Comprehensive Digital Accessibility Audit for a Large Ontario Municipality
Residents do not see a website and fourteen separate vendor applications. They see their municipality. We audited the whole picture.
Project Overview
A large Ontario municipality engaged Accessibility Partners to audit its entire public-facing digital presence: the main municipal website, a sports and recreation portal, 14 third-party applications, and all 10 social media channels. The goal was a complete conformance picture across every digital surface a resident might encounter.
The Digital Ecosystem & Vendor Conformance Challenge
Modern municipal digital infrastructure is not a single website. Residents pay parking fines through one vendor platform, book recreation programs through another, register pets through a third. Social media is often the first place a resident looks for service information. The municipality was responsible for the accessibility of all of it, but conformance data existed for almost none of it.
Our Multi-Platform Audit Approach
We audited each component separately, using the appropriate methodology for each type of platform. City-owned properties received deep manual and automated testing. For the 14 third-party applications, we produced conformance scores that could be used directly in vendor management conversations giving procurement staff the data they needed to hold vendors accountable. For social media, we evaluated 200 posts across all 10 channels, assessing alt text, captions, colour contrast, and video captioning.
Project Snapshot
Industry
Municipal Government
Location
Ontario, Canada
Compliance Standard
AODA
Key Result
14 vendors + 10 social channels
AODA Conformance Audit Results
| Platform | Conformance |
|---|---|
| Score City website | 38.10% Sports |
| Recreation portal | 56.76% |
| Third-party applications (14) | 31.1% – 81.25% |
| Social media (10 channels, 200 posts) | 55.17% |
Services Used
Legislation: AODA
Talk to Us About Your Digital Ecosystem
Every engagement we take on is led by a credentialed senior consultant, not delegated to junior staff after the proposal is signed. We hold Government of Canada Standing Offer #1 national ranking, $5M errors and omissions insurance, and twelve years of experience across federal, provincial, municipal, and private-sector clients.
If your organisation needs a consolidated accessibility picture across owned properties, vendor platforms, and social media, we would welcome the conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Who is responsible for the accessibility of third-party vendor applications a municipality uses?
Municipalities are still responsible for ensuring residents can access services provided through vendor platforms.
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How do you audit social media accessibility across multiple channels?
We review captions, alt text, colour contrast, video accessibility, and posting practices across all channels.
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How can municipalities use vendor conformance scores in procurement conversations?
Conformance scores help municipalities identify accessibility risks and hold vendors accountable for improvements.
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What does a full municipal digital ecosystem accessibility audit cover?
It can include websites, portals, third-party applications, and social media platforms used by the public.