Apple proposes new accessibility emoji to Unicode Consortium
Apple has submitted a set of new accessibility emoji to the Unicode Consortium including a guide dog, hearing aid, prosthetic limbs, and others to “provide an initial starting point for greater representation for diversity within the emoji universe”.
Shared by Emojipedia on Friday, Apple’s proposal document includes 13 new emoji, 45 in total when including skin tones, that if approved could be shortlisted for inclusion within Emoji 12.0 that will be released in the first half of 2019.
To create the new emoji, Apple has worked alongside the American Council of the Blind, the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, and the National Association of the Deaf. The cross collaboration focuses on those with blindness and low vision, deaf and hard of hearing, physical, and hidden disabilities.
At Apple, we believe that technology should be accessible to everyone and should provide an experience that serves individual needs. Adding emoji emblematic to users’ life experiences helps foster a diverse culture that is inclusive of disability. Emoji are a universal language and a powerful tool for communication, as well as a form of self-expression, and can be used not only to represent one’s own personal experience, but also to show support for a loved one.
The proposal goes on to note that the new emoji are “not meant to be a comprehensive list of all possible depictions of disabilities”, however is an initial starting point.
This new set of emoji that we are proposing aims to provide a wider array of options to represent basic categories for people with disabilities. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all possible depictions of disabilities, but to provide an initial starting point for greater representation for diversity within the emoji universe.
Accessibility Emoji
- Guide Dog With Harness
- Person With White Cane
- Ear With Hearing Aid
- Deaf Sign
- Person in Mechanized Wheelchair
- Person in Manual Wheelchair
- Mechanical or Prosthetic Arm and Leg
- Service Dog With Vest and Leash