Digital Echidna Receives David C. Onley Award for Leadership in Accessibility

Digital Echidna is proud to announce that it has received the David C. Onley Award for Leadership in Accessibility. Digital Echidna’s content strategist, Jay Menard, accepted the award today from Her Honour, the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, in a ceremony at Queen’s Park in Toronto.

The David C. Onley award is named after the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, who was the first with a physical disability. The award recognizes Ontarians who have gone above and beyond to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.

“We are extremely honoured to receive this recognition,” said Andrew McClenaghan, owner of Digital Echidna. “Accessibility is at the core of what we do from a web design perspective. We believe that accessibility is more than just crossing the ‘t’s and dotting the ‘i’s of AODA compliance; it is creating experiences that are equal across the board.

“We may interact with content in a different way, but that doesn’t mean one experience has to be inferior. We work every day to live up to that goal and to show the tangible business benefits that come from focusing on accessibility.”

To achieve that, accessibility is embedded into the development process. And the company employs a visually impaired consultant who works to ensure that a site provides a quality user experience across the board. For years, Digital Echidna has worked to promote accessibility through its work and educational efforts, ranging from dozens of accessibility-related blog posts to delivering AODA-themed presentations for clients and organizations.

Menard, who is a board member of the Ability First Coalition and sits on the City of London’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, accepted the award on Digital Echidna’s behalf. He said he credits McClenaghan for fostering an environment where accessibility is at the fore.

“Through sponsoring my participation on the various accessibility organizations, to dedicating time and resources to promoting accessible development, Andrew’s truly exemplified leadership in the community,” Menard said. “It’s wonderful to be with a company that’s willing to do more than just talk about accessibility, but actually roll up its sleeves, do the behind-the-scenes work, and show each and every day the value that comes from inclusivity.”

Digital Echidna was nominated for the award by Leads Employment Services. 

"Digital Echidna deserves this award as they have gone above and beyond to create a position, accommodate, and to invest in talents," explained Wendy Lau, Leads' CEO.