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Understanding ADA - Americans With Disabilities Act signage

Posted by Gary Baron on Thu, Sep 22, 2011 @ 02:32 PM

Although ADA signs are required by law, they are no longer required to have a ADA signs | Americans With Disabilities Act signagestandardized, uniformed appearance.  The font style, color, shape and the material the sign is created on can all be customized.  Before modificati on can begin, understand and follow the requirements.

The general requirements are as follows:

  • ADA pictographs must be six (6) inches with a verbal description directly below.
  • Characters and Braille are not allowed in the pictograph field.
  • Letters must be five-eighths (5/8) of an inch to two (2) inches for readability and three-thirty seconds (3/32) of an inch thick for tactility.  All writing is to be in a sans serif font with no italics, underlining or bold face.
  • Braille must be a grade 2.
  • All colors used must be in contrast.  Use dark characters on a light background or light characters on a dark background.  Research has shown that using 70% contrast works best.
  • All signs must have a matte or non-glare finish.
  • Signs are to be posted two (2) inches from the handle or latch side of a door.  If there is no available space, the sign should be placed on the nearest, adjunct wall.  Signs should also be sixty (60) inches from center of the sign to the floor.

    While these requirements seem to leave little room for creativity, not all these requirements apply to every type of sign.  The different types of signs have different means by which to be creative.

  • Permanent signs must follow all ADA requirements.  However, they may have uppercase and lowercase characters.  Permanent signs display information that will never be changed. Public telephones, parking and entrances are examples of permanent signs.
  • Signs for temporary or informational purposes do not have requirements.  Temporary and informational signs have information that can change at any time.  Menus, construction signs and identifying name tags are examples of temporary signs.
  • Wall mounted or overhead signs must also follow ADA guidelines.  However, they are not required to have Braille or tactile characters displayed.
  • Exterior signage does not require Braille or tactile characters either.  The exception is bathroom signage. I f a bathroom can be entered from outside, then the sign must follow the general guidelines.

    After all requirements have been put into place and the location and type of sign have been chosen, customization can take place. Choose a material on which to create the sign. Wood, plastic, acrylic or stone can be used create signs. Next, give the sign a shape. Although you can use triangles, squares or circles, because there is to requirement on shape, you can design your own custom shape to fit your need. Pick contrasting colors. The colors can be custom as long as there is at least a 70% contrast. Finally, pick the appropriate font for the sign. While signs must use a sans serif font, there are over thirty choices within the sans serif font category.
    Even though ADA signs have some strict creation guidelines, they can still be customized. Customization allows the sign to become more personal. They can function while still being modern.

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Topics: architectural signage, ada, office signs, indoor signs, Americans With Disabilities Act signage

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