Making ADA Signs

[Keith Outten]

Currently the rules are different in states that have adopted ANSI 117.1 and states that have not.

The original Code Of Federal Regulations is still the document of law in all states.

States that have not adopted ANSI 117.1 may have only the COFR to govern ADA Standards. The current COFR does not require upper case Braille letters. Tactile text must be all uppercase. Braille can be upper case, lower case or the first word Capitalized...it is up to you.

The guidelines you often hear people speak about have not been approved and therefore are not a legal requirement.

So, if you live in a state that has adopted ANSI 117.1 that is the document you must comply with along with the COFR.

If you live in a state that has not adopted ANSI 117.1 then the COFR is probably the only document in effect.

Note that the ANSI Standard is just that "A Standard".

State and local laws may be more restrictive than the Code of Federal Regulations but they must meet the minimum requirements of the COFR because it represents a Law passed by Congress.

A Code has precedence over a Specification or Standard.

Here is a link to 28 CFR Part 36 in PDf format...download this document if you fabricate ADA signs. Look at section 4.3 for information concerning signage.
http://www.ada.gov/adastd94.pdf

ANSI 117.1 requires Braille capital letters only be used before the first word of sentences, proper nouns and names, individual letters of the alphabet, initials or acronyms per section 703.5.4
.

[Larry Bratton]

Currently the rules are different in states that have adopted ANSI 117.1 and states that have not. The original COFR is still the document of law in states that have not adopted ANSI 117.1 and not the proposed guidelines you often hear people quote. The guidelines have not been approved and therefore are not a legal requirement.

So, if you live in a state that has adopted ANSI 117.1 that is the document you must comply with.

If you live in a state that has not adopted ANSI 117.1 then the COFR has precedence.
.

Correct. That is what Accent said. The guy from Accent sent me an e-mail of a topic on domed braille that was discussed in the Shopbot forum also. Has Virginia adopted ANSI 117.1?
According to Shevy Parasivam at Accent, 117 is soon to be Federal law under the new administration.

[Scott Shepherd]

Thanks Larry, they does explain the difference in the two documents. I do not know if VA has adopted it yet. I looked around some and couldn't find anything on it in VA. I also couldn't find a free online resource for that standard either. Seems everyone wants to charge for a copy of the standard and no one's posting it online that I could find.

With the stuff I see, I seriously doubt VA has adopted it yet. If it has, then there are a truck load of inspectors that need to lose their jobs.

Thanks for finding out the info and posting it back here, it's one more piece of the puzzle for us all to understand.

[Bob Cole]

I looked around and it also looks like states and cities choose which parts they adopt.

[Larry Bratton]

Thanks Larry, they does explain the difference in the two documents. I do not know if VA has adopted it yet. I looked around some and couldn't find anything on it in VA. I also couldn't find a free online resource for that standard either. Seems everyone wants to charge for a copy of the standard and no one's posting it online that I could find.

With the stuff I see, I seriously doubt VA has adopted it yet. If it has, then there are a truck load of inspectors that need to lose their jobs.

Thanks for finding out the info and posting it back here, it's one more piece of the puzzle for us all to understand.

Scott:
ANSI 117.1 is usually incorporated in the IBC (International Building Code). I am pretty sure that Virginia uses this code as their standard. You might call the local building inspection dept in Richmond and they can tell you right off the bat which they use. They can also tell you if they enforce ANSI 117.1 2003 as part of that building code. All of this stuff is pretty confusing to folks that are not in the building industry per se.

However, who is going to say that your braille is right or wrong unless it's a braille reading blind person or a really picky building official. But, it is proven (by my observation in Bob's sign) that it can be spotted by a sighted person that has a little knowledge of what it's supposed to look like. If they really got serious about enforcement, you might see inspectors going around with Duxbury translators on their laptop computers. I would not be surprised. Remember, a while back, I got nailed on a swimming pool sign that had 1/8" discrepency in a letter height.

[Larry Bratton]

More information I received from Accent. For everyone's information.
I can't post the attachments he sent. My software won't open them. But anyway this is helpful. Main thing is that according to this, ANSI 117 is going to become law pretty soon now. See article #4

1)Any state using IBC (International Building Code) 2003 or later
requires ANSI 117. When a state has adopted either ANSI 117 standards or
the 2003 or later IBC code then these are no longer just "standards" or
guidelines--they are law in that state.

2)In addition any city or county may adopt a building code that requires
ANSI 117 regardless of whether the state uses it, since ANSI 117 is
stricter than the 1993 code.

3)Also, most federal agency buildings require ANSI 117. The US Postal
Service and GSA were both early adopters of ANSI 117. If you make ADA
signs for a federal agency you will most likely be following ANSI 117.

4) The DOJ (Department of Justice) has already completed the review and
approval process for ANSI 117 and the period for public comment has
expired. It only remains for Obama to sign into law. No obstacles remain
for this to become the law of the land this year.

ANSI 117 requires rounded dome-shaped Braille and lower case Braille.
This makes the Braille easier to read for the visually-impaired and was
the reason for these changes in the law. Braille is only capitalized
under ANSI 117 for proper names or nouns or place names, etc., that
might be capitalized in a written letter's text. Raised tactile
lettering however must still be all upper-case according to both ANSI
117 and the old 1993 ADAAG law.

Please SEE ATTACHED files for a list of contacts/phone numbers for each
state for answers to which building code applies. The ANSI 117 is legal
in all states and that is why most ADA sign companies in the US, just
use the ANSI 117 to avoid all the complicated questions of which state
is using which law. California is the exception. California has it's
own unique set of ADA laws called Title 24, which use Braille with wider
spacing and different Restroom signs than those used in the rest of the
49 states.


Shevy Parasivam
ADA Raster(tm) Braille Product Consultant

Also, per Shevy here is a list of states that have adopted ANSI 117.1
1. Alabama
2. Arkansas
3. California
4. Connecticut
5. Idaho
6. Illinois
7. Indiana
8. Louisiana
9. Massachusetts
10. Michigan
11. New Hampshire
12. New Jersey
13. New Mexico
14. New York
15. Oklahoma
16. Pennsylvania
17. Rhode Island
18. South Carolina
19. Tennessee
20. Texas
21. Washington
22. Wisconsin

[Scott Shepherd]

No Virginia, YEAHHHHHH!

Thanks Larry, I appreciate all the effort on this to bring us all up to speed.

[Todd Seman]

Reference to the capitalization of braille can be found in the "ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines" , Section 703.3.1. found here -

http://www.access-board.gov/ada-aba/index.htm

FWIW,
Todd

[Scott Shepherd]

Reference to the capitalization of braille can be found in the "ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines" , Section 703.3.1. found here -

http://www.access-board.gov/ada-aba/index.htm

FWIW,
Todd

FWIW here's the standard from that code:

703.3.1 Dimensions and Capitalization. Braille dots shall have a domed or rounded shape and shall comply with Table 703.3.1. The indication of an uppercase letter or letters shall only be used before the first word of sentences, proper nouns and names, individual letters of the alphabet, initials, and acronyms.

[Larry Bratton]

No Virginia, YEAHHHHHH!

Thanks Larry, I appreciate all the effort on this to bring us all up to speed.

Yet, but it's coming.

[Scott Shepherd]

Bring it on! I'll be rich once they move that standard into VA and enforce it, since not even the government buildings have ADA compliant signs NOW!

Bring it on. All I need to do is unlock that caps button and we're all set

[Larry Bratton]

Bring it on! I'll be rich once they move that standard into VA and enforce it, since not even the government buildings have ADA compliant signs NOW!

Bring it on. All I need to do is unlock that caps button and we're all set

Hehehe..yep! When it becomes law, that's a whole new can of worms. According to Shevy at Accent, all it lacks is signature. All of us can use this legislation to our advantage. That would certainly amount to a "stimulus" to me.

[Keith Outten]

Scott,

According to my supervisor Virginia adopts/updates to the latest codes and standards every three years. The last time was in 2006 so we are very close to making the change. Projects that have already started are grandfathered to the codes and srtandards in effect when they started. Check the project dates for any job you win because you will be expected to comply with the older specifications even after the new laws take effect. So, even a couple of years from now you could be making signs that are not ANSI 117.1 compliant. Older buildings are also grandfathered to the specs they were built to except when major renovations or new additions are involved.

Never assume that because you are doing a job today that you must comply with the current specs and codes. The right answer is that you are supposed to use the codes in place when the building or projects were designed. Unless the customer waives the original building codes and decides to use the current codes which they can do but it is rarely beneficial.
.

[Scott Shepherd]

That's interesting to know as well Keith. The DOJ tells me that there is no grandfathering on any signs. How's that fit in with what you are being told? Different? The same? I'm getting an ice cream headache......

[Larry Bratton]

Well why not just go ahead and make them to the latest code? That would certainly be more stringent and you would be on the safe side. The issue of lower case braille is certainly easy to accomplish and be within the guidelines either way.