For the past few years ASPIRO, through our No Limits Campaign, has advocated to do away with the old static handicap symbol in favor of a new accessible icon.
History shows that the shape and form of what we see and hear forms our cognitive understanding of the world. For example, when we see symbols, we know exactly what they mean. They may conjure a feeling -- love & peace ☮. They tell us what the weather will be like - cloudy ☁. They make us aware and cautious ☠. The International Symbol of Access (ISA) is the world's most recognized symbol of disability. We all see it every day. It has looked the same since 1968. In its original version, it is mechanical and static. But there is a new icon for accessibility that better represents individuals with disabilities. The new icon shows a person leaning forward, navigating themselves in the world.
This is so much more than an icon. It is about the perception of disability in our public spaces. It is about a cultural change in the way disability is understood. It is time to let the new accessibility icon shape our understanding of the world. It is time to change.
What can you do? If you are planning to recoat, repave or restripe your parking lot consider joining us in celebrating the new icon. We have everything you need including free stickers to go over your existing signs. We will even loan you the parking lot stencil used by your contractor as they paint.
Please join us in congratulating a few of our newest partners who will be displaying the new icon this summer, Congratulations to Green Bay Botanical Garden, Bank of Luxemburg, Pizza Ranch, and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers!
Lincoln Burr
President
