ADA Signs with Braille

Under the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, a sign that names a permanent room or space needs raised (tactile) characters that are uppercase and sans serif, 5/8 to 2 inches tall measured on the letter “I” (703.2), duplicated in Grade 2 braille placed below the text (703.3), with a non-glare finish and light characters on a dark background or dark on light (703.5.1), mounted where a person can find it by touch (703.4). The designer on this page holds every sign to those rules as you type.

Three ways: tactile print on 1/8, 1/4 or 3/8 inch acrylic, tactile print on 1/8, 1/4 or 3/8 inch aluminum, or a precision-tooled metal plaque in brushed aluminum, lead-free bronze or brass with a sand or stipple background. Braille is included at no extra charge on all three. We don’t sell etched or cast plaques for ADA room signs because braille isn’t available on them.

Tactile characters must be 48 inches minimum above the finished floor, measured to the baseline of the lowest tactile character, and 60 inches maximum, measured to the baseline of the highest (703.4.1). At a door, the sign goes alongside the door on the latch side; at double doors with one active leaf it goes on the inactive leaf, and with two active leafs to the right of the right-hand door. Leave an 18 × 18 inch clear floor space centered on the tactile characters, beyond the arc of the door swing (703.4.2).

Not always, but when a sign uses one, the pictogram needs a field at least 6 inches high with no text or braille inside it (703.6.1), and the room name goes directly below the field as tactile text with braille (703.6.3). Choose a pictogram in the designer and it reserves the 6 inch field and moves the text below it. The accessibility symbol is drawn from the official International Symbol of Accessibility figure (703.7.2.1).

Contracted (Grade 2) Unified English Braille, as 703.3 requires, with domed dots 0.063 inch across, 0.095 inch apart within a cell, 0.245 inch from cell to cell and 0.395 inch between braille lines, inside the ranges in Table 703.3.1, and at least 3/8 inch from the tactile letters. Capital signs are used only for names and single letters, as 703.3.1 directs. The designer translates as you type and shows the braille; it is checked again letter by letter on the production proof.

Each sign is priced by its width, height and material, and the price includes the braille, the tactile letters, a pictogram if you want one and tape or stud mounting. Order 10 or more identical tactile-print signs and each one is 5% less. Shipping is one line, set by the order total. A 6 × 9 inch acrylic restroom sign with a pictogram is $69.00 plus $18.49 shipping; an 8 × 8 inch brushed aluminum plaque is $268.00 plus $40.49.

Plan on about 10 business days before acrylic or aluminum signs ship and about 20 business days for metal plaques, then 3 to 5 business days by ground. The designer shows the time for your choices before you order.

Yes, on studs. Tactile print and metal plaques are made for interior and exterior use; double-face tape is for interior walls only, so choose threaded studs for an outdoor sign.

The sign is laid out to the ADA sign rules above, but compliance also depends on where it is mounted and which rooms need signs (section 216 of the Standards), and some states and cities add their own rules. Check with your architect or building official if you are unsure which signs a space needs.

A 6 × 9 inch acrylic restroom sign with a pictogram, raised letters and Grade 2 braille is $69.00 before shipping, and a 6 × 9 inch precision-tooled bronze restroom plaque is $446.00. A 6 × 6 inch acrylic room number sign is $69.00, an 8 × 8 inch two-line acrylic office sign $69.00, or $655.50 for ten. Braille and mounting are included in every price.

Yes. Enter any width and height from 3 to 24 in on each side, in quarter inches, and the designer prices it and keeps the letters, braille and any pictogram field to the ADA layout rules. A sign with a pictogram needs room for the 6 in pictogram field and the text below it.

From Brand 9 Signs at brand9signs.com/shop/ada-signs/. Type the room name or number in the designer, choose acrylic, aluminum or a metal plaque, the size, colors and pictogram, and get the full price, shipping included, before you order. The designer adds the Grade 2 braille as you type. Ground shipping is one line on the order, set by the order total, and the designer shows it with your total before you order. After it ships, plan on 3 to 5 business days by ground. Brand 9 Signs is a sign company in Orange Park, Florida, serving Jacksonville since 1986.

No Florida sales tax is charged on orders shipped outside Florida. Orders delivered in Florida include 7.5% Florida sales tax (6% state tax plus the 1.5% county surtax), shown in the cart before you pay.

Each order is custom-made to the design you approve, so all sales are final. If an order arrives damaged, Brand 9 files the claim with the carrier and works toward a refund or an expedited reorder. The full policy is on the Shipping and Returns page.