I notice that this forum has not been getting any traffic. I just got back from the international sign show in Las Vegas, and I see that there are still plenty of displays with ADA signs that are either not compliant with the current rules, or won't be compliant once the new rules take effect. Those new rules have been adopted by the Access Board back in 2004, and most of the federal agencies, such as the Department of Transportation, the Defense Dept and the Post Office are already using them. Most of the new rules just give guidance so that your ADA signs are more readable. They are things that should have been done from the beginning, such as putting some space between letters rather than allowing them to touch or almost touch.

One subject that comes up all the time is rounded braille dots. No, nobody is outlawing photopolymer, or metal, or sandblasted ADA signs. The rules for rounded braille dots just forces companies to take care and use good craft techniques so they don't end up with unreadable flat dots. I saw signs with good rounded dots made by every technique, but unfortunately, it's always easy to find bad ones as well.

Go to the Access Board site at [www.access-board.gov] and look at the ADA/ABA Buidelines of 2004 and check out the chapter about signs, as well as the scoping chapter, and get prepared!

Sharon Toji

Sharon can you give any update on what is coming down the pike on new changes to the ADA Guidelines?

Thanks.

Sorry that I did not see this earlier, and answer it more specifically. I do have my new edition of Signs and the ADA out now, and if you ask, I'll post a link to it. I have a download, plus a manual in hard cover. I'll be giving a workshop in Southern California within the month, as well.

Depending on where you are, the changes won't seem like much, or will be quite shocking. Any state that has been using ANSI from 1998 on, or California, is already doing a lot of what it requires. Other states will have to give up serif letters on raised letter signs, for instance.

Even California will have to learn that letters can't touch each other.

Let me know what your specific questions are. It's all to the good if you want to make signs that people can actually read.

Sharon Toji