Apple has proposed a new set of 13 “accessibility emojis” to Unicode Consortium. These emojis are suggested to represent the disabled as it includes different people in wheelchairs, prostheses, and canes.
In the proposal, Apple has mentioned the following words:
“Apple is requesting the addition of emoji to better represent individuals with disabilities. Currently, emoji provide a wide range of options, but may not represent the experiences of those with disabilities”. The company has also emphasized that the proposal is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all possible depictions of disabilities but rather it is an initial starting point.
The characters being proposed to the Unicode Standard are as follows:
- 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
The proposal has also mentioned that the characters are proposed to support different genders as well as skin tones. As of now, this is just a proposal that still has to be approved by the Unicode Technical Committee.
