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Apple Proposes Accessibility Emoji, Including Service Dog

Apple on Friday proposed a batch of new accessibility characters, including two different service dogs, according to Emojipedia.

 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

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New accessibility emoji could be headed to mobile devices next year.

Apple on Friday proposed a batch of at least nine new accessibility characters, according to Emojipedia. The lot includes two different service dogs, a person with a cane, an ear with a hearing aid, a person in an electric wheelchair, a person in a manual wheelchair, a prosthetic arm, and a prosthetic leg. Another newly proposed emoji has with an index finger on the cheek to represent the American Sign Language gesture for "deaf."

Apple new accessibility emojis

"Apple is requesting the addition of emoji to better represent individuals with disabilities," the company reportedly wrote in its proposal to the Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit responsible for approving new emojis. "Currently, emoji provide a wide range of options, but may not represent the experiences of those with disabilities."

As for the two service dogs, one wears a harness and is meant for people who are blind or have low vision while the other wears a vest and leash and is meant to for people who have seizures and other "hidden disabilities," Apple reportedly wrote in the proposal.

Don't expect to see these new emoji on your mobile device any time soon, however. Emojipedia noted that this year's emoji list has already been set, and those new characters are slated to reach iOS and Android in the second half of the year. If the new accessibility emoji Apple proposed today are approved, they should arrive as part of Emoji 12.0 in the first half of 2019.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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