Usually, yes. A site on Squarespace, Wix or Shopify can meet the standard Ontario's AODA sets, WCAG 2.0 Level AA, but the platform does not get you there on its own. The builder gives you accessible structure. Your content, colour choices, forms and media decide whether the site passes, and the law puts the responsibility on whoever controls the site, not on the platform.
What the AODA actually asks for
| Question | Answer from Ontario's published rules |
|---|---|
| Who must comply | Designated public sector organizations, and businesses and non-profits with 50 or more employees |
| Standard | WCAG 2.0 Level AA, except 1.2.4 (live captions) and 1.2.5 (pre-recorded audio descriptions) |
| Since when | January 1, 2021 for all public websites of covered organizations |
| What it covers | Public websites and web content published after January 1, 2012, including text, images, forms and sounds. Internal sites (intranet, extranet) are not covered for businesses |
| Who is responsible | The organization that controls the website, directly or through a contract |
| Compliance report | Businesses and non-profits with 20 or more employees file every three years; the current deadline is December 31, 2026 |
| Penalties | Offences carry fines of up to $50,000 a day, or $100,000 a day for a corporation (AODA s. 37) |
Sources: Ontario.ca, "How to make websites accessible" and "Accessibility rules for businesses and non-profits"; O. Reg. 191/11, s. 14; AODA, 2005, s. 37. Read November 8, 2026. Not legal advice.
What a builder gives you
Squarespace documents its built-in accessibility features clearly, and it is a fair picture of what the major builders provide:
- Colour options in the Colors panel that can be set to meet WCAG contrast guidelines without custom code
- A visible keyboard focus outline when visitors tab through links and form fields
- A "Skip to Content" link that appears when a visitor presses Tab
- Checkout form fields with text labels, and payment buttons with descriptive labels
- Alt text fields on images, and support for captions and transcripts on media
Squarespace is also explicit that its guide is not legal advice and that you are responsible for making sure your site meets the legal requirements that apply to your business. Expect the same position from every platform.
What stays your job
| Common failure | Why it fails | Fix on a builder |
|---|---|---|
| Images with no description | Screen readers announce a file name or nothing | Add a short description to every meaningful image |
| Headings chosen for size | Screen reader users navigate by heading structure | One H1, then H2s and H3s in order, styled in the theme |
| Light grey text on white | Fails contrast for low-vision visitors | Pick theme colours that pass a contrast checker |
| "Click here" links | Links read out of context make no sense | Name the destination: "See our pricing" |
| Form fields without labels | Placeholder text disappears and is not read reliably | Use the field label setting, not placeholder only |
| Autoplaying slideshows and video | Moving content with no pause control | Turn off autoplay, or make sure there is a pause control |
| Video without captions | Deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors miss the content | Upload captions, or a transcript for audio |
Most of those are content decisions, which is good news: you can fix them in the editor you already use. The harder failures live in the template itself, such as a menu that traps keyboard focus or a custom section with no focus outline. Those need code changes, and on a builder that sometimes means a different template.
How to check your own site
- Put the mouse away and tab through your homepage and contact form. Can you reach and use everything, and can you always see where you are?
- Run a free checker such as WAVE on your main pages for missing alt text, contrast and heading problems. It finds some issues, not all of them.
- Turn on your phone's screen reader (VoiceOver or TalkBack) and try to send yourself an enquiry.
- Zoom the browser to 200% and check nothing overlaps or disappears.
If you have 20 or more employees and the December 31, 2026 report is on your list, we audit sites against WCAG 2.0 AA on any platform and fix what fails, for a fixed price.
Sources
Ontario: How to make websites accessible · Ontario: Accessibility rules for businesses and non-profits · O. Reg. 191/11, Integrated Accessibility Standards · Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 · Squarespace: Make your site accessible with built-in features. Read November 8, 2026.