Braille Menus in Restaurants: ADA Rules and Alternatives

The ADA requires businesses open to the public, restaurants included, to communicate effectively with customers who are blind, and braille is one way to do that, not the only one: the Department of Justice's own examples include a waiter reading the menu aloud. The DOJ puts it plainly: "In a lunchroom or restaurant, reading the menu to a person who is blind allows that person to decide what dish to order" (ADA.gov).

Below: what the ADA and DOJ guidance say about menus, why some restaurants offer braille anyway, how a braille menu is made, and the alternatives. Official pages were checked on October 29, 2026. This explains what they say; it isn't legal advice and doesn't say whether any business is or isn't in compliance. For a specific situation, call the DOJ's ADA Information Line: 800-514-0301 (voice) or 1-833-610-1264 (TTY).

Key points

• Braille isn't the only accepted way. The DOJ says "Reading a menu to a customer who is blind is one way to provide effective communication" (ADA primer for small business).
• The business picks the aid, but it has to work. The regulation lists braille next to large print, audio and screen reader software, and says "the ultimate decision as to what measures to take rests with the public accommodation, provided that the method chosen results in effective communication" (28 CFR 36.303).
• Menus are exempt from the braille-sign rules in the Access Board's standards (Access Board).
• A person should proofread it. NLS says computer translation "is not perfect and materials must always be checked by a qualified braille proofreader" (NLS).

Braille menus at a glance

Sources: ADA.gov effective communication, 28 CFR part 36, Access Board ADA Standards, NLS About Braille.

What the ADA says about braille menus

Under the ADA, businesses that serve the public are "public accommodations," and restaurants are one of the listed categories (ADA primer for small business). The rule that matters for menus is in the Title III regulation, 28 CFR § 36.303: a business must furnish "appropriate auxiliary aids and services where necessary to ensure effective communication" with people who have disabilities. For people who are blind or have low vision, the regulation's examples include "Qualified readers; taped texts; audio recordings; Brailled materials and displays; screen reader software," plus large print and other accessible electronic technology (28 CFR 36.303(b)).

The DOJ applies this to restaurants directly. Its 1991 guidance (Appendix C to the regulation, still published on ADA.gov) says: "A public accommodation can choose among various alternatives as long as the result is effective communication. For example, a restaurant would not be required to provide menus in Braille for patrons who are blind, if the waiters in the restaurant are made available to read the menu." The current DOJ pages say the same. The primer says "a restaurant can put its menu on an audio cassette or a waiter can read it to a patron," and another DOJ page pairs a chalkboard menu with the solution "Reading the menu out loud will help that person decide what they want to order" (ADA.gov topics).

The DOJ also notes a limit of braille: "Braille is effective only for people who read Braille." For people who don't read it, the DOJ points to other methods, such as accessible electronic text that a screen reader can read.

Who chooses the aid

The regulation gives the choice to the business, within limits. A business "should consult with individuals with disabilities whenever possible" to find out what will work, and whatever it chooses "must be provided in accessible formats, in a timely manner, and in such a way as to protect the privacy and independence of the individual with a disability" (28 CFR 36.303(c)). The DOJ adds that businesses "are encouraged to consult with the person with a disability to discuss what aid or service is appropriate."

State and local governments fall under Title II, which requires "primary consideration" to the aid the person requests (ADA.gov). This article covers businesses.

Limits: burden, notice and cost

The DOJ's pages describe these limits.

• Undue burden. A business doesn't have to provide an aid that would cause an undue burden, defined as "significant difficulty or expense." The DOJ says the aid's nature and cost are weighed against the business's size and overall resources, so a larger business is expected to do more. If one aid is an undue burden, it must provide another effective one if possible.
• Notice. A business may ask for reasonable advance notice based on how long the aid takes to get, but not excessive notice, and the DOJ says "walk-in" requests must be honored to the extent possible.
• Cost to the customer. A business "may not impose a surcharge" on a person with a disability to cover the cost of auxiliary aids (28 CFR 36.301(c)).

The DOJ's guidance pages carry a notice that they "have no legally binding effect": the regulation is the law, and the pages explain it. For your own situation, ask the ADA Information Line or a lawyer.

Menus and the braille-sign rules

The ADA's most detailed braille rule is for signs, but it doesn't cover menus. The Access Board's standards, section 216.1, say: "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." Section 216 is the signs section, and the braille rule for signs, "Braille shall be contracted (Grade 2)," is in section 703.3 (Access Board ADA Standards). The Board's signs guide lists menus among the exempt types too (Chapter 7: Signs).

So the Grade 2 rule that applies to a room sign is not a standard for a menu. For what the sign rules do require, see braille signs.

Why some restaurants offer braille or large print anyway

The sources show what is offered, not each restaurant's reasons. They do show this:

• The DOJ's hotel guide recommends it. Written for hotels, it says: "Hotels should provide menus in alternate formats including Braille, large print, and audio recording." It adds that "staff should offer to read the menu, including listings and prices" (ADA guide for places of lodging). That is guidance for one industry, not a rule for every restaurant.
• Settlement agreements have included it. Two DOJ agreements with restaurants, both from 2015, say menus for patrons are to be available in alternate formats, listing braille, large print and audio recording (one, two). Each binds only the parties that signed it, and each says it is not an admission of non-compliance.
• McDonald's lists it. Its accessibility page says McDonald's-owned restaurants in the U.S. have "a variety of inclusive ways" to order, and its list includes "Braille menus" and "Large print/picture menus" (McDonald's). The page speaks about McDonald's-owned restaurants, so a specific restaurant may differ; it's worth asking.
• They're still uncommon. A guide for blind diners reprinted by the National Federation of the Blind says that since "Braille and large-print menus are scarce," its authors review menus online before dining out and sometimes call ahead about specials, prices and dietary needs (NFB, Future Reflections).

One point is our own reading, not a DOJ statement: a braille or large-print menu lets a customer read at their own pace without asking staff, which fits the regulation's wording about "privacy and independence." The sources don't say that is why any restaurant offers one.

How a braille menu is made

No official source we read describes menu-making step by step. This section follows the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), part of the Library of Congress, on how braille is produced, and marks where it's our reading.

Transcription

Software translates the menu's text into braille. NLS says text entered "via scanning or typing can be put into braille by using special software programs" (NLS About Braille). A program applies spelling and contraction rules; layout (how sections are grouped, where prices go, how a long line breaks) takes a person. That is our reading. Our own braille translator says the same about itself: it can't judge layout, emphasis or contraction choices that depend on meaning.

Embossing

An embosser turns the file into raised dots on paper. NLS says "Braille embossers can take output from a computer and produce single- or double-sided braille materials in a fraction of the time it took to create braille by hand." For how embossers work, see braille printers.

Contracted or uncontracted

Contractions are braille symbols for groups of letters or whole words that appear often; NLS says they permit faster reading and make braille books less bulky. Uncontracted braille spells every word out. The Access Board requires Grade 2 (contracted) for signs and says UEB is acceptable as Grade 2 (Chapter 7: Signs). BANA voted in 2012 to adopt UEB for the US and set January 4, 2016 as the implementation date (BANA). Menus are exempt from the sign rules, and none of the sources we read sets a rule on which form a menu should use; the choice comes down to the reader's needs and a transcriber's advice. For the difference, see braille contractions and Unified English Braille.

Proofreading and certification

NLS says "computer-assisted braille translation is not perfect and materials must always be checked by a qualified braille proofreader" (NLS About Braille). Transcribers can become certified after a course that ends with "a certificate of proficiency in the appropriate braille code" from the Library of Congress. NLS has the National Federation of the Blind run the certification courses, and the Library of Congress issues the certificates (NLS Braille Education). More in how to become a braille transcriber.

NLS also publishes a state-by-state directory of producers of braille, large print and audio. Some work as volunteers at no charge and others charge a fee, and "A listing in this directory is not an indication of endorsement by NLS or the Library of Congress" (NLS directory).

Keeping it current

A menu changes: prices, specials, dishes. The sources we read don't say how often braille menus are updated or what they cost, so we give no figures. What they do support: new braille text needs the same proofreading check, and the DOJ's hotel guide says staff reading a menu should include "listings and prices," so a braille menu with an old price no longer matches what the customer is told. Keeping the print and braille versions together and checking both whenever either changes is our suggestion, not an official requirement.

Alternatives to a braille menu

The regulation and DOJ pages name several. Which one works depends on the customer, which is why the DOJ encourages asking.

• Staff read the menu. The DOJ's hotel guide says to read broad categories first and let the guest choose, and not to rely on sighted companions for this "unless your guests indicate that is their preference."
• Large print. The regulation lists large print materials. For documents in general (not menus), the DOJ's hotel guide says many people with low vision can read type of "18 or 20 point" in a sans serif font such as Arial.
• Audio. The regulation lists audio recordings; the primer's example is a menu put on an audio cassette.
• Accessible digital text. The DOJ lists screen reader software and accessible electronic technology, and says accessible electronic text can be read by a person's screen reader program (ADA.gov). For how that works, see screen readers for the blind and assistive technology for the visually impaired.
• A menu that is only a photo. The DOJ's web guidance warns that "People who are blind will not be able to understand the content and purpose of images" without a text alternative (ADA.gov web guidance). A menu posted only as a picture is an image; that is our reading. None of the DOJ pages we read mention QR codes or PDF menus, so we don't say whether those work.

For other things a business may need in braille, see braille signs and braille labels.

Where Braillito fits

Braillito, our app, teaches braille. It teaches the braille cells in lessons with exercises you play, with lives, levels and a daily streak: 59 lessons in 8 worlds in English. It also has a translator, a dictionary and a cell builder. The English lessons are uncontracted braille (grade 1); they don't teach contracted braille or transcription, and Braillito isn't a braille transcriber.

A menu a customer will read should be produced, or at least checked, by a certified braille transcriber. The translator on braillito.com shows how a word or short phrase looks in UEB, but it only applies the rules a program can apply, so it doesn't replace a transcriber. Without paying, the braille translator works in any browser.

Braillito is a subscription with no free version; depending on the plan, it starts with a free trial or a discounted first period, if it's your first subscription (is Braillito free?). Get Braillito.

Frequently asked questions

Do restaurants have to have braille menus?

The ADA's rule is effective communication, not braille itself. DOJ guidance says a restaurant "would not be required to provide menus in Braille" if waiters are made available to read the menu. That is guidance, not a ruling on any restaurant. For a specific case, call the ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301.

What grade of braille is used on menus?

The sources we read don't set one. The Grade 2 rule is for signs, and menus are exempt from the sign rules. A transcriber can advise, and the customer's needs matter too.

Does McDonald's have braille menus?

Its accessibility page lists "Braille menus" among the ways McDonald's-owned restaurants in the U.S. offer to take orders. Ask at the restaurant you're visiting.

How do I ask for an accessible menu, and does it cost extra?

Say what you need when you book or arrive. The DOJ says a business may require reasonable advance notice, not excessive, but walk-in requests must be honored to the extent possible. A business "may not impose a surcharge" on a person with a disability to cover the cost of auxiliary aids, and staff reading the menu, large print, audio and text for your screen reader are all on the DOJ's lists.