Braille Signs: ADA Rules for Restrooms and Exits

In the United States, braille on signs is governed by the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, mainly section 703. Signs that identify permanent rooms, such as restrooms and room numbers, and the signs at exit doors and stairways, must have raised characters duplicated in braille. The braille must be contracted (grade 2), placed below the text, and the sign mounted so the tactile characters are between 48 and 60 inches above the floor, on the latch side of the door.

Below: which signs need braille, the exact rules for the braille itself, where to mount the sign, elevators, and a few common mistakes. Quotations are from the 2010 ADA Standards published by the US Access Board.

Key points

• Which signs: signs that identify permanent rooms and spaces (restrooms, room numbers, room names) and signs at exit doors, exit passageways and exit stairways need raised characters and braille.
• Grade 2: "Braille shall be contracted (Grade 2)" (703.3).
• Capitals: only before the first word of sentences, proper nouns and names, individual letters, initials and acronyms. A sign that says RESTROOM in print does not say it in capitals in braille.
• Position: braille goes below the text, at least 3/8 inch from the raised characters.
• Height: tactile characters between 48 inches (lowest baseline) and 60 inches (highest baseline) above the floor.
• Elevators: floor numbers in raised characters and braille on both jambs of each hoistway entrance, with a tactile star at the main entry level.

Which signs need braille

Section 216 of the Standards decides which signs must be tactile:

• Room designations (216.2): "Interior and exterior signs identifying permanent rooms and spaces" must have raised characters and braille. The official advisory gives as examples "interior signs labeling restrooms, room and floor numbers or letters, and room names".
• Exit doors (216.4.1): "Doors at exit passageways, exit discharge, and exit stairways shall be identified by tactile signs."
• Pictograms that label a permanent room, like the restroom symbols, need a text descriptor in raised characters and braille, placed outside the pictogram field, which must be at least 6 inches high (703.6.1).

Directional and informational signs, such as "Restrooms →" or a building directory, need visual characters that meet the contrast and size rules, but not braille.

The rules for the braille

Section 703.3 sets the braille itself:

The raised characters above the braille must be uppercase, sans serif, raised at least 1/32 inch, and between 5/8 inch and 2 inches high (703.2).

Capitals in braille

The Standards limit capital indicators: "The indication of an uppercase letter or letters shall only be used before the first word of sentences, proper nouns and names, individual letters of the alphabet, initials, and acronyms" (703.3.1). So the raised print is in capitals, but the braille is not, apart from those cases.

What common signs look like in braille

Grade 2 braille, generated with liblouis, the same library behind our braille translator. Each sign word starts a "sentence", so it gets one capital indicator, dot 6:

These are illustrations of the code. For a real sign, have the final file checked by a certified braille transcriber or a braille reader: a single wrong dot makes a sign misleading.

Where to mount the sign

Section 703.4 sets the position:

• Height: tactile characters "48 inches (1220 mm) minimum above the finish floor or ground surface, measured from the baseline of the lowest tactile character and 60 inches (1525 mm) maximum ... measured from the baseline of the highest tactile character" (703.4.1).
• Side of the door: "alongside the door at the latch side". At double doors with one active leaf, on the inactive leaf; with two active leaves, to the right of the right-hand door. If there is no wall space, on the nearest adjacent wall (703.4.2).
• Clear floor space: an area of at least 18 by 18 inches, centered on the tactile characters, outside the swing of the door between closed and 45 degrees open, so a person reading the sign is not hit by the door.
• Exception: signs may go on the push side of doors with closers and without hold-open devices.

Elevators

Elevators have their own rules in section 407:

• Hoistway entrances: "Floor designations shall be provided in both tactile characters and braille" on both jambs, with tactile characters at least 2 inches high, and "a tactile star shall be provided on both jambs at the main entry level" (407.2.3.1).
• Car controls: braille on elevator buttons may sit directly below or next to the raised character or symbol, at least 3/16 inch away (703.3.2, exception).

Common mistakes

• Uncontracted braille. The ADA requires grade 2.
• Braille in capitals throughout, copying the uppercase print.
• Braille beside the text instead of below it.
• Signs on the door itself or on the hinge side, where a person reaching for them meets the door.
• Flat, printed "braille": dots must be raised to the heights in the table.

Frequently asked questions

Do restroom signs need braille?

Yes, in the US, when the sign identifies the restroom as a permanent room. It needs raised characters and grade 2 braille, and if it uses a pictogram, a text descriptor in raised characters and braille below the pictogram field.

What grade of braille is used on ADA signs?

Contracted (grade 2), as required by section 703.3 of the 2010 ADA Standards.

How high should a braille sign be mounted?

The tactile characters must be between 48 inches above the floor, measured to the baseline of the lowest line, and 60 inches, measured to the baseline of the highest line.

Which side of the door does a braille sign go on?

The latch side. At double doors with one active leaf, on the inactive leaf; with two active leaves, to the right of the right-hand door.

Do exit signs need braille?

Doors at exit passageways, exit discharge and exit stairways must be identified by tactile signs with raised characters and braille. Illuminated exit signs above doors are a separate requirement.