Per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, all public facilities are required to have ADA compliant signs. The term ADA sign has become synonymous with Braille signs, but ADA signs also include evacuation maps, FDC signs, Accessible Entrance Signs, and much more.
We did all of the exterior and interior signs for a new building in Silver Lake, The Modern LA, a new luxury apartment complex. This is a project that our long-time client, Westside Contractors, was working on as a contractor and we were sub-contracted for the signage. We made close to 200 signs for just the interior alone which included illuminated unit numbers, room identification signs, exit signs, exit stairs down signs, stair signs, evacuation maps, stair identification signs, exterior stairwell identification signs, floor identification signs, FDC connections signs, accessible entrance signs, no smoking signs, bang bars, accessible parking signs, EVSE signs, and the most recent addition to the ADA signs, proposition 65 signs.
To assure that those with visual impairments can also navigate around the building, there are a few rules that most of these signs need to adhere to. Here are a few of the general ones:
- Non-glare background
- Characters and images that contrast with the background
- Sans serif typeface
In addition, room Identification signs need to be installed a specific height off of the ground on the side that the door opens. These signs require tactile lettering and Braille translation so those with visual impairment that do not know how to read Braille can feel the letters to read the sign. Because of this, all of the characters need to be uppercase.
The parking garage signs are not ADA signs, but bang bars are required by the city. Bang bars are the signs that are hanging above the entrance of the parking garage that advises you of the height clearance.
If you have any questions about the signs we discussed in this blog or about ADA signs in general, feel free to give us a call.