• The ADA requires that all characters and backgrounds on handicap signs be in a non-glaring color.handicap sign image by Joann Cooper from Fotolia.com
  
  We've all seen them -- the handicapped accessible parking space or door, Braille on ATMs and elevator buttons, special phones for the hearing impaired and seating areas set aside in stadiums and concert halls. All of these special provisions are the result of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). The federal law is quite thorough in breaking down the required allotments for handicapped persons in all public areas, including how the signage should be displayed.
  
  

Letter Proportion

• The ADA requires that the letters and numbers on handicapped signage have a ratio of width-to-height between 3:5 and 1:1 with a stroke-width-to-height ratio from 1:5 to 1:10. In other words, when placed on a lettering grid for design, the maximum amount of grid spaces the lettering may cover is three spaces wide and five spaces high; the minimum, one space each. The letter "E" would be three spaces wide and five spaces high on a grid, the letter "I" (in certain font types) would only be one space wide and one space high.
  
  Stroke signifies the thickness and range of the character. For example, the characters on a handicapped sign may only be one grid space thick, but may reach up to 10 grid spaces tall, if necessary.
  
  

Height

• The height of the characters on ADA signage is based on the distance from which the sign is read. While the regulations do not give character height specifics for overhead space less than 80 inches, if the sign is to be posted in an area with overhead space of at least 80 inches, the minimum character height is 3 inches.
  
  

Special Characters

• The letters and numbers on ADA signage must be raised to 1/32 of an inch, be written in sans or simple serif font and include Grade 2 Braille characterization for the blind. Any raised characters may be from 5/8 to 2 inches, but no taller. Pictograms must a have a border that is a minimum of 6 inches and an accompanying description at the bottom. All handicapped signage also must include the international symbol for handicapped persons.
  
  

Color

• To ensure the viewer can spot the handicapped signage without difficulty, the ADA requires all characters and background be finished in a non-glaring color, and the characters and symbols on the signs must be in contrast with the background. The sign maker may choose whether the contrast is light characters/dark background or vice versa.
  
  

Location

• Permanent signage should be placed on the wall adjacent to the latch side of the door, 60 inches above the floor to the centerline of the sign. All signage must be posted in an area with 3 inches of clearance surrounding the sign. If there is not an adjacent wall to the door latch, signage should be placed on the door's nearest adjacent wall.
  
  Outdoor handicapped signage must also be posted in visible areas that are clear and unobstructed. Parking signs, for example, must be posted high enough to be seen from the driver's seat of a vehicle and also high enough so they are not blocked once the vehicle is parked.