Accessibility in Marketing

What Marketers Need to Know

Accessibility is about inclusivity and equal opportunity. The goal is for individuals with disabilities, whether temporary or permanent, to have the opportunity to participate as fully as possible in society, including online spaces. More than six million Canadians aged 15 and over identify as having an accessibility challenge, although Statistics Canada notes that actual numbers are likely higher. This represents a large segment of the population.

Creating accessible websites and content helps to ensure that they are usable by everyone, so the guiding principle is to design for all people of various abilities. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the benchmark for website accessibility and have been adopted around the world.

Marketers need to ensure digital content meets WCAG 2.0 Level AA standards at minimum. These standards outline alternative text to support visual and auditory needs, keyboard accessibility requirements and more.

In addition, there are accessibility provisions in the Canadian Marketing Code of Ethics and Standards. The CMA Guide to Digital Accessibility brings together essential information for marketers to help ensure that digital materials meet accessibility rules and best practices.