If you are tasked to have signs created for your business, then one of the types of signs that you will definitely need to have in order to remain compliant are ADA Braille signs. These are signs that come with, as the name says, Braille on it. Not only do these signs come with Braille, but these also have tactile characters and pictograms on them for good measure.
How do you ensure that your Braille signage comes with the right features needed for these to be truly compliant? These signs, out of all the signs you will require for your establishment, come with the most number of rules that you need to follow. For you to be able to follow all the guidelines set for such signs, you should put together a checklist of rules that need to be complied with in order for you to not miss a single one.
You can actually skip the part where you create a checklist for your ADA signage, if you can find a compliance specialist who can help you create your signs for you. You can also try to work with a sign designer who is well versed in the rules set by the government for these signs. It is best, however, that even when you can find these people who can help you, that you know something about these signs that you will need for your business in order for you to ensure that you are indeed staying compliant.
To help you get started with your ADA Braille sign checklist, here are some of the things you need to remember when assembling these signs:
Braille signs need to have tactile letters as well – aside from Braille, these signs need to carry tactile letters (and even tactile pictograms) on them, and for a good reason. Since not all individuals with visual impairments were born with their condition, not all of them can actually read Braille. The addition of tactile letters and symbols are for those who can read words according to the shape of the letters that comprise the word.
Fonts that you will use on these signs need to be sans serif – the difference between serif and sans serif fonts is in the extra strokes that the former has and the latter does not have. The use of sans serif on these signs is to help avoid confusion when people read them, both with the fingertips and with the eyes, since some letters written using serif fonts can indeed look like other letters due to the additional strokes on them.
Braille translations on these signs need to be domed and need to follow very specific spacing guidelines – another thing you need to remember when adding the Braille translations on these signs is that these should be crafted in such a way that the dots are domed. These also need to be spaced properly, and the ADA has a list of proper distances between the dots found in one cell, dots found in adjacent cells, and dots that are in different words altogether.
Braille translations need to be directly under their alphanumeric equivalent or graphic on the sign – these translations cannot be placed above, beside or anywhere else on the sign. These need to be placed directly under the pictogram (for those signs without text) or under the wordings of the sign.
These are just a few of the guidelines you need to remember when you are having ADA Braille signs made for your establishment. For more information on the other rules that need to be followed, you can ask your favorite sign manufacturer for more about this or you can visit the site of the ADA for more information on ADA signs.
Share on Facebook