All businesses, including health care facilities, are required to have signage compliant with ADA laws. ADA stands for the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) which includes a series of regulations to ensure that public spaces are accessible and welcoming to all employees and visitors. ADA signs need to look a certain way and contain specific information. ADA signs are just one aspect of your adherence to ADA, but are still a very important one.

Health care facilities have a high number of visitors whose health may be compromised or who are living with a disability. As such, it is of utmost importance for health care property signage to be as welcoming and accessible as possible so that patients can easily receive the help and care they need, regardless of physical limitations.

What Is Required For ADA Signs?

In order to ensure that your health care property is meeting the ADA signage requirements, let’s take a closer look at the specifications required and what you need to know.

Location

For health care examination or treatment rooms, all ADA signs must be located next to the door they identify. Permanent room signs must be mounted so that the characters are between 48 and 60 inches from the ground.

Braille

All ADA signs used in your health care facility require tactile lettering to assist visually impaired visitors. Braille must be lowercase except for proper nouns and needs to be rounded or domed.

Fonts, Characters And Backgrounds

There are very clear requirements for the look of ADA signs.  The requirements are:

  • Using a sans serif typestyle.
  • A minimum of 1/8-inch between adjoining characters.
  • Backgrounds and characters that don’t emit a glare.
  • A high light-dark contrast between the characters and their backgrounds.

Creating The Right Custom Signs For Your Health Care Property

Working with sign experts, like Magnify Signs, will help you better understand what is needed as well as ensure that the signs produced for your business adhere to all specific ADA requirements. While it is imperative that you adhere to ADA requirements, don’t assume that it means that aesthetics have to be abandoned. There are actually several color contrasts that are still attractive and eye catching while still following the minimum 70% contrast factor. Some unique color combinations that still meet ADA guidelines include black over matte gold, white over dark brown, ash over black, cinder over sandalwood, and black over parchment.

Every health care property has a responsibility to make sure that your signs are ADA compliant, but that doesn’t mean you need to handle the signage on your own. Magnify Signs can assist you with all your ADA signage needs, ensuring that you are not only compliant, but that the signage represents and showcases the high quality of your facility. Contact us to discuss your needs and to find out how we can help.