Few things are more frustrating than reading something that speaks outside your common vocabulary. But as a hotelier you need to understand all parts of the business, including interior signage. And while you don’t need to be an expert (we’ve got that covered), it can be super helpful to understand key terms. We’ve collected a few to help make sure we’re speaking the same language. Have a look and see if you’re fluent in “sign-speak”.
ADA
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 guarantees equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications. The purpose of this law is to ensure that anyone with a disability has the same opportunities and rights as anyone without. Then in 2010, the Attorney General published the latest regulations which included an updated version of the ADA Standards for Accessible Design, and are what we adhere to today. The ADA specifically mandates that hotel accommodations provide certain mobility and communication features to these guests, such as wheelchair accessible parking, entrances and toilet/bathing facilities. Specific alarms and notification devices are also required in hotel rooms for guests with visual or hearing impairments. All ADA required interior signage should be mounted in a location adjacent to the latch side of the door at a height of 48 to 60 inches above the floor to the center of the sign.
Braille
Braille is a system of raised dots that is designed to be read by touch for people who are blind or have low vision. Braille signs allow visually impaired people to navigate the areas in your hotel, and provides them with access to critical and emergency information. Braille is required on signs that are designating a permanent space, such as a conference room sign, a guest room sign, or a restroom sign. The ADA requires grade 2 braille that allows for contractions and thus reduces the number of characters used to save space. Braille signage helps promote independence and allows access to information that would be otherwise inaccessible to a person with visual disabilities.
Tactile Signs
A tactile sign is any sign that can be read by touch through raised text and braille. Federal regulations specify that a tactile Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant sign must mark every permanent room or space within public accommodations. Some of these signs include room number signs, restroom signs, and exit signs. Additionally, you’ll find that all tactile signs contain uppercase letters with proper color contrast between the characters and background. In addition, characters must be sans serif (without protrusions that extend off the letters) and should not be italic, oblique, script, highly decorative, or of any other unusual form.
Visual Signs
The ADA regulations specify certain visual requirements for signs to accommodate those with low vision. While some signs require both visual and tactile elements, others are only required to have the former. Signage that provides directions to or information about interior spaces are not required to be tactile, only visual. Examples of this type of signage includes hours of operation, general information signs, directories and rules of conduct. Visual signs do not require raised characters or grade 2 braille. However, characters should not be italic, oblique, script, highly decorative, or of any other unusual form.
NFPA
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a US-based international nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property, and economic loss due to fire, electrical, and related hazards. The association has published more than 300 consensus codes and standards intended to minimize the possibility and effects of fire and other risks. HOTELSIGNS.com manufactures and sells signage that is compliant with the current regulations listed in the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code.
Areas of Refuge
Generally located in a stairwell, the Area of Refuge is a designated area within a building designed to house people who may be physically impaired or otherwise unable to safely evacuate on their own during an emergency. It’s vital to identify these rescue areas with clear, concise signage so there’s no question where people need to go when they need to wait for help to arrive. All of HOTELSIGNS.com Area of Refuge signs meet ADA guidelines with raised text, grade 2 braille, and 4” pictograms with a clear field height of 6”.
SignSpec©
A free, online quoting service provided by HOTELSIGNS.com for its customers. Each SignSpec© quote lists all ADA-compliant signs needed for the hotel. Simply provide us with your hotel’s floor plans or blueprints and we will assess your signage requirements. This quote includes a project summary (overview of the signs needed for your hotel) and a sign location map (that shows recommended sign placement) to aid with installation.
Color Contrast
Sufficient color contrast is critical when it comes to making a sign visible and legible to as many as possible, including those with vision impairments. The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (SfAD) states that, “Characters and their background shall have a non-glare finish. Characters shall contrast with their background with either light characters on a dark background or dark characters on a light background.” Although not specifically outlined in the ADA Standards for Accessible Design, a 70% contrast is widely recommended. When you customize and order signs through HOTELSIGNS.com, our website will automatically filter your color options upon choosing one color. This guarantees that your signs’ background colors and text colors are perfectly balanced.
Evacuation Map
Evacuation maps are typically a simplified illustration of a building, which in the case of an emergency provide simple easily understood directions to guide the building’s occupants to the most appropriate exits and assembly points. They can also be used by emergency personnel in locating firefighting equipment during an emergency event. Evacuation maps should be located in multiple locations throughout a building in easily accessible areas. Their design varies depending on building location, industry, and sign location but may include state laws, evacuation instructions, building layout, and legend.
Wayfinding
Wayfinding is the use of signage, color, and other design features to help occupants navigate through any type of physical environment. Wayfinding signage should be placed along the path a person is likely to take, such as at intersections, doorways, or other key decision points. Wayfinding signage should be legible and clearly visible. Color, visuals, and symbols should be used to direct occupants and make navigation easier. Signage may also provide directions to restrooms, exits, and other amenities.
Dynamic ISA Symbol
The original International Symbol of Access (ISA) was first developed by Danish design student Susanne Koefoed in 1968. Through a collaboration of subject matter experts, academics, and the design community, this symbol of accessibility became the universal standard. Fast forward to 2013, and the United States began to implement a new symbol, the dynamic symbol. Over the decades, there has been a trend towards symbols being more inclusive of all disabilities, not just those requiring a wheelchair. The traditional disability symbol has changed since its initial introduction, now encompassing a wider range of disabilities.
Pictograms
An illustrated symbol that represents activities, concepts, or facilities (example: female icon on a women’s restroom sign). Pictograms can be used to identify a permanent room or space, providing readers a visual icon in conjunction with written text. Pictograms should have a minimum field height of 6 inches with raised characters and grade 2 braille located in a separate text descriptor field(s) directly below.
Handicap-Accessible Room
A handicap-accessible hotel room is one that can be used by everyone, no matter their degree of mobility. This means that the hotel room is specially designed to accommodate individuals with reduced mobility or any other kind of disability such as impaired vision or hearing loss. Unlike typical hotel rooms, accessible rooms are built with several features that allow a disabled person to navigate the room with ease. Some of these regulations include hotel bed clearance, height of security latches on doors, TDD phones for the hearing impaired, raised toilet seats, grab bars in the bathrooms, adequate floor space for increased clearance, and wider doorways to accommodate wheelchairs.
Permanent Room or Space
A permanent room or space is one in which its function will not change over time, such as restrooms or guest rooms. These types of areas require ADA-compliant tactile signs with raised characters and braille to allow for reading by touch.