International Symbol of Access

The International Symbol of Access (ISA), also known as the (International) Wheelchair Symbol, consists of a blue square overlaid in white with a stylized image of a person using a wheelchair. It is maintained as an international standard, ISO 7001, and a copyrighted image of the International Commission on Technology and Accessibility (ICTA), a committee of Rehabilitation International.^[1] It was designed by Susanne Koefoed in 1968.

The symbol is often seen where access has been improved, particularly for wheelchair users, but also for other mobility issues.^[2] Frequently, the symbol denotes the removal of environmental barriers, such as steps, to help also older people, parents with baby carriages, and travellers.^[3] Universal design aims to obviate the need for such symbols by creating products and facilities that are accessible to nearly all users from the start. The wheelchair symbol is "International" and therefore not accompanied by Braille in any particular language.

Specific uses of the ISA include:

• Marking a parking space reserved for vehicles used by disabled people/blue badge holders
• Marking a vehicle used by a disabled person, often for permission to use a space
• Marking a public lavatory with facilities designed for wheelchair users
• Indicating a button to activate an automatic door
• Indicating an accessible transit station or vehicle
• Indicating a transit route that uses accessible vehicles

The ISA is assigned the Unicode codepoint U+267F,^[4] showing as ♿

A compatible font such as DejaVu Sans^[5] must be installed to view the character.

Building codes such as the California Builders Code, Section 1117B.5.8 Symbols of Accessibility require "a white figure on a blue background. The blue shall be equal to Color No. 15090 in Federal Standard 595B."^[6]

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