Welcome to Alpha Dog ADA Signs

Alpha Dog ADA Signs is the leader of the pack for American made, ADA Braille Signs.

 

Alpha Dog manufactures ADA signage in compliance with:

• The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
• The United States Access Board ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG)
• California's Title 24 Building Standards Code and AB 1732

Our signs will pass inspection… guaranteed!

 

ADA SIGN DEFINED

The term "ADA Signs" is commonly used in the architectural, construction and signage industries. Many people think it's synonymous with Braille signs, but the sign standards in the ADA Accessibility Guidelines, or ADAAG, require much more than just Braille and raised characters on some signs.

From Chapter 7: Communication Elements and Features

703 Signs

703.1 General. Signs shall comply with 703. Where both visual and tactile characters are required, either one sign with both visual and tactile characters, or two separate signs, one with visual, and one with tactile characters, shall be provided.

703.2 Raised Characters. Raised characters shall comply with 703.2 and shall be duplicated in braille complying with 703.3. Raised characters shall be installed in accordance with 703.4.

Advisory 703.2 Raised Characters. Signs that are designed to be read by touch should not have sharp or abrasive edges.

703.2.1 Depth. Raised characters shall be 1/32 inch (0.8 mm) minimum above their background.

703.2.2 Case. Characters shall be uppercase.

703.2.3 Style. Characters shall be sans serif. Characters shall not be italic, oblique, script, highly decorative, or of other unusual forms.

703.2.4 Character Proportions. Characters shall be selected from fonts where the width of the uppercase letter “O” is 55 percent minimum and 110 percent maximum of the height of the uppercase letter “I”.

703.2.5 Character Height. Character height measured vertically from the baseline of the character shall be 5/8 inch (16 mm) minimum and 2 inches (51 mm) maximum based on the height of the uppercase letter “I”.

703.2.6 Stroke Thickness. Stroke thickness of the uppercase letter “I” shall be 15 percent maximum of the height of the character.

703.2.7 Character Spacing. Character spacing shall be measured between the two closest points of adjacent raised characters within a message, excluding word spaces. Where characters have rectangular cross sections, spacing between individual raised characters shall be 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) minimum and 4 times the raised character stroke width maximum. Where characters have other cross sections, spacing between individual raised characters shall be 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) minimum and 4 times the raised character stroke width maximum at the base of the cross sections, and 1/8 inch (3.2 mm) minimum and 4 times the raised character stroke width maximum at the top of the cross sections. Characters shall be separated from raised borders and decorative elements 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) minimum.

703.2.8 Line Spacing. Spacing between the baselines of separate lines of raised characters within a message shall be 135 percent minimum and 170 percent maximum of the raised character height.

703.3 Braille. Braille shall be contracted (Grade 2) and shall comply with 703.3 and 703.4.

703.3.1 Dimensions and Capitalization. Braille dots shall have a domed or rounded shape and shall comply with Table 703.3.1. The indication of an uppercase letter or letters shall only be used before the first word of sentences, proper nouns and names, individual letters of the alphabet, initials, and acronyms.

703.3.2 Position. Braille shall be positioned below the corresponding text. If text is multi-lined, braille shall be placed below the entire text. Braille shall be separated 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) minimum from any other tactile characters and 3/8 inch (9.5 mm) minimum from raised borders and decorative elements.

Contractors, property managers and business owners must comply with federal, state and local codes. Our ADA compliant signs contain proper tactile graphics, grade 2 Braille and are guaranteed to pass an inspection.

 

Some states have additional requirements for signage!

California

• Has specific requirements for Braille size and spacing.
• Restrooms: TWO Restroom Signs are required for compliance:

A WALL sign for CA Title 24 ADA requirements

A DOOR sign for CA Title 24 visual requirements

(more info from our blog post here!)

• Unisex, All Gender, or Gender Neutral Restrooms with a single stall have specific signage requirements. A user-friendly document from the CA DSA can be found here.
• Many cities have additional requirements:

Los Angeles ADA Sign Codes

San Francisco ADA Sign Codes

New York and Connecticut require the Active ISA wheelchair symbol.

** IMPORTANT: Always check with your local state/city/county resources for additional requirements before buying your signs. In some cases, you may need to customize your text, Braille, color, etc., to ensure compliance.

 

THAT’S A LOT OF INFO! EXACTLY WHICH ROOMS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE ADA BRAILLE SIGNS?

We’re glad you asked! We wrote a blog post on that very topic, which you can view here: https://alphadogadasigns.com/rules-regulations/what-rooms-are-required-to-have-ada-braille-signs/

The simple answer: permanent rooms and spaces. The rules apply to signs that provide designations, labels, or names for interior rooms or spaces where the sign is not likely to change – ADA Restroom Signs, ADA Office Signs, and Exit Signs, to name a few. Tactile (raised) text is required to label or identify a permanent room or space.

 

OK, I HAVE MY SIGNS… NOW WHERE DO I PUT THEM?

We also wrote a blog post on that! https://alphadogadasigns.com/rules-regulations/ada-restroom-sign-installation-requirements/

The Quick Start answer for ADA Braille Signs is:

Wall Sign Installation / Height Requirements:

• Must be mounted on the latch side of the door
• Must be 48″ minimum and 60″ maximum measured from the finished floor to the bottom line of text

There are exceptions, so please check our blog posts, and always check with your local building department for more information.