13 New Emojis from Apple

Apple is proposing to introduce 13 new emojis which will represent persons with disability.

What Emojis Are Proposed

Prosthetic limbs, a hearing aid, people with canes and wheelchairs, a hearing aid, and a service dog are among the list. More diversity in the emoji universe. Emojis have been integral parts in human communication. Apple has submitted a proposal to the Unicode Consortium. This is the organization that reviews emoji requests. They are asking for 13 emojis representing persons with disability.

Why The Additional Emojis

Apple is requesting for the additional emojis to better represent individuals with disability. Available emojis have a wide range of options. But they do not represent the experiences of those with disabilities. “Diversifying the options available helps fill a significant gap and provides a more inclusive experience for all”, the proposal said.

Partnership

Apple formed a partnership with the American Council of the Blind and the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. The proposal focuses on a set of emoji that are most inclusive to many people in four main categories. These categories are the Blind and Low Vision, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Physical Motor, and Hidden Disability.

With this proposed additional set of emoji, people with disability will not feel left out. According to Apple’s proposal, the service dog is also meant to represent those with hidden disabilities like anxiety or autism.

Adding emojis to represent diversity created problems in the past. An effort to add an emoji representing Muslim women was dismissed by some, especially the conservatives.

Emoji Politics

Because of the politics of Unicode, emoji politics are complicated, in part. The emoji are approved and produced via a top-down technocratic hierarchy. They are for us, not by us. But it will never stray beyond what is acceptable to its members.

Apple has been making a big push to ensure that all its devices are accessible to all users. The company’s iPhones, Macs, and other devices include lots of features to help people with vision, hearing, and other impairments use those devices more easily.

With Apple’s proposal, it only means that there is no more discrimination in today’s world. That even people with disability are accepted and have a place in our technological world.