ISA Encounters Opposition to Changes in Federal ADA Guidelines
The International Sign Association is focused on ensuring that the Federal Standards of Accessible Design support the best interests of both the disabled community as well as ISA members and the sign industry. ISA, as a voting member of the ANSI A117.1 Committee, testified in January on several proposed changes impacting the future of sign design. ISA worked in collaboration with SEGD (Society of Environmental Graphic Design), to change the existing guidelines in the sections concerning character height, character spacing, Braille positioning, mounting height, and the International Symbol of Accessibility. Almost all our positions were disapproved, based on a committee perception that the proposals were not in the best interest of the disabled community, despite our combined efforts and testimony provided by Chris Calori, an expert in typography. An additional challenge was raised by a proposal to require stringent contrast ratio guidelines for ADA signage. Read a summary of the ANSI meeting and the impact of these proposed changes. If you have questions, or would like to get involved with ISA’s ADA Taskforce, please email Sapna Budev.
