ADA lodging Signage ... Where's my room?

The ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act,  is a civil rights law signed by President Bush on July 26, 1990. This law mandates that individuals with disabilities shall have access to jobs, public accommodations, government services, lodging, public transportation, telecommunications ...  Basically is states that all individuals shall be able to participate in, and have full access to all aspects of society.

We hope to scratch the surface with this blog about the role ADA Signage plays within the lodging industry.

Hotels, motels, inns and apartment complexes must comply fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),  to provide and promote greater accessibility for all. 

ADA Compliant and Wayfinding Signs play a pivotal role in removing barriers for people with disabilities and help to make sure their stay is more enjoyable within a lodging facility.  These ADA standards are not just in place for guests and renters, but helpful for employees as well.

Guests, renters and new employees rely on Signage to navigate the property, helping direct them to their desired location.  Room Number ADA signs might be the most important ADA sign within a lodging facility.  We need to make sure each guest know where to find their room!

Common ADA Room Name Signs play an important role as well, and are required by law under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  Common Room Name signs are essential to a lodging facility and may include rooms such as, Meeting Rooms, Restrooms, Shops, Lobby Area, Business Center, Vending, Housekeeping, Storage, Guest Laundry, Mechanical Rooms, and more.

Safety signs are also required by law for lodging facilities.  These signs include Fire Emergency, Stairway Identification, Elevator, Area of Refuge and Exit ADA Signs.  Stair and Elevator ADA Signs help people to find their way out during an emergency.  Make sure to identify exits, staircases, floor levels and sign reminders to use the stairs, not the elevators in the case of a fire.  

Wafinding signs help guests to find their way around the property.  These are more visual signs and they help to provide direction or information about functional spaces.  This type of ADA sign is not required to have tactile raised printing or braille but must comply with the visual ADA design standards.  Wayfinding signs are for a directional function and can be wall mounted, projected or suspended overhead. 

Nap’s suggests you walk your facility and make a list of all the possible locations that will require ADA signs.   Once we have a list developed, we can begin to design your signage to fit your brand.

Add your company logo and choose what colors fit your brand.  Naps ADA has several lines of custom designed ADA Sign Collections, as well as Standard ADA compliant Signs offered in many color combinations.  

Our ADA designed signs will follow these compliance guidelines ..

• Signs will have a non-glare finish with contrasting colors.
• Signs will have a 1/32” raised tactile lettering and Grade II Braille.
• Signs will have text that is all uppercase and San Serif.
• Characters will not be italic, bold, script, decorative, or other unusual forms.
• Characters must be between 5/8” and 2” with a minimum spacing of 1/8”.
• Braille shall be separated by 3/8” minimum from tactile characters and raised borders.
• Braille shall be domed shaped, not flat or pointy.
• Braille shall be together and 3/8” to ½” below the last line of text.
• Braille shall be all lower case, except for proper names, acronyms, or a single letter.
• A 1” high space in needed for one line of Braille.
• Pictograms should be in their own 6” high field, and have the relevant ISA symbol where applicable.
• Characters and Braille shall not be located within the pictogram field.

Once we have your signs produced and your ADA signs are in hand, you need to make sure you follow the installation rules.  Correct installation is essential to making sure your ADA Signage is compliant.   Use our ADA Sign Guidelines to understand requirements for size, mounting height, design and more.

Nap’s is researching and developing new design concepts.  We strive to add several new custom design ADA Sign Collections a year.  We have also added 23 color combinations to our Standard line of ADA signs, offering our customers are larger variation of color combinations. 

Make sure to point your guests in the right direction with our comprehensive collection of standard and custom design ADA lodging signs.

Click here to Contact us to Quote a Custom Sign Design!