What does this symbol actually mean? - Adrian Treharne
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Some of the world’s most recognizable symbols exist to sell products. Others, to steer traffic or advance political causes. But there’s one whose main purpose is to help people. You may know it as the wheelchair symbol, but its formal title is the International Symbol of Access. But what does the symbol actually mean? And what is its purpose? Adrian Treharne explains.
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The World Health Organisation (WHO) began when their Constitution came into force on 7 April 1948 – a date now celebrated every year as World Health Day. Their goal is to build a better, healthier future for people all over the world. WHO’s efforts to support Member States to address disability are guided by the overarching principles and approaches reflected in the WHO global disability action plan 2014-2021, the World report on disability, and the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
The UN CRPD is an international human rights treaty intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. The CRPD is important because it is a tool for ensuring that people with disabilities have access to the same rights and opportunities as everybody else. There are around 1 billion people with disabilities in the world. They are often the poorest of the poor. The stigma and discrimination they suffer are common in all societies. This is largely due to the barriers they face in their everyday lives, rather than their disability.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 163 national standards bodies. ISO has published more than 21000 International Standards and related documents, covering almost every industry, from technology, to food safety, to agriculture and healthcare. ISO International Standards impact everyone, everywhere.
The UN CRPD is an international human rights treaty intended to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. The CRPD is important because it is a tool for ensuring that people with disabilities have access to the same rights and opportunities as everybody else. There are around 1 billion people with disabilities in the world. They are often the poorest of the poor. The stigma and discrimination they suffer are common in all societies. This is largely due to the barriers they face in their everyday lives, rather than their disability.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 163 national standards bodies. ISO has published more than 21000 International Standards and related documents, covering almost every industry, from technology, to food safety, to agriculture and healthcare. ISO International Standards impact everyone, everywhere.
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Adrian Treharne
- Director Tolga Yıldız, Serin İnan
- Animator Tuncay Çetin
- Designer Pelin Maravent
- Layout Artist Pelin Maravent
- Composer Stephen LaRosa
- Sound Designer Stephen LaRosa
- Associate Producer Jessica Ruby
- Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
- Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
- Narrator Addison Anderson
