International Overview of Accessibility Icons and Labels: Between Social Uses and Regulations

Since the 1970s, a series of international and national sources have supported the principle of accessibility, which slowly has become a statuary norm and a legislative obligation. Each country has implemented accessibility through a singular policy. But in addition to the accessibility of a place or an activity, to inform about what is accessible is very important as well, and has not really taken off. Indeed, for disabled people, the difficulty lies not only with access to places and the use of resources, but also with the visibility of these resources. This means that information concerning accessibility has to be disclosed and provided effectively to disabled people, those involved with them and the relevant institutions. In different countries all over the world, many labels and pictograms have been created for this purpose and give information relating to accessibility. Using a socio-historical approach, we will present and analyze the different types of icons, symbols, pictograms and labels that have been put in place around the world and in France: what are they used for and for whom are they made? We will show that they are pointers which firstly reflect the diversity and range within the target group concerned by accessibility, and secondly the evolution of accessibility as a dynamic and ecological principle.

Ben-Moshe, L., & Powell, J. W. (2007). Sign of our times? Revis(it)ing the international symbol of access. Disability & Society, 22(5), 489-505.

CAN/CSA-B651-95, Barrier-Free Design. A National Standard of Canada Canadian Standards Association, 1995.

Frutiger, A. (1989). Signs and symbols. Their design and meaning. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

Gagneux, M. (1999). Tourisme et handicap, l’offre touristique. Paris: Secrétariat d’Etat au Tourisme, Conseil National du Tourisme.

Groce, N. (2002). From charity to disability rights: Global initiatives of rehabilitation international, 1922-2002. New York: Rehabilitation International.

Habermas, J. (1993). L’espace public. Archéologie de la publicité comme dimension constitutive de la société bourgeoise. Traduction de Lauray. Paris: Edition Payot.

Hora, M., Kinkel, B., Sienty, N., & Wyman, L. (2014). Access symbol (ISA): The challenge of updating an icon. Retrieved from https://significon.com/international-symbol-of-access-isathe-challenge-of-updating-an-icon/

Jones, C. (2013). “For them, not us”: How ableist interpretations of the international symbol of access make disability. Critical Disability Discourse, 5, 67-93.

Le Breton, D. (2006). La saveur du monde. Paris: Métailié.

Mace, R. L., Hardie, G. J., & Place, J. P. (1991). Accessible environments: Toward universal design. In W. E. Prieser, J. C. Vischer, and E. T. White (Eds.), Design intervention: Toward a more humane architecture. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

Mies, H. (2014). The International Symbol of Access (ISA) and the Accessible Icon Project (AIP), symbol brief.

Miranda, s., Pinto, i. M., & Olmos, s. (2014). Analysis of inclusion in the public transportation of people with reduced mobility that live in segregated areas. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 162, 487-495.

Oxley, P. R., & Richards, M. J. (1993). The costs of disability: A discussion paper. Cranfield Institute of Technology.

Reichhart, F. (2011). Le tourisme adapté: fondements idéologiques et institutionnels. Paris: L’Harmattan, Collection Tourismes et sociétés.

Reichhart, F., & Lomo Myazhiom, A. (2014). Analysis of the French tourist proposals for people with disabilities: From 1970s to present. Sociology Study, 4(7), 581-591.

Saillant, F., & Fougeyrollas, P. (2007). L’icône du handicap. Reliance, 25, 81-87.

Smith, R. W. (1987). Leisure of disable tourists: Barriers to participation. Annals of Tourism Research, 14(3), 376-389.

Standards for Accessible Design. ADA regulation, 1991, 2012.