- AODA Training Guide
AODA Accessibility Report: What's Included and What to Do With It
An accessibility audit report is not a certificate of compliance. It is a working document — a detailed record of every accessibility issue found during testing, why each one matters, and what needs to be done to fix it. Its value is entirely in how actionable it is.
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An accessibility audit report is not a certificate of compliance. It is a working document — a detailed record of every accessibility issue found during testing, why each one matters, and what needs to be done to fix it. Its value is entirely in how actionable it is.
What a professional AODA accessibility report contains
A well-structured accessibility audit report has six distinct sections. Each serves a specific purpose for a different audience: executives need the summary, developers need the technical findings, project managers need the remediation roadmap.
What a single issue record looks like
Every issue in the report should be documented in a consistent format. Here is an example of what a well-documented finding looks like — this level of detail is what makes remediation possible without requiring the developer to go back to the auditor with questions.
Note the level of specificity: the issue is located to a specific element, the two affected pages are identified, the test method is stated, the user impact is concrete, and the fix is specific enough for a developer to implement without further clarification. This is what separates a useful audit report from a list of WCAG criterion names.
How severity ratings work
Every issue in an accessibility audit report should carry a severity rating. Severity ratings reflect the impact of the issue on users with disabilities and are the primary tool for prioritizing remediation.
What a good accessibility report does not include
How to act on an accessibility audit report
Receiving the report is the beginning of the compliance process, not the end. Organizations that treat the report as a project deliverable rather than a compliance document get the most value from it.
Step 1: Review the executive summary with your team
Before diving into individual issues, read the executive summary with the people responsible for fixing things. Confirm the critical findings and note the highest-risk areas before workload estimates are made.
Step 2: Route issues to the right owners
Developers for code issues, designers for colour contrast and focus indicators, content editors for alt text and link text, HR or compliance leads for policy and documentation findings. A shared project tracker works well.
Step 3: Start with Critical issues on high-traffic pages
Critical issues on the pages most users visit have the highest real-world impact. A Critical keyboard navigation failure on your homepage matters more than a Moderate contrast issue on a blog post from 2022.
Step 4: Address template issues once
Template-level findings appear on many pages but require a single fix. If a heading structure failure affects 80 pages because they all use the same template, one code fix resolves all 80 instances simultaneously.
Step 5: Retest and document
After each batch of fixes, retest the affected elements. Confirm that the fix resolves the issue correctly — it is common for a code change to fix one criterion while inadvertently creating another.
Step 6: Build accessibility into your workflow
Fixing existing issues without process change means new issues accumulate at the same rate. Add automated accessibility checks to your development pipeline and brief content editors on accessible writing.
- Accessibility Remediation: How to Fix WCAG Issues
Using an audit report for AODA compliance purposes
An accessibility audit report serves a specific function in your compliance programme: it documents that you assessed your accessibility status, identified gaps, and have a plan to address them. This documentation matters in several contexts.
Filing your AODA compliance report
Organizations with 20+ employees must file a compliance report every three years. An audit report produced before filing demonstrates that the declaration is based on an actual assessment rather than an assumption.
Responding to a government audit
If the Ontario government audits your organization, an audit report showing identified issues and a remediation plan in progress demonstrates good-faith effort — even if remediation is not yet complete.
Responding to a complaint
If an accessibility complaint is filed against your organization, an audit report demonstrating you had assessed your accessibility status and were actively remediating issues is the most useful documentation you can provide.
Communicating with customers and stakeholders
An audit report provides the factual basis for an accurate, honest accessibility statement on your website — noting your current compliance status, the date of your last audit, known remaining issues, and how users can request accessible alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AODA accessibility report?
- An AODA accessibility report is the documented output of an accessibility audit — a structured record of every issue found during testing, its WCAG criterion reference, its severity, where it appears, its impact on users, and the recommended fix. It is a working document for the remediation team and a compliance record for the organization.
How long should an accessibility audit report be?
- It depends entirely on how many issues are found. A small website with few issues might produce a 15–20 page report. A complex site with hundreds of issues across dozens of pages might produce a 60–100+ page report. Length is not a proxy for quality. A 10-page report that is specific, actionable, and complete is more valuable than a 100-page report full of vague findings.
Should I share the audit report publicly?
- Generally no. An accessibility report documents specific vulnerabilities in your website — it is a technical compliance document, not a public statement. An accessibility statement on your website (noting compliance status, audit date, known gaps, and how to request accessible alternatives) is the appropriate public-facing document. The full report should be treated as internal compliance documentation.
What should I do if the audit report contains hundreds of issues?
- Focus on severity, not volume. Work through the severity-based remediation roadmap in the report. Critical issues first, on high-traffic pages. Serious issues next. Use template analysis to identify fixes that resolve many instances at once. Most large-scale accessibility issues trace back to a small number of underlying root causes — fixing those root causes resolves the majority of findings.
Does an accessibility report expire?
- There is no formal expiry, but an audit report reflects a website at a point in time. For active websites where content and code changes regularly, findings from a report more than 12–18 months old may not reflect current site status. Major website redesigns, new CMS migrations, or significant content additions warrant a new audit.
Get an audit report your team can actually use
A good accessibility report gives your developers exactly what they need to fix issues: the criterion, the location, the impact, a screenshot, and the code-level fix. Our audit reports are structured for remediation — not for filing away.
- Executive summary suitable for senior stakeholder review
- Issues list with WCAG criterion, severity, location, screenshot, and code-level fix guidance for every finding
- Remediation roadmap prioritized by severity with suggested timelines
- Full methodology section: scope, tools, AT combinations, test dates
- Template analysis identifying which fixes resolve multiple pages simultaneously
- One walkthrough call with your team to review findings and answer questions
