subject: Ada Signs For Building Compliance [print this page] The Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990. This act has a history that reaches back to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. As its basic tenant, the ADA gives employment and access rights to persons with disabilities. Part of the act requires special facilities for access that are marked with ADA signs.
The ADA requires that new construction as well as buildings that are being expanded or remodeled meet the requirements of the law. This can mean that they must provide accessible restrooms and possibly elevators. Most government bodies now address the ADA in local codes. Before building permits and final occupancy permits are issued, compliance with the ADA must be shown.
The international symbol of accessibility, a while line drawing of a person sitting in a wheelchair on a blue background is used to identify facilities that are compliant with the ADA. Parking spaces, entries, and restrooms may all have this symbol that identifies them as meeting the law.
The ADA also requires that signs used to meet this law have both Braille symbols and raised letters to identify such features as room numbers or restrooms. There are specifications for where the signs should be placed in the ADA. Businesses that do not display the signs that meet the ADA can receive warnings and fines.
The ADA places greater restrictions on some building than it does others. Medical facilities must provide a covered unloading area for patients. Public buildings with more than one story must have elevators. Make sure that your building complies with the sections of the ADA that apply to it.
All buildings that are constructed today must comply with the ADA if they are open to the public. Even certain residential construction is affected by these laws. The government has published handbooks that can help you to know and understand the ADA in greater detail. These guidebooks also will address issues of signs for your building. Remember, the ADA not only affects the inside of the building but the outside as well. Buildings must have the correct number of reserved parking spaces to be compliant.
The regulations of the ADA require ADA signs be posted in certain locations. As the owner of a business, you must meet these regulations or you could be fined. It is important that the signs meet the regulation in size and in placement. Most local building codes require that the conditions of the ADA be meet before you are issued a certificate of occupancy.
