The accessible noticeboard

An original contemporary non-fiction-style account.

At our housing office, residents kept missing the new notice about lift repairs. We first moved it closer to the entrance, where more people passed it, but the complaints continued. During a residents’ meeting, Farah explained that the small grey letters disappeared against the silver backing. We reprinted the dates in large black type on white paper. The position had never been the only problem: people could reach the board and still be unable to read it.

Explain why moving the notice closer to the entrance did not solve the problem.