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Industry expert Craig Berger discusses several elements that pertain to new ADA rules.

Craig Berger is the chairman of the Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design Program at the Fashion Institute of Technology, as well as principal of Craig Berger Manage-ment Consulting. His firm devises marketing, education, design and management approaches for designers, fabricators, manufacturers and clients. He can be reached at craigberger19@comcast.net.

I’ve been educating sign- and environmental-graphic-design professionals about Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations for 10 years (especially during the last year on behalf of Nova Polymers). Many key issues arise repeatedly. Every month, like clockwork, my e-mail inbox fills with many basic regulatory questions. Not only are fabricators and designers asking, but some local, code-enforcement officials inquire as well.

The new ADA code requirements become mandatory nationwide March 15, so it’s timely to provide a primer on four key issues. Widespread lack of knowledge about these essential areas has hindered creativity in producing ADA-compliant signage, and nullified many improvements the code provides.

Temporary/permanent distinctions
All sections I refer to below are in 2009’s update of ADA guidelines. A novel idea in the new ADA is to specifically prescribe where ADA signs will be installed. The new ADA has a chapter devoted to required ADA sign locations. Its most vital elements follow:

“Section 216: Signs
216.1 General. Signs shall be provided in accordance with 216 and shall comply with Section 703.
EXCEPTIONS:
1. Building directories, menus, seat and row designations in assembly areas, occupant names, building addresses, and company names and logos shall not be required to comply with 216.
2. In parking facilities, signs shall not be required to comply with 216.2, 216.3, and 216.6 through 216.12.
3. Temporary [seven days or less] signs shall not be required to comply with 216.
4. In detention and correctional facilities, signs not located in public-use areas shall not be required to comply with 216.”

The exemptions for prisons, directories, occupant names and parking facilities are quite clear (though I still get questions about them). However, defining temporary signage can be tricky. Does “seven days or less” refer to the length of time a temporary facility is open, the sign’s duration, or something else? Is it open to interpretation? This gray area is often construed to mean facilities that can’t quickly be repurposed for another use should be marked with a permanent designation.