The symbol of accessibility, like everything in life, has evolved over all these decades. The first symbol was created more than 50 years ago, in 1968, while the most recent was created just over five years ago, in 2015, expanding its scope to the accessibility of information, services, communication technologies and physical access.
This logo was quickly accepted and was used for more than forty years with the support of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the United Nations, allowing accessible facilities to be distinguished in bathrooms, seats, parking…
In 2010, Sara Hendren and Brian Glenney started ‘The Accessible Icon Project’ to open the discussion regarding the role and view of people with disabilities. In this way, the previous logo was taken, but it was given some tweaks that made it more active and with more movement. The position of the head was tilted forward, indicating that the person is making decisions about their mobility while the arm tilted back suggests a body in motion. The project was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York within its permanent collection of architecture and design.
Finally, in the year 2015 the Graphic Design Unit of the UN Department of Public Information, in New York, created a new, more comprehensive design that implied accessibility for all people, regardless of their mobility status.
The change arose after 2013 the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) recognized that the wheel symbol was not fully inclusive since only 10% of people with disabilities used a wheelchair. In this way, the logo emerged that includes the accessibility of information, services, communication technology and physical access.
The main objective is to differentiate “accessibility” and not associate it only with “disability”. That is why it is now a figure with open arms that symbolize the inclusion of all people in various areas.
