Accessible Content

All online content, including PDFs, must meet provincial accessibility standards. If you supply content to the city, you are responsible for meeting these standards.

Accessibility Requirements

All content the city publishes online must meet WCAG 2.0 AA standards under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

Anyone creating or supplying content for the city, including consultants, vendors and partners, is responsible for meeting these standards.

What qualifies as content

Content means any information on a webpage or web application, including:

  • text, images and buttons
  • forms
  • documents, including PDFs
  • video and audio

If it is published online, it must be accessible.

What websites must comply

All public-facing websites the city controls, directly or through a contract, must meet accessibility standards. This includes Cambridge.ca, social media and other public-facing sites. Internal websites are exempt.

Make a PDF accessible

PDFs posted on any city website must meet WCAG 2.0 AA requirements under AODA. If you supply PDFs to the City of Cambridge, they must be fully accessible before submission.

Before you submit your PDF:
  1. Test the file using the PAC Checker.
  2. Fix all accessibility errors identified by the tool.
  3. Conduct a manual review to confirm:
    • logical reading order
    • accurate and meaningful alt text and links
    • colour contrast that meets WCAG 2.0 AA requirement

4. Include a passing accessibility report with your PDF.

Automated tools do not catch all accessibility issues. A manual review is required. PDFs that do not meet accessibility standards may be returned for correction.