Disability Emoji Are Here!

Disability Emoji Are Here!

By Greg Smith, Sr., The Strength Coach

iDiversicons, the world’s first diverse emoji keyboard has released new "Disability Pride Emoji" in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Fourteen disability emoji have been added to its existing line of diverse images that offer a new seamless iPhone and iPad keyboard.

If these 14 emoji demonstrate a market demand, hundreds of other disability figures will be created and added to the upgrades, covering the full range of disability diversity. If your disability isn’t represented yet, fear not, and purchase the app anyway to show your support. The cost of the app is $1.99.  

Disability Emoji and Civil Rights

Disability Pride Emoji give people with disabilities the opportunity express ourselves as we celebrate our civil rights. The concept of disability today refers to a lifestyle, shared by millions of people who are fully engaged in community life. And that includes online and wireless community life!  If everybody else is expressing themselves with emoji that look like them, so should people with disabilities!

For too long, we’ve been left out of the mainstream mirror of society. We never see the "fan cam" on the wheelchair section at ballgames. We never see stars with disabilities saving the day, in slow motion, rolling or limping away from the explosion in the background. But thanks to iDiversicons, we are on the cutting edge of a growing trend.

iDiversicons is the brainchild of Katrina Parrott, a former NASA employee who got the idea from her daughter Katy, who expressed a desire to send her friends emoji that looked like her. So iDiversicons’ emoji encompass various races, biracial and gender equality, religion, animals, holidays, sports, mascots, fraternities, sororities and now, disabilities.

As a pioneer for diversity and inclusion, iDiversicons’ revolutionary new iPhone and iPad keyboard features truly diverse emoji, satisfying a void that current emoji lack and what the public has been asking for: “more faces of color and diversity.” There are more than 900 iDiversicons to choose from, including an unmatched five different skin tones.

The iDiversicons’ keyboard is fluid, seamless and very easy to use. All diverse emoji are contained in the keyboard like a font. Emoji can instantly be made larger for easier viewing and selection purposes. There is no limitation in the number of iDiversicons you can select and send at one time.

This Is Just the Beginning

This first batch of Disability Pride Emoji is just the beginning of what will become hundreds of images when the funding becomes available. Your ideas for images are welcomed. Download the latest version of iDiversicons as a vote for inclusion of people with disabilities in a rising form of expression.

• To order from the iTunes store, go to http://bitly.com/DisEmoji
• To order the GoogleAps version, go to http://bitly.com/DisEmojiGoogle
• To order the Amazon Apps version, go to http://bitly.com/DisEmojiAmazon

What additional emoji would you like to see added?  Post your suggestions in the comments section below or email [email protected].

About the author:

Greg Smith is a professional speaker, broadcaster and author known as “The Strength Coach.” He is the founder of “On A Roll: Talk Radio on Life & Disability,” a nationally syndicated radio show that aired on 70 stations from 1992-2006. He is subject and associate producer of the PBS documentary “On A Roll: Family, Disability and the American Dream,” which reached 1 million Americans in 2005. He is also the author of “On A Roll: Reflections from America’s Wheelchair Dude with the Winning Attitude.” For more on Greg Smith, Sr., visit www.thestrengthcoach.com.