(1) Tactile characters must be raised or embossed to a height of not less than 1 mm and not more than 1.5 mm.

(2) Title case must be used for all tactile characters, and

(a) upper case tactile characters must have a height of not less than 15 mm and not more than 55 mm, except that the upper case tactile characters on a sign identifying a door required by E4D5 to be provided with an exit sign must have a height of not less than 20 mm and not more than 55 mm; and

(b) lower case tactile characters must have a minimum height of 50% of the related upper case characters.  

(3) Tactile characters, symbols, and the like, must have rounded edges.

(4) The entire sign, including any frame, must have all edges rounded.

(5) The background, negative space or fill of signs must be of matt or low sheen finish.

(6) The characters, symbols, logos and other features on signs must be matt or low sheen finish.

(7) The minimum letter spacing of tactile characters on signs must be 2 mm.

(8) The minimum word spacing of tactile characters on signs must be 10 mm.

(9) The thickness of letter strokes must be not less than 2mm and not more than 7mm.

(10) Tactile text must be left justified, except that single words may be centre justified.

(11) Tactile text must be Arial typeface.

(1) In a building required to be accessible

(a) braille and tactile signage complying with Specification 15 must

(i) incorporate the international symbol of access or deafness, as appropriate, in accordance with AS 1428.1 and identify each –

(A) sanitary facility, except a sanitary facility associated with a bedroom in a Class 1b building or asole-occupancy occupancy unit in a Class 3 or Class 9c building; and

(B) space with a hearing augmentation system; and

(ii) identify each door required by E4D5 to be provided with an exit sign and state – 

(A)“Exit”; and

(B)“Level”; and

(C) the floor level number or floor level descriptor, or a combination of the two.

(b) signage including the international symbol for deafness in accordance with AS 1428.1 must be provided within a room containing a hearing augmentation system
identifying –

(i) the type of hearing augmentation; and

(ii) the area covered within the room; and

(iii) if receivers are being used and where the receivers can be obtained; and

(c) signage in accordance with AS 1428.1 must be provided for accessible unisex sanitary facilities to identify if the facility is suitable for left or right handed use; and

(d) signage to identify an ambulant accessible sanitary facility in accordance with AS 1428.1 must be located on the door of the facility; and

(e) where a pedestrian entrance is not accessible, directional signage incorporating the international symbol of access, in accordance with AS 1428.1, must be provided to direct a person to the location of the nearest accessible pedestrian entrance; and

(f) where a bank of sanitary facilities is not provided with an accessible unisex sanitary facility, directional signage incorporating the international symbol of access in accordance with AS 1428.1 must be placed at the location of the sanitary facilities that are not accessible, to direct a person to the location of the nearest accessible unisex sanitary facility.

(2) In a building that is subject to F4D12 and is required to be accessible, directional signage complying with Specification 15 to direct a person to the location of the nearest accessible adult change facility within that building must be provided at the location of each –

(a) bank of sanitary facilities; and

(b) accessible unisex sanitary facility, other than one that incorporates an accessible adult change facility.

The following applies to braille:

(a) Braille must be grade 1 braille (uncontracted) in accordance with the criteria set out by the Australian Braille Authority.

(b) Braille must be raised and domed.

(c) Braille must be located 8 mm below the bottom line of text (not including descenders).

(d) Braille must be left justified.

(e) Where an arrow is used in the tactile sign, a solid arrow must be provided for braille readers.

(f) On signs with multiple lines of text and characters, a semicircular braille locator at the left margin must be horizontally aligned with the first line of braille text.

Signs including symbols, numbering and lettering must be designed and installed as follows:

(a) Braille and tactile components of a sign must be located not less than 1200 mm and not higher than 1600 mm above the floor or ground surface.

(b) Signs with single lines of characters must have the line of tactile characters not less than 1250 mm and not higher than 1350 mm above the floor or ground surface.

(c) Signs identifying rooms containing features or facilities listed in D4D7 must be located –

(i) on the wall on the latch side of the door with the leading edge of the sign located between 50 mm and 300 mm from the architrave; and

(ii) where (i) is not possible, the sign may be placed on the door itself.

(d) Signs identifying a door required by E4D5 to be provided with an exit sign must be located –

(i) on the side that faces a person seeking egress; and

(ii) on the wall on the latch side of the door with the leading edge of the sign located between 50 mm and 300 mm from the architrave; and

(iii) where (ii) is not possible, the sign may be placed on the door itself.

The following applies to luminance contrast:

(a) The background, negative space, fill of a sign or border with a minimum width of 5 mm must have a luminance contrastwith the surface on which it is mounted of not less than 30%.

(b) Tactile characters, icons and symbols must have a minimum luminance contrast of 30% to the surface on which the characters are mounted.

(c) Luminance contrasts must be met under the lighting conditions in which the sign is to be located.

S15C5 – Lighting

Braille and tactile signs must be illuminated to ensure luminance contrast requirements are met at all times during which the sign is required to be read.

Extract

(1) 

(b) signage including the international symbol for deafness in accordance with AS 1428.1 must be provided within a room containing a hearing augmentation system identifying –

(i) the type of hearing augmentation; and

(ii) the area covered within the room; and

(iii) if receivers are being used and where the receivers can be obtained.

(1) For a building required to be accessible, tactile ground surface indicators must be provided to warn people who are blind or have a vision impairment that they are approaching –

(a) a stairway, other than a fire-isolated stairway; and

(b) an escalator; and

(c) a passenger conveyor or moving walk; and

(d) a ramp other than a fire-isolated ramp, step ramp, kerb ramp or swimming pool ramp; and

(e) in the absence of a suitable barrier –

(i) an overhead obstruction less than 2 m above floor level, other than a doorway; and

(ii) an accessway meeting a vehicular way adjacent to any pedestrian entrance to a building, excluding a pedestrian entrance serving an area referred to in D4D5, if there is no kerb or kerb ramp at that point,

except for areas exempted by D4D5.

(2) Tactile ground surface indicators required by (1) must comply with sections 1 and 2 of AS/NZS 1428.4.1.

(3) A hostel for the aged, nursing home for the aged, a residential aged care building, Class 3 accommodation for the aged, Class 9a health-care building or a Class 9c aged care building need not comply with (1)(a) and (d) if handrails incorporating a raised dome button in accordance with AS/NZS 1428.4.1 are provided to warn people who are blind or have a vision impairment that they are approaching a stairway or ramp.