Restroom Signs
Resources
The Americans with Disabilities Act was created in 1990. This act was created to ensure that Americans with disabilities were treated fairly and were given the same opportunities as those who were not. There are many facets to this Act, one being new regulations on signage for disabled persons. This includes restroom ADA signs. Many of the new regulations for ADA signs concern Braille. All signs that indicate a permanent room in a building must include Braille. Bathrooms are permanent rooms in a building, therefore any sign indicating a restroom or a handicap accessible restroom must include Braille. Any sign that indicates a handicapped restroom usually depicts a stick man in a wheelchair. Any handicap sign is usually printed in blue with white lettering and pictures. This isn’t always the case, sometimes they are printed in a color that coordinates with a theme throughout the building. It is recommended that they are printed in blue, just because the color is easily recognizable and associated with ADA signs. It’s important that these signs are easily seen for functioning blind people as well as any other person. People will not use the handicapped restroom as frequently if they know it is reserved or specially designed for handicapped persons. Having a restroom ADA sign posted helps keep the space clear for disabled people to use when they need it.
Federal Law
Federal laws are in place about all kinds of ADA signs. There are many laws about where restroom ADA signs must be placed in relation to the door of the bathroom. Mainly these laws deal with the height of any restroom ADA sign and how far away it is from the door frame. Rules and regulations concerning ADA signage were set out in part 36 Appendix A of the Americans with Disabilities Act that was revised in 1994. This new section made clearer and more specific regulations concerning where an ADA sign should be placed. This includes restroom ADA signs. Braille and textile signage is never to be installed directly on the door. There have been countless lawsuits and complaints resulting from a blind person attempting to read Braille on a door when it is opened on them, causing injury. All ADA signage should be installed adjacent to the side of the door that contains the latch. ADA signs must be installed 60 inches from the middle of the sign to the finished floor. There are laws in place that require them to be there at all times, in all proper locations. These laws are the same for all of the other rooms in the hospital. Any room that is deemed architectural must have a room sign that is up to ADA standards. This requires any permanent room, including restrooms, in a hospital or health care facility to be marked by an ADA approved sign. These signs must contain Braille lettering and must be in clear and large fonts so that the functionally blind can see them. It there is insufficient room on the wall adjacent to the door latches position the sign to the next nearest adjacent wall. You must ensure that the center of the restroom ADA sign is 60 inches from the finished floor. Also try and leave at least 18 inches of space between the sweep of the used door and the ADA sign. If a window pane is on the adjacent wall, you may install the sign on a glass panel. Only do this is there is plenty of room on the panel, if there is not enough room install the sign on the wall to the left of the glass panel.
The ADA has lots of regulations for signage. These rules apply to all restroom ADA signs. They are as follows:
Signs must have both visual and tactile characters on them. If they do not, there must be two signs, one with a visual and one with tactile characters.
Signs must have raised characters and these characters must be duplicated in Braille.
Letters and numbers must be raised 1/32 of an inch minimum and must be accompanied by grade 2 Braille lettering.
Lettering on any restroom ADA sign must be sans serif. They should not be italic, oblique, script, or any other unusual font.
Characters should be selected from fonts where the width of an uppercase "O" is 55% minimum and 110% maximum of the height of an uppercase "T".
There are many other regulations for restroom ADA signs, but these are the most important and most general ones. The ADA is pretty specific about their signs because it is so important for people with disabilities to be able to easily find their way around your facility. Ensuring that all of the visitors in your hospital feel at ease is extremely important. Having Braille signs posted in every permanent room in your hospital is not only the law, but it is the right thing to do. It would be unfortunate if a person were made to feel less important than another because of any disability.
Read More
When putting the finishing touches on your business’ restroom signs it is important to think of all of the people that will be using that bathroom. Accommodating all of your bathroom visitors is important. Restroom ADA signs are necessary to achieving this goal. HSI uses a unique type of sign making that involves many steps when making Braille signage. These signs are made this way so that the Braille cannot be picked off, and therefore will have to be replaced less often. Cutting down on costs in the long run can allow you to spend a little more up front and get the exact signs that you want to go in your hospital or health care facility. These signs don’t have to be bulky and unattractive. They can be printed in beautiful colors with different backgrounds and borders. The edges of your sign can be scalloped or cut to convey a certain theme that may already be in place throughout your facility.
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