- AODA Training Guide
AODA Audit Checklist 2026: Free Download for Ontario Businesses
A structured self-assessment covering every major area of AODA compliance — from your website to your HR practices to your policy documentation. Identify your gaps, prioritize where to start, and brief an auditor on areas of concern.
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Before commissioning a professional AODA audit, most organizations want to understand where they stand. This checklist lets you do exactly that — a structured self-assessment covering every major area of AODA compliance, from your website to your HR practices to your policy documentation.
Use it to identify obvious gaps, prioritize where to start, and brief an auditor on areas of concern. It is not a substitute for a professional audit, but it will tell you a great deal about your compliance status in under an hour.
Download the free AODA audit checklist
The full checklist is available as a PDF — formatted for printing, sharing with your team, and working through offline. 61 items across all five compliance areas.
How to use this AODA compliance checklist
Work through each section with the relevant person in your organization: your web developer or IT team for the website section, HR or a manager for the employment section, your compliance lead or senior management for policies and documentation.
Mark each item as complete, in progress, or not started. Items marked “not started” are your compliance gaps. Items marked “in progress” need a deadline and an owner. The goal is not to achieve a perfect score on the first pass — it is to know exactly where you stand.
The AODA compliance audit checklist
- AODA Standards: All Five Standards Explained in Full
How to interpret your checklist results
Once you have worked through each section, you will have a picture of where your organization stands. Here is how to read what you find.
- AODA Compliance Audit: Complete Guide for 2026
- How to Perform an Accessibility Audit: Step-by-Step
What a professional AODA audit adds that this checklist cannot
A self-assessment checklist tells you whether things are in place. A professional audit tells you whether they work.
Website: depth of testing
A checklist confirms that alt text exists. A professional audit confirms that the alt text is accurate and useful — not placeholder text, not filename dumps. It tests how a screen reader actually navigates your site, not just whether technical attributes are present.
Policies: substance, not just existence
A checklist confirms you have a written accessibility policy. A professional audit reviews whether the policy contains everything it needs to, whether it reflects current regulatory requirements, and whether it matches how your organization actually operates.
Training: records versus reality
A checklist confirms training records exist. A professional audit reviews whether the training covered everything it needed to, whether records are complete and properly formatted for audit purposes, and whether any groups were missed.
Employment: process versus practice
A checklist confirms a documented IAP process exists. A professional audit confirms the process meets the IASR's requirements, has been used when needed, and is accessible to employees who need it.
- Third-Party AODA Audit: When You Need One
- AODA Compliance Cost: What an Audit Costs
The most common AODA compliance gaps we find
Based on audit experience across Ontario organizations of all sizes, these are the gaps that appear most frequently — and the ones most likely to surface in a government audit or complaint investigation.
Frequently asked questions
Is this checklist sufficient to demonstrate AODA compliance?
- No. A self-assessment checklist documents your review of compliance items at a point in time. It does not carry the same weight as a professional audit report or verify that what is in place actually works. For organizations filing a compliance report, responding to a government audit, or addressing a complaint, a professional audit provides significantly stronger evidence of compliance.
How often should I run through an AODA compliance checklist?
- At minimum, annually — and whenever significant changes occur: a website redesign, a change in organizational size that crosses the 20 or 50-employee thresholds, an update to your accessibility policies, or following a complaint about accessibility. The checklist is most useful as a living document that your organization returns to regularly rather than a one-time exercise.
What should I do if the checklist reveals significant gaps?
- Prioritize the gaps by risk: website accessibility issues that prevent users from completing core tasks, missing training records, and absence of required policies carry the highest compliance risk. For significant gaps, particularly in the website section, commission a professional accessibility audit to get the full picture. Do not file an AODA compliance report before gaps are understood and addressed.
Does completing this checklist protect my organization from enforcement?
- Not in itself. Working through the checklist and documenting the results does demonstrate that your organization is actively managing its compliance obligations — which matters in enforcement contexts. But the protection comes from actually fixing the gaps the checklist identifies, not from having completed the checklist.
How is this checklist different from the government's compliance reporting tool?
- The Ontario government’s compliance reporting tool asks organizations to declare whether they have met specific AODA requirements. This checklist helps you assess whether those requirements are actually met before you make that declaration. It is a preparation tool, not a reporting tool.
Get the full checklist — free PDF download
The printable version includes all 61 items across all five sections, with checkboxes and space for notes. Formatted for team workshops, management review, and audit preparation.
- 61 checklist items across website, policies, training, employment, and customer service
- Scoring guide: how to interpret your results and what to do next
- Compliance report preparation notes for organizations with 20+ employees
- Printable PDF format — A4 and Letter sizes
- Gap summary template: record findings and assign owners
- Links to further guidance for each section
