One of our big clients is Sutter Health, the largest hospital and health system in northern California. We've been working for them since 2002, and have been redoing a lot of their suites, rooms, and doctors' offices with wayfinder and facility signs, as well as ADA signs.

ADA signs (signs that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act) include Braille signs, wheelchair accessibility signs, and bathroom signs. All ADA signs have to be tactile so a person who is blind can feel and recognize them, even if they're not in Braille. This is why symbols on ADA signs are universal — wheelchair, men's restroom, women's restroom, etc.

Part of our work with Sutter Health has been the gradual refitting of all their signage needs throughout their facilities to bring them up to the latest code and ADA regulations. To date, we've worked on at least 20 of their hospitals, covering different suites, facilities, and even overall hospital retrofits.

We maintain their facility signage as well. If they have new doctors coming or old ones going, we also make their office signs, update their directories, add new departments, and so on.

California already has much stricter rules about disabilities and accessibility — more strict than the rest of the country, including the federal regulations. In fact, they're so strict that the federal regulations changed and updated just so they could match California's standards. This has changed some of the regulations concerning the sign work we've been doing.

We were actually in the middle of one installation job, when the laws changed. Two days later, we had to go back and change the heights of the signs to match the new regulations.

ADA signs are a federal requirement for all public buildings, so if you need help to ensure you're compliant with the federal (and state) laws, talk to your local Signarama franchise. You can find out how to reach them through our online store locator. You can also learn more about ADA signs and other wayfinding signage on our website.