Signage Education: ADA Compliant Signage

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Tactile & Braille Signage Code is a wide-ranging civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability under certain circumstances. The lack of accessibility or access to certain services can be considered discriminatory, regardless of whom it actually affects. The result is that there is a need for ADA compliant signs because individuals may not be discriminated against on the basis of disability and are afforded the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, or accommodations. Initially, when the law was first put into effect, there was a problem because ADA signs were not esthetically pleasing. However, ADA has now been in existence for some time so the question of esthetics has been resolved and the industry faces new problems with ADA signs.

ADA signs are everywhere you look including restrooms, stairwells, room numbers and parking stalls. This means that companies such as SignWorks who know how to satisfy these regulations are a first choice for building and construction companies needing ADA compliant signs.

While ADA guidelines define font size, contrast and other criteria, the law does not define specific design criteria related to aesthetics. Therefore, letter height, Braille placement, font, and color contrast make only minimal impacts on the visual appearance. This means that there are ways to make ADA signage more attractive while still adhering to the guidelines. ADA-compliant materials are one way to make the difference between a ho-hum sign and something that is more visually attractive. For example, sign frames with the ability to change printed inserts are another. Finally, understanding what the guidelines really say about color contrast and icons provide more freedom than originally thought.