ADA Sig­nage Require­ments for Non-Profits

What is the ADA?

The Amer­i­cans with Dis­abil­i­ties Act (ADA) pro­tects indi­vid­u­als with dis­abil­i­ties and cov­ers all employ­ers of 15 or more employ­ees, for-prof­it, and non­prof­it alike. Indi­vid­u­als with dis­abil­i­ties are more like­ly to be served by non­prof­its car­ry­ing out com­mu­ni­ty devel­op­ment pro­grams or pro­vid­ing ser­vices focus­ing on basic human needs, and peo­ple with dis­abil­i­ties are seek­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties offered by non­prof­its, such as access to edu­ca­tion, recre­ation, arts, and cul­ture, as well as phys­i­cal and men­tal health care.

What is ADA Accessibility?

The part of the ADA that most direct­ly apply to non­prof­its is the pub­lic accom­mo­da­tions sec­tion, which includes mak­ing sure your facil­i­ty is acces­si­ble. Acces­si­bil­i­ty includes phys­i­cal access into your facil­i­ty, abil­i­ty to access accom­mo­da­tions (restrooms, coun­ter­tops, etc), and hav­ing an effec­tive com­mu­ni­ca­tion strategy.

How Do I Know if Sig­nage Plays a Role in ADA Acces­si­bil­i­ty at my Facility?

1. Does every­one have access? If your build­ing entrances are not all acces­si­ble, sig­nage is key (and required) to direct vis­i­tors to the acces­si­ble entrance(s) and allow them easy access to your facil­i­ty. This also includes iden­ti­fy­ing restrooms that meet acces­si­bil­i­ty guide­lines or direct­ing to those that do.
2. Will any sign work? Or do I even need one? ADA guide­lines include spe­cif­ic require­ments for how a sign looks and is built. These guide­lines were cre­at­ed to ensure effec­tive and con­sis­tent com­mu­ni­ca­tion for peo­ple who are sight-impaired or have intel­lec­tu­al disabilities.
3. Does where I hang the sign mat­ter? The 2010 ADA Stan­dard changed the mount­ing require­ments for ADA signs. There is now a vari­ance of 48″ to 60” above the floor, and the sign must be placed 9” on cen­ter from the latch side of the door. This pro­vi­sion pro­vides a con­sis­ten­cy that helps those who are blind or sight-impaired locate signs as they are tra­vers­ing through a facil­i­ty (con­sis­tent location).

ADA is hard. We’ve worked on numer­ous projects with large chal­lenges to their facil­i­ties, design­ing solu­tions that work both with the design intent and meets code require­ments. Choos­ing a part­ner with exper­tise on both ADA guide­lines and cre­ative solu­tions to meet the guide­lines is key.

Have ques­tions on ADA or have a tricky lay­out you’d like to talk through? Talk to an Expert