MyParkingSign.com: First Company to Sell Updated Accessibility Signage

NEW YORK -- July 31, 2014: MyParkingSign.com is the first company to sell signage featuring the updated International Symbol of Accessibility. Originally created in the 1960s, the symbol was recently redesigned to feature a more active human figure. On Friday, July 25th, the updated logo was adopted as the state of New York's official symbol of accessibility.

Senator David Carlucci (D-NY), cosponsor of the bill, said in a statement, "On the eve of the 24th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I want to thank Governor Cuomo for signing our Accessibility Icon legislation into law. New York is again leading the way by being the first state in the nation to update our outdated 'handicap' signs with a more active, engaging symbol. Working together we will continue to be a shining example for disability rights throughout the country."

After the symbol's official adoption, MyParkingSign.com has created new products to reflect the change. The company plans to offer donations and discounts to interested parties across the country.

"MyParkingSign.com, along with SmartSign's other branded sites, prides itself on seeing an opportunity to create change and acting quickly," said Conrad Lumm, Marketing Director for the company's brands. "We recently ran a successful nationwide campaign to promote inclusivity by donating all-gender restroom signs to colleges. We plan to aggressively adopt the same approach with the new accessibility symbol and start donations immediately to encourage implementation."

The symbol was created by professors Sara Hendren and Brian Glenney, founders of The Accessible Icon Project. The project provides supplies and services to transform the old International Symbol of Access into an "active, engaged image."

In an interview with Lumm, Brian Glenney said, "The worry is that the old symbol conveys a way of thinking that's quite prolific and old and of a helpless static person who clings to their wheelchair that essentially is looking for a handout… something quite passive."

Sara Hendren said of the new image, "Our symbol speaks to the general primacy of personhood, and to the notion that the person first decides how…she or he will navigate the world, in the broadest literal and metaphorical terms. To us, this evokes the disability rights mantra that demands 'nothing about us without us.'"

"We love the Accessible Icon Project's 'Moving Forward' strategy," said Lumm. "We plan to change our products, advocate for the new design, and share as much as possible."