ADA Compliant Signs

What does ADA compliance mean for signage?

The ADA Standards for Accessible Design state that all electronic and information technology must be accessible to people with disabilities.

What makes a sign ADA Compliant?

• No glare. ADA compliant signs must have characters and backgrounds that do not create glares unless the signs are for traffic or parking. People with vision impairments are not able to process reflection or glare, especially the elderly.
• Typefaces should be easily read on ADA signs, with enough spacing between words and letters, and the font should be as plain as possible.
• High contrast. Any signs with visual characters must have a very dark to light (or vice-versa) contrast between the background and characters. Colors are okay for ADA signs as long as there is a dramatic contrast. For example, white lettering with a navy blue or black background, or a white background with black characters.
• Upper and lowercase rules. The rules for case and typeface get more specific depending on the type of sign. For example, directional and informational signs use both upper and lower case letters with medium-weight strokes and simple serif fonts.
• Placed appropriately. ADA compliant room signs should be adjacent to the doors so they can be more easily located by people who are blind. This applies to ADA bathroom signs as well.