Accessibility signage
Introduction
The 'International Symbol of Accessibility (SIA)', intended to identify areas adapted to people with disabilities, consists of a blue box with the stylized image of a person in a wheelchair in white. The copyright of the logo (ISO 7001) belongs to the International Commission on Technology and Accessibility (ICTA), a committee of Rehabilitation International.[1].
History
It was designed by Danish design student Susanne Koefoed in 1968. It was first sketched at a radical design conference organized by the Scandinavian Student Organization (SDO). The group organized a summer studio session at Stockholm's art and design university, Konstfack, alternating time between workshop sessions and larger conferences. At these lectures, American designer and educator Victor Papanek set the tone. In the writings he formulated during this period, he also imagined disabled people, both physically and mentally challenged, as figures in need of renewed attention. Although there is no evidence that Papanek ever met Koefoed, his influence extended to the seminary where the original SIA was drafted. Tasked with creating a symbol to mark barrier-free accommodation, Koefoed presented an early version of the symbol at the July 1968 exhibition held at the end of the SDO seminar. The Koefoed symbol represents an empty wheelchair. This icon was widely promoted in Sweden the following year.
Karl Montan, director of Sweden's new Institute for People with Disabilities, also promoted Koefoed's design to the organization Rehabilitation International. The head of RI's International Commission on Technology and Accessibility (ICTA) asked Montan to form a special committee that would find and deliver a symbol to the group's convention in Dublin in 1969. Montan's group was asked to choose from six symbols. When the Koefoed symbol was introduced, several members complained that it was too austere and illegible. As Montan noted: "a small drawback with the symbol is the equally thick lines, which can give an impression of a monogram of letters. With a 'head' on the symbol, this drawback will disappear." Taking the original copy of the design, Montan would add a circle to the top of the seat to give the impression of a seated figure.