4.30 SIGNAGE

4.30.1    General
Signage required to be accessible by 4.1shall comply with the applicable provisions of 4.30

Note:In building complexes where finding locations independently on a routine basis may be a necessity (for example, college campuses), tactile maps or prerecorded instructions can be very helpful to visually impaired people. Several maps and auditory instructions have been developed and tested for specific applications. The type of map or instructions used must be based on the information to be communicated, which depends highly on the type of buildings or users.

Landmarks that can easily be distinguished by visually impaired individuals are useful as orientation cues. Such cues include changes in illumination level, bright colors, unique patterns, wall murals, location of special equipment or other architectural features.

Many people with disabilities have limitations in movement of their heads and reduced peripheral vision. Thus, signage positioned perpendicular to the path of travel is easiest for them to notice. People can generally distinguish signage within an angle of 30 degrees to either side of the centerlines of their faces without moving their heads.

4.30.2     Character Proportion
Letters and numbers on signs shall have a width-to-height ratio between 3: 5 and 1:1 and a stroke-width-to-height ratio between 1: 5 and 1:10.

Note: The legibility of printed characters is a function of the viewing distance, character height, the ratio of the stroke width to the height of the character, the contrast of color between character and background, and print font. The size of characters must be based upon the intended viewing distance. A severely nearsighted person may have to be much closer to recognize a character of a given size than a person with normal visual acuity.

4.30.3    Character Height
Characters and numbers on signs shall be sized according to the viewing distance from which they are to be read. The minimum height is measured using an upper case X. Lower case characters are permitted.

Height Above Finished Floor                                Minimum Character Height

Suspended or Projected Overhead
in Compliance with 4.4.2                                      3 in. (75 mm)minimum

4.30.4    Raised And Brailled Characters And Pictorial Symbol Signs (Pictograms)

Letters and numerals shall be raised 1/32 in, upper case, sans serif or simple serif type and shall be accompanied with Grade 2 Braille. Raised characters shall be at least 5/8 in (16 mm) high, but no higher than 2 in (50 mm). Pictograms shall be accompanied by the equivalent verbal description placed directly below the pictogram. The border dimension of the pictogram shall be 6 in (152 mm) minimum in height.

Note:The standard dimensions for literary Braille are as follows:

Dot diameter                                                  .059 in.
Inter-dot spacing                                           .090 in.
Horizontal separation between cells         .241 in.
Vertical separation between cells              .395 in.

Raised borders around signs containing raised characters may make them confusing to read unless the border is set far away from the characters. Accessible signage with descriptive materials about public buildings, monuments, and objects of cultural interest may not provide sufficiently detailed and meaningful information. Interpretive guides, audio tape devices, or other methods may be more effective in presenting such information.

4.30.5   Finish And Contrast
The characters and background of signs shall be eggshell, matte, or other non-glare finish. Characters and symbols shall contrast with their background -- either light characters on a dark background or dark characters on a light background.

Note: An eggshell finish (11 to 19 degree gloss on 60 degree glossimeter) is recommended. Research indicates that signs are more legible for persons with low vision when characters contrast with their background by at least 70 percent. Contrast in percent shall be determined by:

Contrast = [(B1 - B2)/B1] x 100
where B1 = light reflectance value (LRV) of the lighter area
and B2 = light reflectance value (LRV) of the darker area.
Note that in any application both white and black are never absolute; thus, B1 never equals 100 and B2 is always greater than 0.
The greatest readability is usually achieved through the use of light-colored characters or symbols on a dark background.

4.30.6    Mounting Location And Height
Where permanent identification is provided for rooms and spaces, signs shall be installed on the wall adjacent to the latch side of the door. Where there is no wall space to the latch side of the door, including at double leaf doors, signs shall be placed on the nearest adjacent wall. Mounting height shall be 60 in (1525 mm) above the finish floor to the centerline of the sign. Mounting location for such signage shall be so that a person may approach within 3 in (76 mm) of signage without encountering protruding objects or standing within the swing of a door.

4.30.7    Symbols Of Accessibility

4.30.7(1)
Facilities and elements required to be identified as accessible by 4.1 shall use the international symbol of accessibility. The symbol shall be displayed as shown in Fig. 43.

4.30.7(2)
Volume Control Telephones. Telephones required to have a volume control by 4.1.3(17)(b) shall be identified by a sign containing a depiction of a telephone handset with radiating sound waves.

4.30.7(3)
Text Telephones. Text telephones required by 4.1.3(17)(c) shall be identified by the international TDD symbol (Fig. 43). In addition, if a facility has a public text telephone, directional signage indicating the location of the nearest text telephone shall be placed adjacent to all banks of telephones which do not contain a text telephone. Such directional signage shall include the international TDD symbol. If a facility has no banks of telephones, the directional signage shall be provided at the entrance (e.g., in a building directory).

4.30.7(4)
Assistive Listening Systems. In assembly areas where permanently installed assistive listening systems are required by 4.1.3(19)(b) the availability of such systems shall be identified with signage that includes the international symbol of access for hearing loss (Fig. 43).

Note: Paragraph 4 of this section requires signage indicating the availability of an assistive listening system. An appropriate message should be displayed with the international symbol of access for hearing loss since this symbol conveys general accessibility for people with hearing loss.  Some suggestions are:

"INFRA RED ASSISTIVE LISTENING SYSTEM AVAILABLE----PLEASE ASK----"

"AUDIO LOOP IN USE TURN T-SWITCH FOR BETTER HEARING----OR ASK FOR HELP-----"

"FM ASSISTIVE LISTENING SYSTEM AVAILABLE----PLEASE ASK---"

The symbol may be used to notify persons of the availability of other auxiliary aids and services such as: real time captioning, captioned note taking, sign language interpreters, and oral interpreters.