In order to maximize our success as businesses, we must appeal to a wide variety of people. That includes those with disabilities. Luckily, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) offers a framework to guide us in creating accessible spaces for anyone who might happen to visit our business.

Which Signage Needs to Be ADA Compliant?07

The purpose of the ADA standards is to help direct people to each room throughout your space. As such, all permanent rooms or spaces (like bathrooms, stairwells and vending areas) must be marked with ADA-compliant signage. Marketing signage or temporary signage that you intend to use for less than one week does not need to adhere to ADA standards. Additionally, signage for building addresses, directories, parking signs and menus are not included under ADA compliance.

Characteristics of ADA Compliant Signage

Braille and Raised Characters

Naturally, ADA standards include a few requirements to make navigation easier for individuals with visual impairment. Your ADA signs must include Braille dots (rounded, not square) along with raised characters. The raised characters must be in a sans serif font and no smaller than 5/8”.

Sign Placement

Since ADA-compliant signage accommodates the needs of visually impaired visitors, it needs to be placed at the appropriate height to be easily discovered. The ideal height is anywhere between 40” and 60” from the floor. For doors with one handle, you must put the signage on the side of the door closest to the handle. This keeps the readers safe if the door swings open unexpectedly. In addition, the standardized location saves visually impaired visitors a lot of time navigating from day-to-day.

High Contrast Lettering

In addition to tactile text features, ADA-compliant signage must implement high contrast font coloring. If your background is dark, be sure to stick with a light font color. If the background is light, stick with a darker font color.

Stay in ADA Compliance with East West Sign Group

We are the experts in creating effective business signage, whether it’s more traditional or modern and digital. East West Sign Group knows all about sign design and installation, and we have worked with countless businesses to boost business with great signage. To learn more about how we can design the right sign for you, contact us today!