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File #: 190371    Version: 0 Name:
Type: Resolution Status: ADOPTED
File created: 5/2/2019 In control: CITY COUNCIL
On agenda: Final action: 5/9/2019
Title: Commending various private, not-for-profit, and governmental entities for adopting the "Accessible Icon", and calling on the City of Philadelphia to utilize this logo for all new public works projects.
Sponsors: Councilmember Parker, Councilmember Green, Councilmember Taubenberger, Councilmember Johnson
Attachments: 1. Resolution No. 19037100, 2. Signature19037100
Title
Commending various private, not-for-profit, and governmental entities for adopting the "Accessible Icon", and calling on the City of Philadelphia to utilize this logo for all new public works projects.
Body
WHEREAS, The icon that represents inclusive design for people with physical disabilities was first conceived as an empty wheelchair by Danish design student Susanne Koefoed as part of a 1968 competition sponsored by the United Nations and the International Standards Organization; and

WHEREAS, The symbol, which is now a person sitting in a wheelchair, was not widely used until 1990, when George W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and made it official; and

WHEREAS, In 2010, artist and design researcher Sara Hendren and philosophy professor Brian Glenney wanted to draw attention to the symbol as a way to address issues around inclusivity. They launched the Accessible Icon Project in order to introduce a new icon that features a more dynamic figure - one that aimed to portray individuals with physical disabilities in a new light; and

WHEREAS, The Accessible Icon image is not just a person sitting in a wheelchair; instead, the image is more dynamic and shows more movement; and

WHEREAS, Since the Accessible Icon was conceived, more designers have joined the cause in trying to make the new symbol the new official symbol used by governments, businesses, and organizations across the world; and

WHEREAS, The Accessible Icon is now being used by various local private, not-for-profit, and governmental entities such as Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia, MossRehab, Citizens Bank Park, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, University of the Sciences, and Inglis House; and

WHEREAS, Nationally, the Accessible Icon is also catching on, and several state and local governments have adopted the new symbol, including New York State, Connecticut, and more recently Wildwood, New Jersey; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia should join these "early adopter" governm...

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