One of the more overlooked elements of making signs compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is sufficient color contrast. Though it sounds like more of a decorative component than one involving accessibility, sufficient color contrast is critical when it comes to making a sign visible and legible to as many as possible. Color contrast in this case is contextualized from the perspective of those who are legally visually impaired. Age itself does not constitute a disability, but as many people age, their vision greatly deteriorates. They may also develop certain cognitive disabilities, necessitating an acute understanding of contrast perception by sign designers.
As reported by the American Foundation for the Blind, eye problems begin to increase tremendously after the age of 65. Thus, for healthcare facilities such as senior care centers where elderly people may reside, it’s critical to have signage that accommodates their visual and cognitive abilities. The biggest hurdle with this is that the signage industry maintains a sense of confusion over what the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (SfAD) actually require. Therefore, it’s important to compare and contrast the old and new SfAD, offering a more concise understanding of what works best for elderly care facilities.
Is Signage Color Contrast Required by the ADA?
The ADA was signed into law in 1990, with the first edition of the SfAD adopted shortly thereafter. This 1991 edition was fairly lenient when it came to the contrast issue. For instance, the contrast ratio calculation outlined in the 1991 Standards stood as a recommendation, not a mandate. Besides a non-glare finish, characters were merely required to contrast with a light background on dark background or vice versa. Consequently, the discretionary 70% minimum contrast rating became the default method of judging whether an interior sign offered enough contrast to legally be accessible.
The current SfAD does away with the previous version’s attached appendix that offered guidance on sufficient contrast. Even though the 2010 SfAD is overall a much better version, now the language only states, “Characters and their background shall have a non-glare finish. Characters shall contrast with their background with either light characters on a dark background or dark characters on a light background,” with no advice on how to achieve the proper contrast. Without the proper criterion, the concept of light-on-dark or dark-on-light is hard to quantify. As vague as this language is, one way to apply this information is to read the rule in its strictest form, which means to utilize the most opposing colors within your design scheme.
How to Ensure Color Contrast for Your Signs
While this may leave you with fewer color options, taking this approach will certainly ensure that you adhere to the requirements. Furthermore, consider applying a sort of “balancing test” to the design by selecting light and dark colors, calculating the contrast percentage, comparing it against grayscale, and choosing the scheme with the highest contrast factor. The 2010 SfAD advisory opinion suggests “characters contrast as much as possible with their background.” A 70% contrast factor should stand as the minimum threshold, and, as several other factors will influence this calculation, using multiple assessments is truly the better practice.
If you’re still unsure of how to keep your signs ADA-compliant and perfectly contrasted, HealthcareSigns.com is here to help. When you customize and order signs through us, our website will automatically filter your color options upon choosing one color. This guarantees that your signs’ background colors and text colors are perfectly balanced. For this and all other signage needs, visit HealthcareSigns.com today.