3.4 million Americans are legally blind or have trouble seeing.
As a result of the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, you’ll need to make sure that your business is compliant.
Chapter 7, section 703 of the ADA deals with the rules pertaining to signs. It was put in effect in March of 2016, and your business must now be compliant. If it isn’t, this is something you should remedy as soon as possible.
There are several ADA signage requirements and things you must do in order to ensure your business complies with the current laws.
We’ll go over some of the rules in this article.
Overhead and Sideline ADA Signage Requirements
If you have an overhead sign in your office, it needs to be 80″ above the floor from the bottom of the sign. Signs on the wall or projection wall-mounted signs must be 27″ high.
The wall signs can only protrude into a doorway at a maximum of 4″. If they protrude more than that, they can still be ADA compliant, but there must be an 80″ clearance from the sign to the other side of the door. This is to ensure that a wheelchair or other mobility device can make its way through the door frame.
Braille Signs
Braille signs are likely what one thinks of when they hear the words “ADA compliant signs.” Not every sign needs to have Braille on it, but those that do must follow specific rules.
Firstly, the Braille sign should be on the hinge side of the door next to the entrance of the room (such as the bathroom, conference room, etc.).
The sign must hang between 48″ and 60″ from the floor.
In the case of outward swinging doors, you must place the sign out of the arc of the door’s swing. This is to prevent a person using the Braille sign from injury.
If a door swings inward, you may place the Braille sign on the door. In order for you to be able to do this, the door must either be placed on the “push” side of the door, the door closes automatically or there is no button to press to hold the door open.
If a door is a double door, you must place the sign on the right door on the hinge side.
These rules do not apply to elevators.
Braille Sizing
All of your Braille should be Grade 2 Braille dots. They should be at least 3/8″ away from any other Braille or text to prevent confusion.
Fonts and Colors
The font and color you use must also be ADA compliant.
The font you use must be a san serif font. It cannot be italic, as this can be more difficult to read.
All signs should be high contrast. This means that they will be dark letters on a light background or vice-versa.
Learn more about how to ensure your signs meet the requirements for ADA compliance.
Where Do I Place Signs Inside of Stairwells?
ADA compliant signs must also be inside of stairwells to let people know what floor they are on.
The must be placed by each door. The placement of the sign must comply with the ADA signage requirements, as detailed above.
Does My Business Have to Be ADA Compliant?
It depends.
You may not need to be compliant if you fit certain criteria.
Businesses that employ less than 15 individuals, or that only employ more than 15 people 20 weeks or less out of the year are not required to be ADA compliant.
The exception to this is if you are in an “industry affecting commerce.”
If your business is owned by a Native American tribe, you may not need to be ADA compliant.
Religious organizations and private members-only clubs also do not need to be compliant. However, if you’re in doubt, you should contact a disability attorney to have him or her give you a definitive answer. It is better to have your questions answered than assume you don’t need to be compliant and receive a fine.
If your business serves the public, you must be ADA compliant regardless of how many people you employ. This means your store must be able to reasonably accommodate any customer who wishes to visit your establishment.
If your business doesn’t have the money to upgrade to ADA compliance, you are not expected to spend money your business doesn’t have on ADA compliance. Signage, however, is a relatively cheap issue to fix. The ADA may not be particularly lenient on you if you say you lack the resources to mount or create an ADA compliant sign.
What Happens If I’m Supposed to Be ADA Compliant and I’m Not?
If your business is supposed to be ADA compliant and has the resources, you can face a fine of up to $50,000. This hefty fee is for a first offense. This is why you should ensure you’ve got all of your bases covered before you begin to conduct business.
Creating Compliant Signs
Creating signs that match the ADA signage requirements is not difficult or expensive. As such, your company should be able to do this with relative ease.
If you’re a smaller business and don’t have much room, you can easily order and hang ADA compliant signs in just a few hours. It won’t take much know-how. You’ll just need to know how to affix the sign and have the means to do so. You’ll also need a yardstick or measuring tape to make sure the signs are at the correct height.
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