The Accessible Icon: From Stickers to iOS Emoji

Author: Leah Serao
Published: 16 Aug 2016 - Updated: 19 Jun 2026
Publication Type: Informative

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates - Related Publications

Synopsis: This report documents the evolution of the Accessible Icon Project, a grassroots advocacy initiative launched in 2010 by Sara Hendred and Brian Glenney that transformed disability representation through visual symbols. Beginning with transparent stickers placed over outdated handicapped signs, the project evolved into a widespread movement across multiple countries and U.S. states, ultimately leading to Apple's inclusion of the Accessible Icon emoji in iOS 10. The article's authority comes from its author, Leah Serao, the project coordinator who brings direct involvement in the initiative and her background as a special education teacher with expertise in disability advocacy. The work is particularly valuable because it challenges passive representations of disability and demonstrates how symbolic representation matters in shaping public perception and self-advocacy, affecting everything from how individuals with disabilities see themselves to how they interact with government officials and their communities.*

At a Glance

• 1 - The movement began with a single transparent orange sticker placed over an existing handicapped sign in Boston to show how the old symbol lacked motion.
• 2 - The active symbol spread to more than ten countries and 31 U.S. states, with New York and Connecticut legally adopting it as their standard way of depicting people with disabilities.
• 3 - Brenden Hildreth, who has cerebral palsy and hearing loss, used the icon as a platform to speak with government officials in Massachusetts and North Carolina, appear on radio and TV, and self-advocate.

Topic Definition: The Accessible Icon

The Accessible Icon is a redesigned disability symbol that shows a person in a wheelchair leaning forward in active motion, replacing the stiff, upright figure of the older handicapped sign. It grew out of the Accessible Icon Project, a grassroots effort started in 2010 by Sara Hendren and Brian Glenney, who began by sticking a transparent overlay on existing signs to spark a conversation about how disability was being pictured. Rather than trying to capture every aspect of disability, the icon stands for an idea - that people with disabilities are capable, engaged, and moving forward in their communities. Over time it spread across countries and states, was adopted into law in places like New York and Connecticut, and eventually made its way into everyday digital life when Apple added it as an emoji in iOS 10, turning a small act of advocacy into a widely recognized statement about active inclusion.

Introduction

Symbols matter. At least that is what the Accessible Icon team believes. Started in 2010 by Sara Hendred and Brian Glenney, the two embarked on an adventure that kept growing as the community pushed for their depiction of those with disabilities to move forward.

What started as a grassroots effort turned into a worldwide ability advocacy when a transparent sticker was placed over an existing handicapped sign to show how the old symbol (commonly referred to as the 'handicapped sign') lacked motion. The orange sticker started a conversation that outgrew Boston and created a world-wide movement which spread in over ten countries and 31 states who started using the active looking symbol. In time, states such as New York and Connecticut legally adopted the Accessible Icon as the standard way of depicting those with disabilities.

Main Content

As it is the case of any symbol, one symbol simply cannot represent all the physical and mental qualities of a group, which is why the Accessible Icon more so represents an idea: that people with disabilities can be active and engaged in their communities. By illuminating movement and motion, the icon celebrates where individuals with disabilities have come from and where they are going next.

For many people around the globe, the new emoji represents a new identity.

With the hands and the body posture leaning forward, the person sitting in the wheelchair seems determined, confident, and not constrained in his/her ability to move forward. Unlike the previously used emoji, which depicted individuals as machine-like and stagnant.

The decision to add the Accessible Icon emoji comes at a significant and profound time. Seeing Olympians overcome barriers internally and externally, you hear most athletes crediting their dedication, hard work, and achievements to the individuals who told them that they could make it. And that is what the Accessible Icon does for many: it tells them to go and take action.

Throughout the time coordinating the efforts of the project, one of my favorite stories involves an individual named Brenden Hildreth who has both cerebral palsy and hearing loss. He must speak through a voice synthesizer and often uses a wheelchair, though he can walk, but with difficulty. Because of the Accessible Icon, he had an opportunity to speak with government officials in Massachusetts and North Carolina, speak during a radio show, appears on TV and be written about in countless news articles. The Accessible Icon became the platform he used to self-advocate and educate others. Branden is famous for saying that it is not his disability that makes it harder to reach his goals, but how others see his disability.

Now, since the Accessible Icon is more accessible for the everyday person to see and use, I wonder who the emoji will inspire, who it will anger, and who will now dream big.

This project has always been in the hands of the people, and the people keep moving this active symbol forward. While the team celebrates this milestone for the icon, we continue to advocate for the full inclusion of those with varying abilities in the community and workplace to fulfill the core mission of the symbol: active inclusion.

Leah Serao

Leah is the project coordinator for the Accessible Icon Project and a 3rd grade special education teacher in Marlboro, NJ. She is currently pursuing her masters in applied behavior analysis with an emphasis in autism. Leah is an active advocate for individuals with disabilities.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

* Editorial additions by Ian C. Langtree.