Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and Sign Engraving Machines
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Engravers and the ADA
In 1990 a sweeping civil rights law known as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted that, among many other things, set up guidelines for public signage in America. Every commercial and government building in the United States needs ADA signs. The few exceptions include nameplates, company names and logos, menu boards, some directories, and most signs in parking garages.
When the law was passed most sign engravers were panicked by the brand new ADA requirements. Most had no idea how to create raised characters or Braille and thought the government was putting them out of the sign business. The only Braille and raised character signs anyone knew about were either formed from metal for elevator panels, or employed photopolymer plates created in the letterpress printing industry.
By 1992 the Department of Justice clarified that only numbered rooms, restrooms, and exit doors had to have signs that could be read by touch, leaving left directional and informational signs, directories, and name plates that could still be engraved. But industrious engravers wanted more so the search was for more ways to use their equipment to create “all” the signs required.
Eventually, the Raster Braille System was patented and signs made with an engraver or router became more sophisticated. As a response to sign vandalism, software was developed to create inlaid engraved signs so that raised characters could be pushed down below the plaque surface thus virtually impossible to remove.
Fast forward to today. Is the Raster Braille System available, acceptable (by Dept. of Justice), and cost efficient? Yes! Companies like JorLink now offer you access to state-of-the-art Introducing one-stop ADA sign solution companies like Roland complete with everything you need to get started producing ADA-compliant signage. JorLink and Roland offer two ADA kits that have been developed exclusively for use with Roland's EGX-350 and EGX-400/600 engraving machines, making it easier than ever to produce tamper resistant signs that comply with all state and federal regulations.
Links: http://www.rolanddga.com/products/engravers/
Best Link: http://www.rolanddga.com/solutions/adasignage/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=v-_Sfwy7OBU
Brochure: ADA Quick Reference Guide
Is Roland the only Raster Braille System Jorlink offers? No. Also ask about their Patent Braille 2 System from Accent Signage.
http://www.accentsignage.com/raster-braille-products/raster-braille-system/
As we said in the beginning don’t miss out on what can be a very profitable new line of signs. Since every commercial and government building in the United States needs ADA signs; why shouldn’t your company get a big slice of the pie?
Next time we’ll review some of the important rules to follow when making signs that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
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