ADA Compliance for Duress and Mass Notification Systems
Lynx duress and mass notification systems support Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 accessibility. One activation sends an alert people can see and hear, with text on computer screens and signs and spoken messages over speakers, radios, and phones. Staff can call for help from a keyboard, a wearable button, a phone, or a wall button.
ADA compliance is judged on how a system is installed and used in your facility, so Lynx gives you the equipment to get it right and our team helps you plan it.
Alerts People Can See and Hear
A lockdown alert that plays only over the PA misses anyone with hearing loss, and one that appears only on screens misses staff away from their desks. Lynx sends one alert to both kinds of devices at the same time.
- Visual alerts. LynxMessengerPro pop-ups fill the screen or scroll across it on Windows 10 and 11 computers, even when they’re locked or logged off. The same alert can also go to the LynxNet LED Sign, HDMI displays, text messages, and the Lynx Alerts app.
- Audible alerts. Text-to-speech or recorded messages play over your existing PA through the LynxNet PA interface, and over two-way radios, Axis IP speakers, IP phones, and voice calls.
You write the message once, and text-to-speech speaks the same instruction that appears on screen.
Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 Level AA
Section 508 compliance means electronic and information technology meets the accessibility standards set out under the law. Lynx makes sure the pop-up notifications it delivers in federal facilities meet Section 508 accessibility requirements.
As part of our quality assurance process, those notifications are tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA success criteria, the technical standard incorporated into the Section 508 standards. Using in-house and AI-assisted tools, we check that the right ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) tags are present and correctly formatted, so screen readers and other assistive technologies convey each notification properly. Google Lighthouse accessibility audits also run in our automated testing before every release.
Several Ways to Call for Help
Staff can call for help in whatever way they can reach:
- Keyboard activation. With LynxKeyPro, staff press a key combination such as F9 and F11 on a Windows computer, even when it’s locked.
- Click activation. LynxIcon starts an alarm with one click on a desktop icon.
- Wearable buttons. The Lynx Panic-A clips to a belt, hangs on a breakaway lanyard, or mounts wherever the person using it can reach.
- Man-down button. It also sends an alarm when it tilts past 45 degrees, for when someone is down and can’t press it.
- Badge and app. A Bluetooth badge or the Lynx Alerts app on Android, iOS, and Chromebook, with the phone’s location attached.
- Wall buttons. LynxNet wall buttons, mounted within the ADA reach ranges covered below.
Planning an Accessible Lynx System
Lynx is designed, built, and supported in Richardson, Texas. Our team will walk through your floor plan with you to decide which workstations get pop-ups, who needs a wearable, and where signs and wall buttons go.
Let’s see if Lynx is a good fit for your facility.
Questions We Get About ADA Compliance
Is Lynx ADA Certified?
The ADA doesn’t certify products, so no duress or notification system is ADA certified. The Department of Justice doesn’t evaluate or rule on particular products, and the ADA National Network confirms there’s no certification office. Lynx supports an accessible installation instead, with alerts people can see and hear and pop-up notifications tested for Section 508.
What Height Should a Panic Button Be Mounted?
For a wall button in a public or common-use area, the 2010 ADA Standards put operable parts between 15 and 48 inches above the floor for an unobstructed forward or side reach, with a lower maximum of 44 or 46 inches when someone has to reach over a deep counter. The Access Board’s guide to operable parts walks through the details.
Do ADA Rules Cover Wearables and Keyboards?
The ADA Standards generally cover fixed, built-in elements, so the reach and operation rules apply to wall-mounted buttons rather than keyboards or wearables. That makes wearables and keyboard activation a flexible way to handle an individual employee’s accommodation, since you can set them up for one person without changing the building.
