Do you want to make your business more inclusive for all? Here’s why you need to make your signs ADA-compliant! The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) was passed as a law in 1990. The purpose of ADA was to make public spaces and highrise buildings more inclusive and accessible for people with disabilities. The ADA-compliant signs need to follow certain regulations that make them highly visible. These include the use of Braille, high-contrast colors, etc. The letters for ADA-compliant signs are supposed to be raised to accommodate people with visual impairments and disabilities. The ADA also requires the information, directional, and other types of signage in public spaces to be compliant with the act. Elevator signs, handicap parking signs, etc. are also required to comply with the set standards. The ADA regulations specify the sizes, installment methods, and placement requirements for signs. Let’s learn about them in detail below! What is the criteria for ADA-signs? ADA-compliant signs are required for public spaces that are designed for long-term or permanent use. Therefore, any functional area in a building or public space that is designated for use for more than 7 days must have ADA-compliant signs. Here are a few situations that require or exempt the ADA-compliance for signs:

• ADA-compliant signs are not legally required in places that will be in use for less than 7 days.
• There is no requirement of ADA-compliant signs in parking lots, except for the ones that have designated and accessible parking spaces.
• All the areas which are not open to public use and the areas that display the name or address of the business outside are also exempted from this requirement.
• All areas in a building that have signs representing non-essential information are exempted from the requirement of ADA-compliance.
• ADA-compliant signs are a requirement for areas that relate to safety, such as fire exits, elevators, and stairways.

How to properly install ADA Signs? Now that you understand which areas need to implement the requirement of ADA-compliant signs, the next step is the proper installment of these signs. The ADA includes the guidelines for the installment and placement of signs, and we have simplified them for you below:

• The ADA-compliant signs with raised letters and Braille must be installed on the side with the door latch for identifying a room.
• Install the ADA signs at a height no lower than 48 inches and no higher than 60 inches from the ground.
• If there’s no room for the sign to be installed on the specified location, you can install it on the nearest adjacent wall that is in direct sight.
• Do not mount ADA-compliant signs directly on the doors.

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