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27th March 2018
11:09am BST
Tech giant Apple has proposed that a range of new emojis representing people with disabilities be added to the current range of characters.
Among the proposed symbols are a wheelchair user, a hearing aid, guide dogs and prosthetic limbs.
In a statement, Apple said: "Currently, emoji provide a wide range of options, but may not represent the experiences of those with disabilities."
"Diversifying the options available helps fill a significant gap and provides a more inclusive experience for all."
???? ???? New: Apple has submitted a proposal to Unicode for accessibility emojis including people in wheelchairs, service dogs, and prosthetic limbs. If approved, they'll be on phones next year https://t.co/ic87QRkDpj pic.twitter.com/d7NISQR0me
— Emojipedia ???? (@Emojipedia) March 23, 2018
The company submitted ideas for 13 new emojis in total to the Unicode Consortium, the company responsible for reviewing requests for new emoji characters.
Apple added: "This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all possible depictions of disabilities, but to provide an initial starting point for greater representation for diversity within the emoji universe."
Although the emojis haven't yet been approved, people seem to be loving the idea already.
OMG YES. Better disability-related emojis! https://t.co/dLM8O3PVZx
— Dr. Ashley Shew, cyborg human animal (@ashleyshoo) March 23, 2018
This is fantastic! EVERYONE SHOULD BE REPRESENTED!!!!
— ✨MommyMagic????????????✨ (@MommyMagic111) March 23, 2018
(I’m only ashamed that I, myself, never pondered these missing emojis before. ????)
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