ADA sign is a special type of facility signage. ADA refers to the “American Disabilities Act,” and ADA signs are a form of signage that complies with this act. The American Disabilities Act introduced ADA signage intending to provide better access to disabled, visually impaired, and blind people.
According to the American Disabilities Act most government, public, commercial, and office buildings must provide ADA-compliant signage. As mentioned in the ADA-Sign guidance, the signs must have specific features. Most people often confuse ADA signs with braille signs, while even though braille is an important aspect of ADA signs, there is more to them.
What Makes a Sign ADA Compliant?
As mentioned above, there are certain features of an ADA sign. For a sign to gain ADA compliance, it must follow some rules. The rules include:
- Appropriate and Readable Font and Characters
Signs are made to be read and understood by the general public. If a sign designed specifically for people with disability is not readable by them, then it loses its purpose. ADA signs need to have a larger font, so they are easily readable from a distance by people with weak eyesight.
Moreover, these signs must have a simple and easy-to-understand font. Most ADA signs use sans serif fonts like Helvetica and Verdana. The font must not be italic, oblique, script, or fancy and highly decorative. The simpler, the better.
- Non-Glare Finish
Non-glare means a surface with the reduced or eliminated glare of reflective and bright light. Most older people, or people with impaired vision, cannot process reflection or glare, which makes it difficult for them to reach the signs.
Hence, ADA-compliant signs are specifically required for background and characters that do not cause reflection or glare. For this, the signs are mostly made matte using eggshells or other types of non-glare finish.
- Higher Level of Contrast
Just like non-reflective and non-glare surfaces are easier to read. Similarly, signs with a high contrast level are easier to process and read. When contrast level is not balanced accordingly, the characters tend to blend in with the background making it difficult to read.
ADA compliant signs have a high contrast between the characters and background of the sign, enough for the characters to stand out. This is why most ADA signs have a white background with black or dark-colored texts, and vice versa.
- Corresponding Braille Text
Like we said earlier, braille signs are often used synonymously with ADA compliant signs. Although ADA signs are not the same as braille signs, braille is an important element of ADA signs. The American Disabilities Act requires ADA signs to have braille characters and written text on an ADA sign. This is important to cater to blind people in public places and government buildings.
Custom ADA Sign Services Available in Overland Park
Creating AD-compliant signs is not everyone’s job. Only companies experienced in designing ADA signs are trustable enough to make signs that can easily cater to the disabled community. If you’re looking for a Custom ADA sign service in Overland Park, KS, you must visit Forerunner Signs and Graphics.
