"Since the 1990s, several designers have attempted to re-think the seated figure on the internationally recognizable symbol for disability access." (Quartz)
"More than 45 years after it was first created, the international symbol for access has gotten a needed update. The new symbol suggests independence and engagement and focuses on the person, not the wheelchair. The new symbol is universally viewed as a more positive depiction of a person who has accessibility needs." (Change the Sign. Change the Attitude)
In 2010, two "street art activists" started applying stickers (see photograph) - showing an active, dynamic and engaged alternative symbol - around Boston. The project "grew from guerilla activism to a social design project", the so-called The Accessible Icon Project.
"Since the start of the work in 2010, we’ve started seeing our icon in hundreds of different iterations and contexts—some edited versions, and some replaced wholesale with the new one. The project doesn’t belong to us now. It’s way beyond what we originally authored, and we’re glad. Most importantly for us, we’ve seen the icon become a kind of megaphone for our partners and friends who are self-advocates with disabilities: not just wheelchair users, but people who see this image as a metaphor, as a symbol of their own wishes for agency and dimensional action in the world." The Accessible Icon Project- - - - - - - - - -
Photograph via The Accessible Icon Project
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