Inclusive new emojis for 2019 include a wheelchair user, bionic arm and guide dog
The new additions follow a proposal from Apple calling for more representation for people with disabilities
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Your support makes all the difference.A total of 230 brand new emojis are set to arrive to major platforms this year including a wheelchair user, guide dog and prosthetic limbs.
The Unicode Consortium – a computing industry standard for the consistent representation – released its official list of emojis for 2019 on Tuesday, revealing new additions across a number of categories including animals, food and culture.
Following a proposal from Apple last year calling for more emojis to represent people with different disabilities, Unicode has announced the update will include people in manual and motorised wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs and service dogs.
There will also be a number of additional symbols that weren’t included in Apple’s original proposal, such as standalone characters using a cane and the gender-inclusive “deaf person” emoji.
This year’s crop is also set to feature a number of symbols that represent different cultures.
Among them are the sari, a Hindu Temple, maté – a traditional South American drink – and a Diya Lamp – an oil lamp used by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world to celebrate Diwali.
There are also 70 new combinations for the “couple holding hands” emoji, ensuring that all couples can be represented in every skin tone.
Food lovers can expect a number of new additions too including a waffle, butter, garlic, falafel and a juice box, while there are several new animal emojis, including a sloth, otter, flamingo, orangutan and skunk.
Also making the cut is the “pinching hand” which has already sparked a number of memes on social media.
While some say it could be used to represent the universal sign for “it’s this big,” others have compared it Ross from Friends’ “keep it down” gesture in the episode The One Where Ross Moves In.
“I just need pinching hand emoji for the unsolicited d*** pics,” one person wrote.
Another added: “Pinching hand emoji or ‘fellas keep it down’ emoji you tell me.”
Although the full list of emojis have been announced, it will be several months before the update hits users’ phones.
According to Emojipedia, people can expect to see the new additions arrive in April and continue through the end of the year.
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