Accessibility Standards Canada is developing a new national standard focused specifically on accessible wayfinding and signage in the built environment.
The proposed standard, CAN-ASC-2.4 – Wayfinding and Signage, was released in draft form in January 2026. Publication of the final standard is currently expected in summer 2027.
The standard is intended to improve how people navigate indoor and outdoor environments by addressing the design, management, and implementation of accessible signage and wayfinding systems. It includes requirements and guidance for lighting and contrast, signage, tactile information, braille, pictograms, graphical symbols, maps, audible information, and electronic signage.
What could this mean for the sign industry?
The draft includes several provisions that may be particularly relevant to sign designers, manufacturers, and installers.
Among the proposed requirements, signs would generally need to:
- use low-glare or matte finishes;
- provide strong luminance contrast between characters, pictograms, symbols, and their backgrounds;
- use sans serif lettering;
- avoid italics;
- use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters rather than all-capital lettering;
- size characters according to the intended viewing distance;
- provide appropriate spacing between lines of text; and
- incorporate tactile text, braille, pictograms, and other accessible features where required.
The draft specifies that characters, pictograms, and symbols should have at least 70% luminance contrast with their background. It also sets broader minimum contrast requirements for text and other visual tasks and emphasizes the importance of lighting and glare control.
Relationship to existing Canadian standards
CAN-ASC-2.4 builds on existing Canadian accessibility requirements, including CSA/ASC B651:23, Accessible Design for the Built Environment. For example, the draft refers to CSA/ASC B651:23 when determining appropriate character heights based on viewing distance.
What SAC members should know
The standard is still in draft form and is subject to change. Accessibility Standards Canada specifically notes that the draft should not yet be used as a final reference standard.
The standard is expected to apply initially to federal facilities. Other jurisdictions may later choose to adopt or reference it in regulations or accessibility requirements.
SAC members involved in the design, fabrication, and installation of signage should monitor the development of CAN-ASC-2.4, particularly its requirements related to contrast, typography, tactile signage, braille, pictograms, lighting, and wayfinding.
Resources
Accessibility Standards Canada – CAN-ASC-2.4: Wayfinding and Signage
View the draft standard
Overview of CAN-ASC-2.4
Read the overview