Your business’ guide to ADA signage
Nearly 25 million Americans are living with vision loss. That being said, it is important that your business is inclusive and accessible by taking disabilities like visual impairment and blindness into account when designing your signage. Following ADA regulations will help you do that. ADA regulations are in place to prevent discrimination and exclusion of individuals with disabilities. When creating your signage with a signage design company to comply with ADA regulations, here’s what you need to know:
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ADA requirements apply only to directional signs or function identifying signs (NOT temporary or advertising signs).
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Signage must include braille and raised letters for readability by the visually impaired.
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Signage must use contrast between text and background using light and dark to enhance visibility.
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Signage must be placed accordingly for those with visual impairments to find and touch it (not too high or too low).
Working with a signage design company to ensure your signs meet ADA regulations offers your business many advantages beyond just compliance with the law. Here are a few of its benefits:
Safety
By increasing the readability of your signage, you can better warn and caution those with disabilities to avoid any accidents. Thus creating a safer environment for all of your guests.
Legal security and protection
In managing safety risk, you avoid any legal repercussions that might result from an accident due to lack of readability.
Employment benefits
You will expand your employment candidate pool by including the blind and visually impaired with your signage. Using ADA regulation, you can get them through the door and keep them.
Ethical advantage
Being inclusive and accessible to those with disabilities gives you an ethical advantage over your competitors who might not make it a priority. As a result, you can increase your business traffic and revenue and create a loyal customer base that keeps coming back.
In order to have the upper-hand amongst your competitors, you have to go beyond what is required by law. Go the extra mile with these tips for really making your signage stand out to increase visibility:
Utilize shapes - Skip the square and go for a sign shape that pops! Diamonds or circles are both great alternatives.
Include graphics - Colorful graphics can make your sign easier to find rather than just words. Even the most simple design can make all the difference.
Visit Us
At VitalSigns, we’re well-versed in signage regulation. We begin our process by referring to any policies, regulations and possessing necessary permits and with 30 years in the signage design industry, you can rest assured that we know what we're doing! Contact us to start designing accessible and inclusive signage that is compliant with ADA regulations to benefit your business.