In a push towards greater diversity, tech giant Apple has unveiled their new disability-themed Emojis.
Apple dubbed it a move designed to “bring even more diversity to the keyboard.”
The new emojis were unveiled to coincide with World Emoji Day and include a guide dog, an ear with a hearing aid, wheelchairs, a visually impaired person, a prosthetic arm, and a prosthetic leg. They will be available for use later this year, CNN reports.
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“Celebrating diversity in all its many forms is integral to Apple’s values and these new options help fill a significant gap in the emoji keyboard,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement.
Earlier this year, we reported that Unicode released new emoji 12.0 data that showed 59 new emojis including disability-inclusive emojis of a deaf person and a person in a wheelchair. Along with some new foods and body fluids like a waffle and a drop of blood.
“Currently, emoji provide a wide range of options, but may not represent the experiences of those with disabilities,” Apple wrote at the time. “Diversifying the options available helps fill a significant gap and provides a more inclusive experience for all.”
According to Apple (AAPL), the company selected new Emojis that are most inclusive of people in four main categories: blind and low vision, deaf and hard of hearing, physical motor disabilities and hidden disabilities. The iPhone maker added that the new additions to the emoji keyboard are just a starting point and not a comprehensive list of all potential disabilities.
Kristina Barrick, a spokesperson for UK disability equality charity Scope, said the move was a “positive step towards disability being well and truly represented in the world of emoji.”
“We’ve had ghosts, robots, a poo with a face and even 10 empty squares to choose from, so it’s about time emojis started to better represent the 15% of the global population who are disabled,” she added.
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