Comfortable rounded contour to lettering and pictograms. Incorporates Giant Dot Braille standard. Manufactured with domed hemispherical Braille dots and consistent sizing.Raised contour locator for ease of confirmation that all relevant information has been accessed. Strong colour contrast for high visibility and ease of recognition by those with reduced vision.

Who should use tactile signs?

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) now makes it an offence not to provide additional aids and equipment to provide equal access to Goods, Services, Accommodation and Employment. However, let's put UK law to one side and take a positive logical look at why we sould install tactile and braille signs in British premises.

Tactile signs can make money for those who take on the responsibility to install them ( Strong self-adhesive backing strip for instant fixing ... it's that easy!). Generally the places where we are most likely to see and use tactile signs in the UK are banks, building societies, councils, courts, government departments, hospitals, schools, hotels and supermarket chains. Being mindful that there is a legal obligation, I want to look at another obligation, not a moral one but a financial one.

Visually impaired, non readers and dyslexic people in Britain have spending power, if you are a shop, bank, hotel or any other form of British retail - tourist industry and have tactile signage for partially blind and those with dyslexia, they will use you and spend with you.

As an employer you can improve your business by enabling access to some very clever people with excellent skills despite their level of visual or reading ability.

Picture Courtesy of
Tactile International

Equality of access has become a vital issue within Britain, not only through legislation, but in Building Regulations, the Revised Proposals for Fire Precautions in Place of Work and by social commitment. So, whilst we look at the positive financial implications of using tactile signage, there are negative financial implications too, they come in the form of very heavy fines and adverse publicity.

Tactile signs are an accepted aid in providing improved access for the blind and partially sighted within the meaning, and legal implications, of the Disability Discrimination Act 1996, and are considered by the Local Government Management Board and the Departments of Environment, Employment, Education and Social Services of Britain to provide the reasonable adjustment required under the act.

Tactile Signs Design Guidelines

In the UK for the past seven years there have been a number of documents which have been issued giving guidance on the design of tactile signs and labels either from secondary research or direct testing with the various support groups.

In the longer term it is intended to secure a formal standards document but that will be some way off. The following highlights have been gleaned from the various published sources including RNIB, GDBA (Guide Dogs For The Blind) , NFB (National Federation for the Blind) , SEGD, etc and include strongly held preferences by specific support groups such as the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

It should be remembered that the designs are intended to work for people who are blind (only some 20,000 Braille readers in the UK), people who are registered blind and do not read Braille (estimated at over 200,000 in the UK), people with severely restricted vision affecting their day to day lives (estimated at approaching 2,000,000 in the UK) as well as people with "normal" vision (though 43% of the the UK population need help with sight through glasses etc).Tactile designs need to meet as many of the needs of as many people as possible.

The letter size is very important as it needs to be visible approaching the sign but not too large not to recognise the raised shape. Combined with the careful selection of the font this tends to govern the overall image the sign creates. There are also guidelines for letter size which relate to only the visibility of a sign from a distance - avoid mixing the two.

Raised letter height
Minimum 1.0mm, preferably 1.5mm

The shape or letter must have a slightly rounded edge so that it is not harsh to feel. A half round section is unacceptable. The letters should stand at least 1mm proud of the base material and preferably 1.5mm. This gives the letters body to help tactile recognition. Many people who have medical conditions causing their loss of vision can suffer from diabetes as well - particularly later in life. Diabetes, amongst other things, reduces the sensitivity in the fingertips making learning Braille difficult - the tactile letters must therefore be prominent.

Font
Sans serif (e.g. Helvetica, Frutiger, Arial).

Tactile signs should, wherever practical, use a "sans serif" font. This means that the letter strokes are straight and clear without the tag ends found on Times Roman (etc).

This font is serif - This font is sans serif
Serif fonts are more pleasing to the eye but functionality should override image. Sans serif fonts offer the clearest image for both sight and touch.

Lower and upper case
also helps dyslexia

Using upper and lower case letters creates word shapes for easier recognition, by both sighted people and those with vision problems. This convention has been used on motorway signs since the late fifties as the shape of the town name is recognised long before the individual letters ban be picked out. This also helps people with dyslexia.

Braille standards
Country specific

There are numerous Braille standards (relating to size) around the world but the two preferable in the UK are Standard English Braille (also known as English Interline or Interpoint) and Giant Dot. The former is used for long texts and novels, the latter is better suited for learners of Braille and signage (as larger print is used on signs). American Standard Braille is slightly smaller than English but they also use a very large Braille called Jumbo Braille where the dots are about twice the size of the standard sizes.

Braille profile
International standards

Braille must be domed (hemispherical) and the dimensions between individual dots, lines and letters are mutually exclusive. That is to say that once you select, say, a dot size from one of the standards, you must remain with that standard throughout and cannot mix and match.

Braille grading
Language specific

Grade 1 Braille should be used on signs with a single word (grade 1 is a letter for letter match to the printed words). Grade 2 may be used, depending upon the audience, for longer text blocks (grade 2 contains additional short forms for frequently used letter groups such as "..ing" or "..ation").

Signs sizes
Attracting attention

Signs for people with restricted or no vision need to be slightly larger. There is currently no UK guidance but the Americans with Disabilities Act requires toilet door signs, for example, to be 150mm high.

Signs position
Average shoulder height

Signs should be located 1500mm from the floor. Where other obstacles exist this may be varied between 1400mm and 1700mm. Tactile signs specifically for visually impaired people in wheelchairs may be located at 800-1000mm from the floor.

Materials
Finger friendly

It is very difficult to direct manufacture in particular materials but a number of support groups have expressed a preference for "safer" materials. The signs and intended to be touched. The chance of a scratch raising part of the sign such that it may cut a users figures should be paramount in the designers mind. clearly certain materials such as glass, metal and wood, can offer nasty surprises. Similarly though certain plastics and manufacturing processes can leave harsh edges.

Further details on the standards for Braille are available from the United Kingdom Braille Authority (UKBA) who have an office at the Royal National Institute for the Blind in Peterborough. Telephone on 01773 370777.