ADA SIGNAGE – WHERE – WHAT & HOW
For a better understanding, you should have a copy of the portion of the ADA regulation pertaining to signage. You may download these pages from clicking here: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/reg3a.html#Anchor-10133. Although the entire document is very long, our interest is limited to the pages dealing with interior wall signage, Section 4.3. This document comes from the official government website for ADA compliance at www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada. This site has a great deal of information about ADA compliance for your buildings. You can also call the government’s own ADA help desk with specific questions at 1-800-514-0301.
Our understanding in short, check it with the links above
(a) Signs that designate permanent rooms and spaces shall comply….
(b) Other signs that provide direction to or information about functional spaces of the building shall comply….
(c) Stairs, Elevators & Rest Rooms shall comply…..
EXCEPTION: Building directories, menus, and all other signs that are temporary are NOT required to comply.
There are several criteria that must be met for a sign to meet ADA requirements:
1. The required elements of the sign must be made of “eggshell, matte or other non-glare” materials. This does not mean there can’t be reflective materials used to make the sign more attractive, but the ADA portion of the sign must be of a non-reflective material. A glossimeter is used to determine the reflectivity of the material.
[br] 2. It is required to have a contrast ratio of 70% between the tactile lettering and the background behind them. This means using dark letters on a light background or light letters on a dark background. This is to assist the visually impaired, but not totally blind person, to see and read the letters more easily.
[br] 3. Size of letters is also specified. The thickness of the tactile lettering must be 1/32”. Letters shall be upper case. The smallest letter permitted in an ADA wall sign is 5/8” tall. The largest is 2” tall. Anything outside those dimensions is unacceptable. Hanging signs or projection signs follow a different set of regulations. [br]
[br] 4. The type style or font is also specified. Although you are not restricted to a single font, the type style family is very specific. Fonts shall be “sans serif” or “simple serif” in design. This means no italics, no scripts, nothing fancy and nothing exaggerated. Remember, this is something the blind should be able to follow easily using their fingers.
[br] Note: There is no restriction about other lettering, type styles, photographs or logos also being used on a sign, so long as the
required text is present in a form that is not confusing and meets the necessary requirements.
[br] 5. The type style has requirements beyond size and style. The dimensions of the characters are also important. The width to height ratio of the letter must be 3:5 and 1:1 while the up stroke width to height of the letter must be 1:1.5 to 1:10. These dimensions can be easily measured using a micrometer but fonts like Helvetica Medium and Futura Regular are generally accepted as meeting these
requirements.
Mounting Location and Height. Where permanent identification is provided for rooms and spaces, signs shall be installed on the wall adjacent to the latch side of the door. Where there is no wall space to the latch side of the door, including at double leaf doors, signs shall be placed on the nearest adjacent wall. Mounting height shall be 60 in (1525 mm) above the finish floor to the centerline of the sign. Mounting location for such signage shall be so that a person may approach within 3 in (76 mm) of signage without encountering protruding objects or standing within the swing of a door.
Color Guide -Click Here – just close new page when done – samples available in our office
