World Emoji Day

Every year on July 17th, we celebrate World Emoji Day—a day dedicated to the colorful, expressive symbols that have become an integral part of our digital communication. Emojis transcend language barriers, add emotion to our messages, and help us convey complex ideas with just a few characters. Are emojis accessible though? 

As we celebrate these little icons, it’s essential to consider how emojis impact accessibility. How can we ensure that we are using them in a way that supports accessibility, rather than creating additional barriers? The Unicode Consortium, the organization responsible for standardizing emojis across platforms, has continually worked to make emojis more inclusive. Recent additions include emojis representing some disabilities, various skin tones, and gender-neutral options, reflecting a broader spectrum of human diversity. Emojis can also be particularly beneficial for individuals with dyslexia or other reading difficulties. They provide visual context that can aid in comprehension and make text more engaging. For instance, a smiley face can reinforce a positive message. 

For those who rely on screen readers, emojis can present unique challenges. Screen readers interpret emojis based on their Unicode descriptions, which can sometimes be unclear or overly literal. Perkins School for the Blind shares how people with vision impairments type and read emoji in their Emoji and Low Vision post, including tips for using emojis effectively and helpful links to additional resources such as Emojipedia. Ashley from the Youtube channel Ashley’s Advice has a few related videos, including How I use technology with a vision impairment – Using Emojis!.

Individuals who process information literally can also be disadvantaged when emojis with indirect meaning replace language. Toren Wolf shares a humorous take on this experience in his short When you are Autistic/ADHD and don’t get emojis video. While some of these experiences can be funny, they can also prove frustrating, confusing, and exclusive when the recipient is left to puzzle out the intended meaning. 

The actionable suggestions offered by AbilityNet in their article, Four ways to make emojis accessible are a great starting point to ensure your communication is effective and accessible. We challenge you to adopt these ideas today and share with a colleague or friend to spread the word. 

Here are a few additional resources to support your thinking regarding the use of emojis: 

Tiny Cloud: Do emojis and accessibility work together?

Defra digital, data, security and technology: Happy World Emoji Day

TED Institute: In defense of emojis (Jenna Schilstra)