'Handicapped' logo redesigned for the 21st century

Many of you will be familiar with the logo design of the 'handicapped' signage that is used across the world (shown below). Featuring a stick figure in a wheelchair with a blue-and-white colour scheme, the old logo has been criticised as portraying the handicapped as 'passive'.

A design team at Gordon College, Massachusetts took it upon themselves to create a new logo that aims to change the old logo's connotations. Showcasing a stick figure leaning forward and active, the new logo still maintains the traditional blue-and-white colour scheme.

Commissioner of the Office for People With Disabilities in New York, Victor Calise says that the new design is "a forward-moving thing" and that the logo now in use is "stagnant". The team hope that the new creation will spark debate among the design industry and cause a re-evaluation of disability issues.

The new logo is also being promoted by a number of disability organisations include The Enabling Unit in Delhi, India. The Accessible Icon Project website has a detailed breakdown here of how the design was put together.

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What do you make of the new logo? Let us know in the comments box below!