For years there has been a critical demand within the sign industry for a book on the structural engineering of signs. This comprehensive text more than meets that demand -- it exceeds it. Sign companies, ...
Material vendors offer market insights
By Steve Aust
In 1990, when Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, the legislation issued a sweeping mandate to make public facilities accessible for the physically challenged, as well as to prohibit discrimination against the people with disabilities. The result was the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). Although these ambitious standards addressed many needs of this population, some ambiguities still created confusion.
The Department of Justice, working with the U.S. Access Board (a governmental agency that advocates for comprehensive accessible design), and various representatives who serve the needs of the blind and low-vision communities, developed an updated ADAAG standard in 2010. Enacted into law March 15, 2011, it will require all public-accessible facilities to observe the new guidelines by March 15, 2012 (see related article).
The new regulations will signif-icantly impact the ADA-sign market. A few industry experts offer their insights on what the new measures will mean. For the complete ADA standards, go to the 2010 version.
-->U.S. Access Board
Dave Yanchulis is an accessibility specialist for the U.S. Access Board, an independent federal agency that promotes equality for the disabled via accessible-design leadership. In 1990, the ADA authorized the Access Board, an independent, federal agency, to develop accessibility guidelines for buildings and transportation, as well as communication and information technology. The Board also enforces accessibility standards that cover federally funded facilities, and provides public outreach and technical assistance to promote accessibility.
“It’s important that the ADA standards, like other building requirements, be periodically reviewed and updated,” he said. “The new 2010 ADA standards improve accessibility, facilitate compliance and harmonize provisions with model building codes and industry standards.”
Yanchulis continued, “Updated signage provisions clarify which signs are required to provide tactile access and visual access. They also provide greater detail on character height and proportion, and on the placement and location of signs. They improve visual and tactile legibility for the visually impaired, and make it easier for sign providers to understand what makes a sign compliant. All scoping provisions related to signs are now consolidated in one section [216, which references the technical criteria in ADAAG section 703].”
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