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How To Choose The Best ADA Restroom Signs

If you aim to make customers feel comfortable and safe, signage should be an essential component of your business. Visitors of your establishment can find the necessary facilities easily and quickly with the help of these signs. There’s no other place where appropriate signage is more critical than in restrooms.

ADA restroom signs are a necessity that can’t be overlooked in maintaining a business. The Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant restroom signs that you provide can make all the difference in your visitors’ ability to independently navigate your premises when they need to find a restroom quickly.

Signs that aren’t effective in passing messages can result in possible regulatory issues, complaints, accidents, and bad public perception. A careful selection of ADA restroom signs to be used is, therefore, necessary.

Below is a guideline on choosing the perfect ADA signs for your business:

1. Pick Signs That Are Easily Accessible

People may not be fully aware of the surrounding environment depending on the type or category of their disability. To improve their lives when visiting your business establishment, you should choose ADA signs that are easily accessible not only by customers, but also by you and your staff.

Use the following checklist when considering accessibility:

 

• Size – Keep in mind that even if you’re going to use an ADA-compliant sign, the objective is to effectively create awareness for the general public, with or without disabilities. Choose a sizeable sign. The right size should enhance its visibility so members of the public can spot the sign from a distance without any problem.

• Installation – It’s also important that the ADA restroom sign you choose can be installed with ease. Remember that you need to place them in the most convenient places where they can quickly be spotted by your visitors.

 

The right ADA restroom signs for your business should be easily accessible with eyes, hands, or technologies that assist communication.

2. Ensure The Signs Contain Braille And Raised Characters With Pictorial Symbols

Numbers and letters must have Grade 2 Braille with font types of simple serif or sans serif. They must be raised in the upper case by 1/32 inch. All raised characters shouldn’t be any higher than 2 inches but must have a height of at least 5/8 inches. The restroom signs should also incorporate pictograms with the picture’s written description directly below it. In addition, the pictogram must have a border dimension of at least 6 inches in height.

3. Check If The Signs Make Use Of Color Combinations And Color Contrast

Signs with very bright colors may be difficult to decode for the reader. On the other hand, poor communication can also result from blurred displays because of some shades that are too similar. That said, color combinations in restroom signs help a lot to communicate and pass messages effectively.

The ADA restroom signs you’ll choose should use color contrast in the fonts and background of the writing. The assumption is that visitors in your business establishment have little attention, thus the need to capture their attention quickly. The use of color contrast immediately offers a better understanding to readers.

4. Select Signs With A Non-Glare Finish

Eggshell, matte, or any other type of non-glare finish should be present in the characters and background of ADA restroom signs. Avoid materials that are shiny by nature, such as aluminum. Conceal the glaring character by covering it with zero-glare paint if non-glare materials aren’t available. You can give instructions to the company where you’ll get the signs to use less-glossy paints. Making use of a covering that reflects little light can also be an alternative.

Not only can a glaring finish drive people away, but it can also make it difficult for your visitors to read and interpret the signs themselves.

The Benefits Of Having The Right ADA Restroom Signs

 

• Easy Identification – Restroom signs with the appropriate symbols can make identification way easier for those who are unable to read or for non-English speaking individuals.

• Inclusive Environment – The right ADA restroom signs can help you show not only to your visitors but also your staff members that you care about them. You’re able to create a warm, welcoming environment by adding signs to your facility. It should be included in your efforts to offer the healthiest environment possible to your customers and employees.

• Compliance – Of course, you can avoid being hit with lawsuits or incurring fines by buying and installing restroom signs in your facility. Under the ADA, bathrooms and other permanent rooms in public facilities are required to have ADA-compliant signage in place.

• Affordability – ADA signs are also an affordable option for business owners who want to ensure restrooms are identified in a clear manner.

 

Conclusion

ADA restroom signs help the general public, especially individuals with visual impairments or other disabilities, locate the correct restroom. They need to be easily accessible, have Braille and tactile text, a non-glare finish, as well as use color contrast to offer a better understanding to readers immediately. The guideline discussed here should help you choose the best ADA restroom signs for your establishment.