The Accessible Icon, A More Active Version of the Wheelchair Symbol

The Accessible Icon Project seeks to replace the International Symbol of Access, the ubiquitous symbol of a person in a wheelchair, with a modernized, more active depiction of a wheelchair user. According to project organizers, designer Susanne Koefoed’s original 1968 design focuses too much on the wheelchair and depicts the user in a passive, stiffly upright pose. The new Accessible Icon, designed by Sara Hendren, implies forward movement by showing the wheelchair user leaning forward in an active pose. Stickers, T-shirts, stencils, and a free PDF of the icon are all available at the project’s online store.

Installation at the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden, Massachusetts. Photo via The Accessible Icon Project

The International Symbol of Access. Image via the International Commission on Technology and Accessibility

via Super Punch