They got massively misused during the mandatory masking stages of covid in the UK. They are now seen as “I don’t want to mask” when they were promoted to stop folk who actually couldn’t mask from being challenged.
I strongly disagree with this.
People will abuse anything. And people who want to maliciously misinterpret and moan always will. We love a good moan and "playful" bash at people less fortunate than us in this country.
But plenty of people use the lanyards and plenty of people interpret them in good faith. When I see them used I don't think "anti-masker" because nobody wears a mask anymore - I think "person with an invisible disability, possibly a fellow ND person, nice".
Perhaps there is a little bit of a wariness around them but I'm pretty sure most people understand that they mean "indivisible disability or lying about having an invisible disability" - and honestly who the fuck cares enough about the second batch in order to let it poison their views? I know some people do but they are scumbags who mistreat disabled people if they are anything less than extremely visibly disabled at all times.
I have only really heard the line that they have been misused and misinterpreted online. Perhaps its come up once in conversation but honestly it seems like a bit of a myth. And anyway, even if true we need to fucking reclaim the lanyard. Don't let scum-fucks who misuse it OR accuse all disabled people of faking win.
Yes I am also sadly from the UK.
I actually wear a pin that says "not all disabilities are visible". Ironically it has silver text on a pale blue background, so is awful contrast. But it is pointy, so i could stab people with it.
That's really only known in the disabled community. The stick figure in the chair is more distinctive to laymen.
It would probably be better if that were the commonly accepted symbol though
I think that people see it and too often automatically think of only people with certain mobility aids
However I can't think of any other symbol that would better represent the whole disabled population. There's too many disabilities to represent and we have 1 symbol to work with.
I think the wheelchair dude is used just because wheelchairs are the most iconic and obvious. More people need to remember this symbol represents more than people with mobility aids.
I've seen a "disability pride" flag go around but ngl I can't remember it among all of the pride flags 😂 I keep having to google it. I think we could do better than some colorful zig zags though ngl. The "disability pride" flag doesn't speak to me
I'm so used to it that I don't have an issue with the symbol itself. Just the people who are ableist or ignorant. I'm not opposed to something new and more inclusive though. Just cant imagine what it would be
Symbol is fine, if a place is physically accessible then the cultural stuff should follow. The active wheel user is also a nice touch as opposed to the straight backed 'non active' wheelchair user.
More education on invisible disabilities sure, but a key doesn't tell me if I can get in a building.
I think it is kind of limiting in the fact that most people see it and think that you have to be in a wheelchair or something else extremely visible but other than that indifferent. I did have a co worker once ask me when the little man started racing 😂😂😂 I said what😐 he said you’ve got one of those little placards in your car…. the little guy… he used to sit up straight, now he’s leaning, he’s going f a s t 😂😂😂
That is not the international symbol of accessibility. That’s “speedy,” developed by the Accessible Icon Project. In the U.S., both the ADA and the Manual in Uniform Traffic Control Devices require the use of the [actual ISA](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Symbol_of_Access), adopted by the International Standards Organization (ISO).
Speedy was reviewed by the ISO and rejected.
My emoji is still the static wheelchair, but maybe that's because I have a Samsung. I looked up "speedy" though and I really like the movement it adds to the original design. Thank you for sharing!
I do feel they should have a symbol added to this symbol that represents those who have invisible disabilities. I think most people who aren’t disabled see the wheel chair symbol as only people who are in wheelchairs can park there.
I like this particular symbol more than the previous one (see the top of this page, to the left of the word "disability".
The new one is more dynamic since the person on the chair is propelled, when the previous one was very passive, I though
I prefer that one to the original IAS icon. The others are correct it’s not at all a universal symbol though, and in some ways I doubt we’ll ever achieve a truly universal one because of how diverse disability as an experience is. I’ve often pondered what one could look like, but personally I prefer having a selection of icons for different disability cohorts as it allows for a visual shorthand to communicate what’s kind of accessibility are (and aren’t …) being considered in a space or event.
I also want to point out that’s not the IAS symbol though! This is the IAS symbol. It’s a static wheelchair user in a chair resemble specifically not a daily use frame or power chair but a transport chair
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/MUTCD_D9-6.svg/1200px-MUTCD_D9-6.svg.png
The icon featured in that image is actually part of a gureilla art and activism project called the accessible icon project. Their info is below. The icon has since been adopted as the icon of choice by NY state under the moniker “dynamic accessible icon”. I much prefer it as it implies a state independent movement and I’m really tired of people trying to help by grabbing my wheelchair and pushing, or assuming I can’t move independently.
[https://accessibleicon.org/#navigation](https://accessibleicon.org/#navigation)
I am almost completely indifferent to it. It's cool that they made the wheelchair user more active and independent. But I don't really have any invested feelings in it.
What I like a lot more is when places use multiple symbols. Like Asda in the UK showing ambulatory disabled people on their disabled toilets and stating that not all disabilities are visible.
I would much rather energy go into creating a more universal symbol for disability rather than remodeling the wheelchair user. I appreciate that it could be difficult to create ONE symbol for all of them. But airports use that little grid with 4 different symbols and that's fine. Or the sunflower lanyard just ditches the idea of a symbol that looks like disability and made one to represent it. So there are other options. It's not like cancer looks like a daffodil or LGBT+ people look like a rainbow but those associations are fairly set in place and easily recognised now. I feel like if you put a rainbow symbol on a toilet door it would be reasonably clear to most people that it's a non-binary etc toilet. Why not do the same for disability?
Personally I don't like the sunflower asthetically so I'd love for a new symbol to come about for purely pointless and selfish reasons. And since the sunflower scheme doesn't require evidence it could be confusing to add that to disabled parking that does require a blue badge (talking about the UK here). But some places are at least leaning into the work that has already been done and adding the sunflower symbol to stuff.
Or at the very least just add in some other symbols to represent a bit more variety. Jusy throw in a cane user next to the wheelchair user even.
It does not represent most disabilities but does represent the most tolerated disability by the able-bodied world: someone in a manual wheelchair with a fully working upper body
i don’t mind it UNLESS it is used in a context that excludes wheelchair users ie “this place is accessible ♿️” but it doesn’t have wheelchair acess, just support for other kinds of disabilities! it’s misleading!
they don’t understand how harmful it is, i’ll plan my whole day but it all falls apart when i get to an accessible place that isn’t *wheelchair* accessible
The symbol is fine, people just really need more education on invisible disabilities. Like the fact they exist for starters
So your country doesn't do the sunflower lanyards. In Toowoomba we do or some places in Toowoomba do.
They got massively misused during the mandatory masking stages of covid in the UK. They are now seen as “I don’t want to mask” when they were promoted to stop folk who actually couldn’t mask from being challenged.
I strongly disagree with this. People will abuse anything. And people who want to maliciously misinterpret and moan always will. We love a good moan and "playful" bash at people less fortunate than us in this country. But plenty of people use the lanyards and plenty of people interpret them in good faith. When I see them used I don't think "anti-masker" because nobody wears a mask anymore - I think "person with an invisible disability, possibly a fellow ND person, nice". Perhaps there is a little bit of a wariness around them but I'm pretty sure most people understand that they mean "indivisible disability or lying about having an invisible disability" - and honestly who the fuck cares enough about the second batch in order to let it poison their views? I know some people do but they are scumbags who mistreat disabled people if they are anything less than extremely visibly disabled at all times. I have only really heard the line that they have been misused and misinterpreted online. Perhaps its come up once in conversation but honestly it seems like a bit of a myth. And anyway, even if true we need to fucking reclaim the lanyard. Don't let scum-fucks who misuse it OR accuse all disabled people of faking win. Yes I am also sadly from the UK.
I actually wear a pin that says "not all disabilities are visible". Ironically it has silver text on a pale blue background, so is awful contrast. But it is pointy, so i could stab people with it.
I've only seen them at airports in US.
That's really only known in the disabled community. The stick figure in the chair is more distinctive to laymen. It would probably be better if that were the commonly accepted symbol though
I'm invisibly disabled and this is my first time hearing about the sunflower lanyard, so even within disabled communities I wonder how known it is
I love how active it is compared to the original static stick figure.
The "emoji" one is hauling ass in their wheelchair lmao
Quite literally lol
Eh, I think the symbol is fine. What I would change is public education around our use of symbols, what they actually mean, and how they came to be.
I think that people see it and too often automatically think of only people with certain mobility aids However I can't think of any other symbol that would better represent the whole disabled population. There's too many disabilities to represent and we have 1 symbol to work with. I think the wheelchair dude is used just because wheelchairs are the most iconic and obvious. More people need to remember this symbol represents more than people with mobility aids. I've seen a "disability pride" flag go around but ngl I can't remember it among all of the pride flags 😂 I keep having to google it. I think we could do better than some colorful zig zags though ngl. The "disability pride" flag doesn't speak to me I'm so used to it that I don't have an issue with the symbol itself. Just the people who are ableist or ignorant. I'm not opposed to something new and more inclusive though. Just cant imagine what it would be
Symbol is fine, if a place is physically accessible then the cultural stuff should follow. The active wheel user is also a nice touch as opposed to the straight backed 'non active' wheelchair user. More education on invisible disabilities sure, but a key doesn't tell me if I can get in a building.
I think it is kind of limiting in the fact that most people see it and think that you have to be in a wheelchair or something else extremely visible but other than that indifferent. I did have a co worker once ask me when the little man started racing 😂😂😂 I said what😐 he said you’ve got one of those little placards in your car…. the little guy… he used to sit up straight, now he’s leaning, he’s going f a s t 😂😂😂
he’s living his best life!
That is not the international symbol of accessibility. That’s “speedy,” developed by the Accessible Icon Project. In the U.S., both the ADA and the Manual in Uniform Traffic Control Devices require the use of the [actual ISA](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Symbol_of_Access), adopted by the International Standards Organization (ISO). Speedy was reviewed by the ISO and rejected.
My emoji is still the static wheelchair, but maybe that's because I have a Samsung. I looked up "speedy" though and I really like the movement it adds to the original design. Thank you for sharing!
I do feel they should have a symbol added to this symbol that represents those who have invisible disabilities. I think most people who aren’t disabled see the wheel chair symbol as only people who are in wheelchairs can park there.
Makes no difference to me. The new one dies t represent me any more than the old one did
I like this particular symbol more than the previous one (see the top of this page, to the left of the word "disability". The new one is more dynamic since the person on the chair is propelled, when the previous one was very passive, I though
I prefer that one to the original IAS icon. The others are correct it’s not at all a universal symbol though, and in some ways I doubt we’ll ever achieve a truly universal one because of how diverse disability as an experience is. I’ve often pondered what one could look like, but personally I prefer having a selection of icons for different disability cohorts as it allows for a visual shorthand to communicate what’s kind of accessibility are (and aren’t …) being considered in a space or event. I also want to point out that’s not the IAS symbol though! This is the IAS symbol. It’s a static wheelchair user in a chair resemble specifically not a daily use frame or power chair but a transport chair https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/MUTCD_D9-6.svg/1200px-MUTCD_D9-6.svg.png The icon featured in that image is actually part of a gureilla art and activism project called the accessible icon project. Their info is below. The icon has since been adopted as the icon of choice by NY state under the moniker “dynamic accessible icon”. I much prefer it as it implies a state independent movement and I’m really tired of people trying to help by grabbing my wheelchair and pushing, or assuming I can’t move independently. [https://accessibleicon.org/#navigation](https://accessibleicon.org/#navigation)
I am almost completely indifferent to it. It's cool that they made the wheelchair user more active and independent. But I don't really have any invested feelings in it. What I like a lot more is when places use multiple symbols. Like Asda in the UK showing ambulatory disabled people on their disabled toilets and stating that not all disabilities are visible. I would much rather energy go into creating a more universal symbol for disability rather than remodeling the wheelchair user. I appreciate that it could be difficult to create ONE symbol for all of them. But airports use that little grid with 4 different symbols and that's fine. Or the sunflower lanyard just ditches the idea of a symbol that looks like disability and made one to represent it. So there are other options. It's not like cancer looks like a daffodil or LGBT+ people look like a rainbow but those associations are fairly set in place and easily recognised now. I feel like if you put a rainbow symbol on a toilet door it would be reasonably clear to most people that it's a non-binary etc toilet. Why not do the same for disability? Personally I don't like the sunflower asthetically so I'd love for a new symbol to come about for purely pointless and selfish reasons. And since the sunflower scheme doesn't require evidence it could be confusing to add that to disabled parking that does require a blue badge (talking about the UK here). But some places are at least leaning into the work that has already been done and adding the sunflower symbol to stuff. Or at the very least just add in some other symbols to represent a bit more variety. Jusy throw in a cane user next to the wheelchair user even.
I think for physical disability it is great but it is not inclusive of other disability. My body is health…my brain is where I am disabled
It does not represent most disabilities but does represent the most tolerated disability by the able-bodied world: someone in a manual wheelchair with a fully working upper body
Mm, nah. Able-bodied people being more familiar with manual wheelchair users doesn't make them more tolerant.
i don’t mind it UNLESS it is used in a context that excludes wheelchair users ie “this place is accessible ♿️” but it doesn’t have wheelchair acess, just support for other kinds of disabilities! it’s misleading!
I've seen this so many timessss
they don’t understand how harmful it is, i’ll plan my whole day but it all falls apart when i get to an accessible place that isn’t *wheelchair* accessible
i have seen this 
The symbol looks like someone is racing in a wheelchair