ADA signs: More Than Just Having Braille

ADA has had a larger impact on architecture than it was seen to have. With the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, also came the basic guidelines of having ADA signsand access on every public establishment. American Architecture had to make an adjustment to become compliant with what the law demands. 

Contrary to public belief that ADA signs should only have braille to be compliant, ADA has other specifications. The ADA does not only demand tactile signage with Braille,it also has to meet other specifications. These specifications are the new guidelines in creating architectural signs.

The guidelines do not only focus on tactile architectural signs. The ADA focuses on how establishments need to be welcoming to people with disabilities.  This is not limited to the notion of braille in the signage. One of the most dominant features for ADA signs is the raised characters. Characters in architectural signs need to be raised by at least 5/8 of an inch with a maximum of 2 inches. 

Another key feature of an ADA compliant sign is having a contrasted color combination for the signage. The guidelines for ADA signs are all specified in the ADA Accessibility Guidelines – ADAAG. The ADAAG is not to be complied with in advertising signs, logos or temporary signage. These types of signs are exempted and are not to be referred as architectural signs. 

Architectural signs are defined as those signs that point to a location, identifies rooms, space and facilities. A sign has to be visibly straight forward. It should have no glare, has a light to dark contrast, non-decorative, simple serif font style with no bold or italic qualities. 

ADA does not only refer to direction and identification signs, it also creates a path for accessibility. A good example of these signs should be the 4 pictograms of accessibility – the wheel chair, the ear, keyboard and the phone. These pictograms are used to aid the deaf and people with mobility problems. These signs are not as defined but are critical in providing accessibility.

These signs are often especially crafted by signage companies, metal fabricators and handcrafters. Sand blasted signs and other types can be made into ADA signs with some tweaks of the design.  The most beneficial market with the implementation of the ADA is of course the signage makers – trying to make the most out of the ADA law. Sand blasted signs can be easily configured to provide the revisions; same is true with sheet metal and aluminum. It has to be clear that the Guidelines for ADA signs should be followed and complied with. ADA does not describe the manufacturing side of the signs for as long as they are within the specifications. Assembled, engraved or sand blasted signs may be used.