapp.com) 

Designing for aging users 

Accessible Design: Designing for the Elderly 

This article lists some best practices for designing accessible solutions for elderly users and provides additional resources. 

Accessible Design: Designing for the Elderly | by Spire Digital | UX Planet 

Older Users and Web Accessibility: Meeting the Needs of Ageing Web Users 

This resource from W3C helps highlight the overlapping needs of people who are elderly and people with disabilities. 

Older Users and Web Accessibility: Meeting the Needs of Ageing Web Users | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) | W3C 

Accessibility communities 

The A11Y Project 

The A11Y Project is a community-driven effort to make digital accessibility easier. 

Home - The A11Y Project 

External accessibility guidelines 

Pearson’s accessibility guidelines 

Pearson’s accessibility guidelines for higher education. This resource contains non-technical explanations of each WCAG principle, including why they are important and who they benefit. This site also includes a helpful glossary of accessibility terms. 

Accessibility guidelines (pearson.com) 

Microsoft’s Inclusive Design Toolkit 

Microsoft’s space for inclusive design. This site provides an introduction to the world of inclusive design, an introduction to inclusive design for cognition, and a primer to understand how bias affects artificial intelligence. 

Microsoft's Inclusive Design Toolkit – Introduction to Inclusive Design

HSBC’s Accessibility Hub 

Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation’s (HSBC) accessibility hub was originally developed as internal training for HSBC employees but is now a publicly available e-learning platform that aims to help people put accessibility at the heart of digital design. 

Homepage | HSBC Accessibility Hub 

Building a business case for accessibility 

The business case for accessibility 

A blog post from Deque on the four aspects of ROI as they relate to accessibility: capturing an overlooked market share, risk management, lowering operational costs and boosting brand value. 

The business case for accessibility | Deque 

The Business Case for Digital Accessibility 

An article from W3C examining the rationale for organizations to address accessibility. It includes tangible and intangible benefits, and the risks of not addressing accessibility adequately. 

The Business Case for Digital Accessibility | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) | W3C 

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