It is becoming increasingly vital that new and renovated buildings follow the latest green building trends while maintaining ADA compliance. Some interesting notes, 25% of the population are people with visual disabilities. This is a high percentage, thus it is important to be sure the functionally blind and visually impaired population can navigate their way through the public spaces we are building. Not only does conforming to these codes and regulations increase your clients' image in the community, it will save them money in the long run. This may seem like an impossible task or one that some people may not want to tackle. But, Mohawk Sign Systems, Inc., an affiliate of American Direct, says, "not a problem" when it comes to combining aesthetics, sustainability, education and ADA compliance. Your interior and exterior signs can contribute to LEED points. Mohawk signs can gain you approximately 6 points in both Materials and Resources and Environmental Quality Credits. Your project can also gain extra points for LEED Educational signs under the Innovation in Design Credits or Exemplary Performance Credits. By simply including an educational feature prominently displayed in the building that explains what green measures have been taken in the building, your customers can earn between 1 and 5 points. We can help you put together a signage display that will help you to educate the public about the green design and building practices - and help the building owners earn LEED credits in the process. A wide variety of new green signage products are available to help reach this goal. On March 15th compliance with the new American with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations within the recently adopted Department of Justice ADA Standards for Accessible Design, becomes mandatory. Most of the language is not new, one of the biggest changes is that it is now enforceable on the Federal level. The ADA covers all public facilities, but a court can order any facility to comply. The most relevant area of signage affected by the ADA, under Title III, is room identification and wayfinding. New regulations that become mandatory on March 15th affect, not only the production of ADA-compliant signage, but the implementation of them as well. This includes the mounting location, height, finish, and visual contrast of both raised and Braille characters. IF your customers are not in compliance they could be fined up to $55,000 for their first ADA violation and up to $110,000 for each subsequent violation. Mohawk has been looking out for their partners for over 65 years as a manufacturer of architectural signage and one of the first companies to incorporate Braille on signage. You can trust that we will be there with you helping you through the compliance maze as well as helping you gain those important LEED credits.