Signage and Wayfinding Design – Braille and Tactile Signs
ASCII braille standard keyboard
Heights and placement
for visually impaired
Position
Braille and tactile signs must be located at a height between 1200mm to 1600mm above finished floor level to enable the signs to be easily accessed by a person who may be seated or standing.
DDA amenity and egress signs require placement so the line of braille is at a consistent height.
Where they are labelling a destination they are to be located on the latch side of doors for ease of identification and safe operation clear of the door.
Regulatory Compliance
AS 1428.1-2009 Design for access and mobility General requirements for access – New building work.
BCA 2011 Volume One, Section D3.6, of the Building Code of Australia
Rules of Unified English Braille 2013
ASCII braille
ASCII braille defines the keystrokes required on a standard keyboard to achieve braille symbols with a braille font.
Beware: it does NOT represent correct translation from print to braille.
Braille also has its own grammatical conventions – such as flags for when numbers and words are mixed in a sentence. It is therefore important to have braille information separately produced and proofed on all DDA signs.
Uncontracted braille
Uncontracted (grade 1) braille translates each individual print letter, number or punctuation mark into a braille sign.
Australian Braille Authority http://brailleaustralia.org
Braille Dot size
Dot base diameter = 1.5 mm – 1.6 mm
Dot height = 0.6 mm – 0.9 mm
Spherical radius = 0.76 mm – 0.81 mm
In artwork terms this translates to 24pt SimBraille on 31pt leading
“Design for disability access is good design for all”