---
title: "Inclusive New Emoji Include Prosthetic Arms and Legs"
description: "The new emoji added to the global roster include prosthetic arms and other inclusive representation for people with disabilities."
date: "2019-02-06"
modified: "2019-02-06"
authors:
  - name: "Jon Christian"
    job_title: "Executive Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/new-emoji-prosthetic-arms-legs"
categories:
  - "Health & Medicine"
  - "Prosthetics and Devices"
tags:
  - "Disability"
  - "emoji"
  - "the digest"
  - "unicode consortium"
---

# Inclusive New Emoji Include Prosthetic Arms and Legs

![The new emojis added to the global roster include prosthetic arms and other inclusive representation for people with disabilities.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Emoji-2019-disability-representation-inclusive.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Unicode Consortium/Tag Hartman-Simkins\</em\>*

## New Emoji

The Unicode Consortium, which standardizes how letters and characters appear on your computer screens, [just finalized](<https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/02/emoji-12-0-brings-us-waffles-more-diversity-suggestive-finger-pinch-glyph/>) the new roster of emoji that Apple, Google, and other tech vendors will add to your devices — and they offer notably better representation to people with disabilities.

The new emoji — [that's the plural term now](<https://twitter.com/APStylebook/status/1001894772771053570>) — include a prosthetic arm, a prosthetic leg, a guide dog, a person in a wheelchair, and many other inclusive glyphs.

## Online Response

https://twitter.com/callmetrisssh/status/1093003369810149376

https://twitter.com/hasaan152/status/1093041266097451008

https://twitter.com/sesmith/status/1093197258747633664

## Bottom Line

Apple first [proposed](<https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2019/02/05/apple-backed-emoji-people-disabilities-coming-soon/2782210002/>) the new emoji last year, writing that "adding emoji emblematic to users’ life experiences helps foster a diverse culture that is inclusive of disability."

In the age of messaging apps, emoji have become a crucial part of how people communicate. That gives the Unicode Consortium enormous power to help more people feel seen and included — and it's good to see the group using that power for good.

**READ MORE:** [Emoji 12.0 Brings Us Waffles, More Diversity, Suggestive “Finger Pinch” Glyph](<https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/02/emoji-12-0-brings-us-waffles-more-diversity-suggestive-finger-pinch-glyph/>) \[*Ars Technica*\]

***More on emojis:*** [Facebook Unveils Gesture Generated ‘Virtual Reality Emojis’](<https://futurism.com/facebook-unveils-gesture-generated-virtual-reality-emojis>)

## Author
I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/jonchristian.net>)